All fish / Pseudochromidae

Brown Dottyback

Pseudochromis fuscus

Also known as dusky dottyback, yellow dottyback, golden dottyback, brown dottyback, yellow pseudochromis, fuscus dottyback, dusky pseudochromis, クレナイニセスズメ, 褐拟雀鲷, 棕拟雀鲷

A small, slender reef fish that comes in two main colour forms: a dark brownish grey and a bright golden yellow, both with fine blue dots on the scales. It is hardy, cheap and full of character, darting in and out of rockwork, which makes it a popular choice for beginner reef and fish-only tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

8 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, one dottyback per tank unless a confirmed pair

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood, quality marine pellets and flakes

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Sri Lanka and India to Indonesia, the Philippines, northern Australia and Melanesia

Breeding

Pairs spawn in caves, laying a ball of eggs that the male guards until hatching after a few days. Spawning happens fairly often in aquaria, but rearing the tiny larvae requires rotifers and copepods and is challenging.

Good to know

Very territorial for its size and may harass or kill timid fish, small shrimps and other dottybacks, so add it last and give plenty of rock caves. It will jump from uncovered tanks.