All fish / Callionymidae

Minute Dragonet

Synchiropus minutulus

Also known as minute dragonet, tiny dragonet, dwarf dragonet, pygmy dragonet, minutulus dragonet

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One of the smallest dragonets, this little fish has a mottled brown and cream body that blends in with rubble, and males carry a tall, decorated first dorsal fin. Reef keepers with nano tanks like it for its tiny size and its busy hopping about the sand and rock.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

2 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Single, or a pair in a mature tank

Diet

Carnivore: live copepods and other tiny crustaceans picked from rock and sand

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Palau, northern Australia

Breeding

Pairs spawn in open water at dusk and release floating eggs. Rearing the very small larvae needs tiny live foods and has seldom been done in home aquariums.

Good to know

Like other dragonets it eats mainly live copepods, so it needs a mature reef tank with plenty of live rock or a refugium. Keep it away from bigger or pushy fish that take food first, and do not keep two males together.