All fish / Callionymidae

Ocellated Dragonet

Synchiropus ocellatus

Also known as ocellated dragonet, scooter dragonet, scooter blenny, spotted dragonet, ocellated mandarin, dragonet, コウワンテグリ, 眼斑连鳍䲗, 眼斑䲗

A small mottled dragonet in brown, orange and white with eye-like spots, and males carry a tall, banded first dorsal fin that they raise when displaying. It hops slowly over sand and rock picking at tiny crustaceans, which makes it an appealing, characterful choice for calm reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair; never two males

Diet

Carnivore: live copepods and amphipods from a mature reef, plus enriched brine shrimp, mysis and small frozen foods once it is weaned

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western and central Pacific: southern Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Micronesia, Polynesia

Breeding

Pairs spawn at dusk by rising together off the bottom and releasing floating eggs. Raising the very small pelagic larvae needs copepod and rotifer cultures and is rarely managed by home aquarists.

Good to know

It relies on a steady supply of live pods, so add it only to a mature tank with plenty of live rock and no competing pod eaters. Males fight each other, and the species is easily confused with other scooter dragonets in the trade.