All fish / Callionymidae

Red Scooter Dragonet

Synchiropus rubrovinctus

Also known as red scooter blenny, scooter dragonet, red scooter, scooter blenny, ruby red dragonet, red dragonet, ルビーレッドドラゴネット, 红鼠鱼, 红斑鼠䲗

A small dragonet with a mottled red and white body and a tall dorsal fin that males raise in display. It hops across rock and sand picking off tiny crustaceans, and keepers value it as a colourful, peaceful oddity for mature reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

115 litres

Keep as

Single or a male and female pair; never two males

Diet

Carnivore: live copepods and amphipods grazed from rock, plus frozen copepods, enriched brine shrimp and small mysis once it learns to take them

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines and nearby reefs

Breeding

Pairs spawn at dusk, rising together into the water to release pelagic eggs. Eggs are sometimes collected, but raising the tiny larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved at home.

Good to know

Needs an established tank with a large live rock population of copepods or it will slowly starve, so only add it once it is seen eating prepared food. Males fight each other and it may be outcompeted by mandarins or other pod eaters.