All fish / Callionymidae

Seychelles dragonet

Synchiropus sechellensis

Also known as seychelles dragonet, sechelles dragonet, dragonet, spotted dragonet, red dragonet, sechellensis dragonet, 塞舌尔连鳍䲗

This small dragonet has a flattened head, a mottled sandy brown and white body, and males grow a tall first dorsal fin that they raise when displaying. People keep it for its busy hunting behaviour on sand and rock and its intricate camouflage colours, and it suits a calm reef tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

150 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a male and female pair; males fight each other

Diet

Carnivore: live copepods and amphipods from mature live rock, plus small frozen foods such as mysis and enriched brine shrimp once it accepts them

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from the Seychelles and East Africa to the western Pacific

Breeding

Pairs spawn at dusk, rising together into open water to release floating eggs. The larvae are tiny and need very small live foods, so raising them in home aquariums is rarely successful.

Good to know

Like mandarins it hunts small crustaceans all day and often starves in new or small tanks, so it needs a mature system with a large copepod population. Keep only one male per tank and avoid boisterous tankmates that compete for food.