All fish / Callionymidae

Signal Fin Dragonet

Synchiropus signipinnis

Also known as signal fin dragonet, red sea dragonet, signal dragonet, signipinnis dragonet

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This is a tiny dragonet with mottled brown and white camouflage. Males have a tall first dorsal fin marked with an eyespot, which they flick up as a signal. Reef keepers like it because it is a quiet, interesting bottom dweller that suits small reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a male and female pair; one male per tank

Diet

Carnivore: live copepods and amphipods from a mature refugium, plus small frozen foods such as copepods and baby brine shrimp once it has been trained to take them

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Breeding

Pairs spawn in the water column at dusk and release floating eggs. The larvae are very small and need plankton, so rearing them at home is rarely done.

Good to know

It eats mostly tiny live crustaceans, so it needs a well established tank with plenty of pods and should not have to compete with other pod eaters. It is little studied and rarely imported, so some care figures here are taken from closely related dragonets.