Cherry dottyback / Ringeye Dottyback (Pseudoplesiops typus). A remarkable fish.

Cherry dottyback / Ringeye Dottyback (Pseudoplesiops typus).

A very different type of Dottyback.

This shy and very peaceful fish is very unlike most other Dottyback species. You may have noticed it is a Pseudoplesiops, and not one of the more commonly seen Pseudochromis / Pctichromis.

Royal Dottyback (Pictichromis paccagnellae). One of the much more commonly seen Dottyback species.

Dottybacks in general.

Other small Dottyback species such as Royal dottyback and Strawberry Dottybacks sometimes get a reputation for aggression, but, it is quite unjust. Dottybacks simply defend a territory so they have enough food to eat. A well fed Royal or Strawberry dottyback if well fed will happily have a territory as small as 6” across. It’s only when food is in short supply that they need a larger territory, and if they need a 2ft across territory to avoid starving then that can be a problem for new hobbyists with nano tanks and not much experience on marine fish feeding or behaviour issues. We often keep our Dottybacks in 8L tanks often with 3 or 4 other small fish in with them with rarely any problems doing so. Whilst a Royal or Strawberry dottyback if well fed is ok with other small and tiny fish, they can still hold their own in tanks filled with larger fish. However, Cherry dottybacks are very different.

Why Cherry dottybacks could become your favourite fish species.

Cherry dottybacks are so quiet and peaceful that even juvenile Firefish or large Coral gobies may pick on them. Whilst this can be an issue in larger heavily stocked systems this makes them ideal for nano tanks. A fully grown 2”=3” male Cherry dottyback would be quite happy in a tank as small as 30 litres. They naturally like caves up to about the size of a can of coke. They will spend most of their time in their cave, but, in a nano this can be positioned so they can see out and you can see in. Being safe with tiny Gobies and other gentle fish such as most small Gobies and small Wrasses, etc they can make an absolutely stunning centrepiece fish in a small tank.

Why would I want one?

Why would you not? They are small, but, not tiny. They have stunning colouration, are peaceful with other inhabitants, have plenty of personality, are easy to keep, and not even expensive! In fact I would struggle to think of many fish that are better for tanks in the 30-100 litre range.

Any special requirements?

Feed once or twice a day on frozen Mysis, avoid mixing them with aggressive fish, and a lid is essential. Those are pretty much standard requirements for most small reef fish. It will want a coke can sized cave, but, that is all. Very highly recommended indeed! The biggest difficulty is usually finding one for sale. last year I think we only had 3 all year. Currently we have 7 in stock which is probably half of all the specimens I have ever personally seen in the UK. A very rare opportunity to get a rare and perfect nano sized fish, and for once rare doesn’t mean expensive either! Starting at just £30 for one.

Ideal for nano tanks.

This is actually a nano sized tank. Although it loks huge it is actually not much more than 100 litres. The Tangs are a dubious choice of fish for a tank this siz, but, this was set up as a display and taken down again shortly after, so as I understand it this was actually only running for a couple of weeks. It just goes to show though what can be achieved in a modest space.