Diadem dottyback
Pseudochromis diadema
Also known as Purple Stripe Dottyback, Diadema Dottyback, Flashback Pygmy Basslet
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–81°F
- 23–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- 7 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Pseudochromidae
- Origin
- Western Central Pacific (Coral Triangle), from the Philippines and Malaysia through Indonesia to Palau
Overview
The diadem dottyback is a small, territorial reef fish that lives close to a crevice in the rockwork. It is easy to keep.
Did you know
The diadem dottyback has a bold purple band running back from its eye over the top of its head. It looks enough like a jeweled headband to give the fish its name, diadem, the classical word for a crown.
Caring for the diadem dottyback
A diadem dottyback needs a reef tank of at least 20 gal (75 L), with plenty of live rock broken into nooks. Give it a crevice to call its own.
Keep the water at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It is an eager eater, taking frozen mysis, brine shrimp and marine pellets two or three times a day without any coaxing.
Diadem dottybacks are among the calmer members of a famously feisty family. They hold a territory and will chase off damsels, gobies, grammas and other small fish that get too close. They are less relentless about it than a bicolor or neon dottyback. Keep one per tank, and choose tank mates with caution.
It is completely reef safe around corals and clams, and it will pick off small bristleworms as a bonus. Breeding it is a moderate challenge.
Good to know
The diadem dottyback, Pseudochromis diadema, has a bright yellow body and a purple head stripe, the sharp two-tone look typical of small dottybacks. Some sources now place it in Pictichromis alongside its closest relatives. The name Pseudochromis diadema remains in wide use in the trade. As with the rest of its family, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite. The dominant fish in a pairing changes from female to male. Marine fish farms produce it in reasonable numbers, so captive-bred stock is easier to find than for many dottybacks.
In the wild
The diadem dottyback is found on shallow reefs across the Coral Triangle, from the Philippines and Malaysia through Indonesia to Palau. It shelters in holes and crevices in coral rubble and reef rock, between about 5 and 25 meters down. It holds a small home range around its chosen crevice and rarely wanders far from cover.
Common questions
What size tank does a diadem dottyback need?
A diadem dottyback needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a diadem dottyback need?
A diadem dottyback is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a diadem dottyback eat?
A diadem dottyback is an eager eater of frozen mysis, brine shrimp and marine pellets. Feed it two or three times a day, and it needs no coaxing.
How big does a diadem dottyback get?
An adult diadem dottyback reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).
Related species
2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Orchid dottyback
Pseudochromis fridmani
2.8 in (7 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
3 in (7.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Indigo dottyback
Pseudochromis hybrid
3 in (7.5 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
3.1 in (8 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Sankey's dottyback
Pseudochromis sankeyi
3.1 in (8 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
3.1 in (8 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)Sunrise dottyback
Pseudochromis flavivertex
3.1 in (8 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Springer's dottyback
Pseudochromis springeri
2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Neon dottyback
Pseudochromis aldabraensis
3.5 in (9 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)