TankBud

Magenta dottyback

Pictichromis porphyrea

Also known as Strawberry Dottyback, Purple Dottyback, Purple Pseudochromis, Strawberry Gramma

SaltwaterFish

Magenta dottyback (Pictichromis porphyrea)
Brian Gratwicke · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
2.4 in
6 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Very common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Pseudochromidae
Origin
Western Pacific, from eastern Indonesia and the Philippines east to Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands

Overview

The magenta dottyback is a small, hardy fish for a nano or small reef tank. It is easy to keep, though it has a temper.

Did you know

The magenta dottyback is sold under at least three common names, as the magenta, strawberry or purple dottyback, and under two scientific names. A hobbyist could easily buy what looks like a second, different fish and end up with a duplicate.

Caring for the magenta dottyback

Keep the magenta dottyback in a nano or small reef tank of at least 20 gal (75 L). It demands little open swimming room, but it needs plenty of tight hiding spots. It is shy at first, sticking close to crevices and rubble. Once settled, it grows bolder about venturing into open water.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It is a hardy carnivore that readily takes mysis, chopped seafood and other frozen carnivore preparations once it feels secure. Good nutrition keeps its magenta color at its brightest.

The magenta dottyback is smaller than the bicolor dottyback and generally a notch less pugnacious. It still has a temper, and it will single out and harass tank mates of a similar shape, size or color. Peaceful fish added after it has settled in are the most at risk. Keep only one per tank, and add it after its neighbors are established.

It is completely reef safe, ignoring corals and other sessile invertebrates. Breeding it is rated medium in difficulty.

Good to know

Pictichromis porphyrea was first described in 1974 as Pseudochromis porphyreus. It moved into the newly erected genus Pictichromis in 2004, along with the bicolor dottyback and several other small, vividly colored relatives. Some sellers still use the older name, Pseudochromis porphyreus, sometimes for fish marketed separately as the purple dottyback. Both names refer to the same species. Like the rest of its family, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite. A field study documented individual fish switching from female to male and back again. It was the first confirmed bidirectional sex change recorded in the wild for any member of the Pseudochromidae.

In the wild

The magenta dottyback lives on reef flats and slopes across the western Pacific, usually in less than 20 meters of water. Its range runs from eastern Indonesia and the Philippines east to Samoa, and north to the Ryukyu Islands.

Common questions

What size tank does a magenta dottyback need?

A magenta dottyback needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a magenta dottyback need?

A magenta dottyback is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a magenta dottyback eat?

A magenta dottyback is a hardy carnivore that takes mysis, chopped seafood and other frozen carnivore preparations. Good nutrition keeps its magenta color at its brightest.

How big does a magenta dottyback get?

An adult magenta dottyback reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

Related species