Purple Firefish

Nemateleotris decora

Also known as Decorated Firefish, Purple Dartfish, Elegant Firefish, Decora Firefish

SaltwaterFish

Purple Firefish (Nemateleotris decora) — TANAKA Juuyoh · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Indo-Pacific (Mauritius to the western Pacific)
Family: Microdesmidae

Overview

Purple firefish are reef safe and will not nip or bother corals, clams, or other sessile invertebrates. They rarely show aggression toward unrelated tankmates but are territorial toward their own kind, so keep a single fish or an established male and female pair rather than a loose group. As with all firefish they are serious jumpers, so a secure lid is essential. Offer a varied diet of finely chopped meaty seafood, mysis, and enriched brine.

In the wild

The purple firefish keeps to slightly deeper reef and rubble zones than its fire dartfish cousin, hovering above the bottom to feed on drifting plankton and retreating to a burrow when alarmed. It needs the same setup: a tank of around 75 liters or more, loose coral rubble and rockwork to shelter in, and a tightly fitting lid. It holds near the lower and middle water column and grows bolder about staying in the open once it settles in.

Good to know

Its coloring is where the name decora comes from, a pale body washed with purple over the head and fins and a yellow face, more subtly patterned than the fire dartfish. Like other dartfish it constantly flicks its tall first dorsal fin. It too spawns in captivity only rarely with success, since the small pelagic larvae are extremely hard to raise, so most specimens are wild collected.

Did you know

Purple firefish are often even shyer than the standard fire dartfish when first introduced and may vanish into the rockwork for days, so a calm tank with few boisterous tankmates is the surest way to coax one out into open water.