Sankey's dottyback

Care at a glance

Overview

Sankey's dottyback is a small, striped reef fish and among the most peaceful dottybacks. It is easy to keep.

Caring for the Sankey's dottyback

Give Sankey's dottyback a reef tank of at least 29 gal (110 L), with plenty of rock crevices. Expect it to be shy at first, then spend more time in the open.

Keep the water at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed small meaty foods such as mysis and enriched brine shrimp, plus prepared foods.

Sankey's dottyback is reef safe and mostly peaceful. You can keep a group if all are added at once. Choose its other tank mates with some caution. Breeding it is rated medium.

Good to know

Pseudochromis sankeyi is a small dottyback striped in black and white. It also goes by the striped dottyback and Sankey's pygmy basslet. It is now widely captive bred.

In the wild

Sankey's dottyback lives on reefs in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where wild fish shelter under plating corals. It hovers near cover among the reef rock and dips back into the rock when startled.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Sunrise dottyback

  Pseudochromis flavivertex

  3.1 in (8 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)

  3.1 in (8 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Indigo dottyback

  Pseudochromis hybrid

  3 in (7.5 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)

  3 in (7.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Diadem dottyback

  Pseudochromis diadema

  2.8 in (7 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Orchid dottyback

  Pseudochromis fridmani

  2.8 in (7 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)

  2.8 in (7 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Springer's dottyback

  Pseudochromis springeri

  2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  2.4 in (6 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Neon dottyback

  Pseudochromis aldabraensis

  3.5 in (9 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)

  3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)