TankBud

Scooter dragonet

Synchiropus ocellatus

Also known as Scooter Blenny, Ocellated Dragonet, Red Scooter Dragonet

SaltwaterFish

Scooter dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus)
Brian Jeffery Beggerly from S'pore · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.5 in
9 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Callionymidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia and the Philippines to French Polynesia, north to Japan and south to Australia

Overview

The scooter dragonet is a peaceful bottom feeder that hunts pods through the sand and rock of a mature reef tank. It is best kept by someone with a little experience.

Did you know

A scooter dragonet does not swim so much as bounce, covering the bottom in short hops rather than a smooth glide. That habit gives it the scooter name, and it helps it find pods tucked into every nook of the rock and sand.

Caring for the scooter dragonet

Add a scooter dragonet only to a mature setup at least six to eight months old, in 29 gal (110 L) or larger. Give it a deep sand bed and plenty of live rock arranged into crevices and overhangs to forage through. Fit a tight lid, since dragonets are capable jumpers.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. The tank needs a mature refugium or a strong standing pod population before the fish goes in.

Its main food is a steady supply of live copepods and amphipods, which it picks out of sand and rock. It shares this pod-dependent lifestyle with the mandarinfish, in the wild and in the tank. It is not a fast eater and takes real time to hunt down each meal. It can starve in a newer or overly clean system, even while other fish look well fed.

Once it has settled in, add regular live copepods plus frozen mysis, brine shrimp and finely chopped seafood. Scooter dragonets are unhurried and reef safe, leaving corals and invertebrates alone. Keep one per tank, since males will fight.

Males have a taller, more pointed first dorsal fin than females, which they use in dominance displays. Breeding has been done commercially but is difficult for home aquarists, and most captive spawns come from dedicated breeding operations.

Good to know

The scooter dragonet belongs to the dragonet family Callionymidae, and some references place it in the genus Neosynchiropus. It is mottled brown, tan and white, with scattered eyespots that give it the ocellated name. Like other dragonets, it has no scales and relies on a thick mucus coat for protection.

In the wild

The scooter dragonet ranges across the Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia and the Philippines to French Polynesia, north to Japan and south to Australia. It lives on sandy bottoms and coral rubble at depths of roughly 1 to 30 meters. It spends its day crossing the substrate and pausing to peck at tiny prey.

Common questions

What size tank does a scooter dragonet need?

A scooter dragonet needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a scooter dragonet need?

A scooter dragonet is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a scooter dragonet eat?

A scooter dragonet's main food is a steady supply of live copepods and amphipods. Once it settles in, add live copepods regularly, plus frozen mysis, brine shrimp and finely chopped seafood.

How big does a scooter dragonet get?

An adult scooter dragonet reaches about 3.5 in (9 cm).

How can you tell a male scooter dragonet from a female?

Males have a taller, more pointed first dorsal fin than females, and they use it in dominance displays.

How does a scooter dragonet breed?

Scooter dragonets have been bred commercially, but breeding them is difficult for home aquarists. Most captive spawns come from dedicated breeding operations.

Related species