ORA Captive Bred-Orchid Dottyback

ORA captive bred Orchid Dottyback, Pseudochromis fridmani, a small Dottyback species.

Size: ~1.5 inches.

We are excited to offer captive bred Orchid Dottybacks by ORA. Orchid Dottybacks are found only in the Red Sea. They’re observed in colonies near vertical walls or ledges, where they dart out to grab a meal from the passing zooplankton, then rush back. In the wild they are found at moderate to deep depths, and look blue rather than the magenta or violet color most aquarists are used to. This is due to the filtering of red light by seawater.

In aquariums, Orchid Dottybacks are quite easy to keep and feed. They are small plankton feeders so foods such as brine shrimp, krill and mysid shrimp are perfect. Orchid Dottybacks are moderately territorial and more than one can be kept per tank, as long as the tank has plenty of hiding spaces. Usually, adding multiple small individuals at once will likely result in a spawning harem.

The Orchid Dottyback, like other members of the family Pseudochromidae, lay eggs in a mass that are not adhered to a substrate but held together by filamentous threads. The egg mass is usually deposited in small nooks and caves and tended by the male. The eggs hatch in about 3-4 days and are larvae for 28-30 days.

Our ORA captive bred Orchid Dottybacks are 100% aquacultured and trained to eat small pellets such as PE pellets, TDO pellets, frozen Mysis shrimp, Calanus, and more. We recommend only housing one individual of this species in the aquarium as they are typically aggressive towards their own species as well as other dottyback species. They are considered safe to keep with our larger species of captive bred seahorses. These fish are hardy.

Give us a call 410-618-3604 or send us an email: alyssa@seahorsesavvy.com if you have any questions. We are happy to help!