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Royal Dottyback
Dottyback

Royal Dottyback

Pictichromis paccagnellae

Split cleanly in two — magenta-purple front half, hard yellow rear half — with no blended zone between them, which is how it is told from the Royal Gramma it is often confused with. Care is easy but temperament is not: a 7 cm adult will defend its patch of rock against fish two to three times its size, and it is especially hostile to anything small and elongated, doubly so if that fish is also purple or yellow. Keep one per tank, give it a lot of rock, and add it last so the residents already hold ground. It will also hunt small ornamental shrimp, though it earns some of that back by eating bristleworms.

Temperament
Aggressive
Max size
2.8"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Rockwork, Caves, Mid-water
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Royal Dottyback gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Helfrich's FirefishHelfrich's Firefish is the shyest and most expensive of the firefish, and the Royal Dottyback is documented as attacking exactly this kind of placid fish. A poor and costly combination.Yasha GobyGobies are on the documented do-not-keep list for Royal Dottybacks. The tiny Yasha Goby rarely strays far from its burrow entrance and a dottyback will camp on it until it stops feeding.Royal GrammaThe Royal Dottyback and Royal Gramma share almost the same half-magenta, half-yellow pattern, so the dottyback reads the gramma as a rival of its own kind and hunts it down. Keep one or the other, not both.Matted FilefishThe matted filefish is a slow, deliberate swimmer that hides and stops feeding when a pushy fish is around. Royal dottybacks harass shy species relentlessly, so the filefish never settles in to hunt aiptasia.Purple DottybackRoyal Dottyback and Purple Dottyback are the same genus (Pictichromis) and will fight — keep only one.Purple FirefishSame story as the common firefish — the Royal Dottyback claims the rockwork and the Purple Firefish is pushed off its hovering spot and stops coming out to feed.FirefishFirefish are named explicitly among the placid species a Royal Dottyback should not share a tank with — it drives them into hiding and they are also the fish most likely to jump out when harassed.Yellow Clown GobyRoyal Dottyback (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyRoyal Dottyback (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Randall's AnthiasRandall's anthias is shy on arrival and aggressive tankmates keep it hiding far longer. A royal dottyback harasses shy species relentlessly, which often means the anthias never starts feeding at all.Dispar AnthiasDispar anthias care guidance explicitly says to avoid dottybacks that harass small fish. The royal dottyback is the classic offender — it bullies fish far larger than itself and should never share a tank with shy, jittery species.Sunburst AnthiasRoyal dottybacks are extremely territorial and will bully fish many times their size; shy, retiring species are specifically called out as the wrong tankmates. The sunburst anthias is exactly that, and is separately documented as easily intimidated by dottybacks.Threadfin CardinalfishThreadfin cardinalfish kept with dottybacks stay hidden through the day and miss out at feeding time. The royal dottyback is one of the most aggressive of them.Swissguard BassletThe swissguard is a secretive cave fish that needs an undisputed home base in the rockwork. An aggressive cave-claiming dottyback can keep it wedged in the rocks permanently.Yellow AssessorYellow Assessors are described as frequently the target of bully tankmates and turn withdrawn when housed with aggressive fish. The Royal Dottyback is exactly that bully, and it wants the same caves.Hi Fin Red Banded GobyAnother small, non-confrontational goby. Royal Dottybacks are documented as harassing gobies, and this one has no way to answer back.Rainford's GobyDottybacks are named as a species to keep away from small, docile gobies, and Rainford's goby is both timid and a slow grazer that cannot afford to be driven off its feeding patch.Tangaroa Shrimp GobyThe Tangaroa Shrimp Goby is a small, retiring burrow-dweller and gobies are named among the species a Royal Dottyback should not be housed with.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Dottyback.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Dottyback.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangRoyal Dottyback and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sixline WrasseRoyal Dottyback and Sixline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Melanurus WrasseRoyal Dottyback and Melanurus Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral HawkfishRoyal Dottyback and Coral Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Springer's DottybackRoyal Dottyback and Springer's Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Midas BlennyRoyal Dottyback and Midas Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Longnose HawkfishRoyal Dottyback and Longnose Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Potter's AngelfishRoyal Dottyback and Potter's Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor BlennyRoyal Dottyback and Bicolor Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrasseRoyal Dottyback and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame HawkfishRoyal Dottyback and Flame Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishRoyal Dottyback and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Cherub AngelfishRoyal Dottyback and Cherub Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Multicolor AngelfishRoyal Dottyback and Multicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyRoyal Dottyback and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Spotted MandarinRoyal Dottyback and Spotted Mandarin both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rusty AngelfishRoyal Dottyback and Rusty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishRoyal Dottyback and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishRoyal Dottyback and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Fourline WrasseRoyal Dottyback and Fourline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.