Royal Dottyback (Pictichromis paccagnellorum) Care Guide
A beautiful bicolored dottyback with the front half in vivid magenta-purple and the rear half in bright yellow, creating a striking visual divide.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Pictichromis paccagnellorum is a species in the family Pseudochromidae. A beautiful bicolored dottyback with the front half in vivid magenta-purple and the rear half in bright yellow, creating a striking visual divide. Often confused with the Royal Gramma but distinguished by the sharp color boundary rather than a gradient. Somewhat territorial but manageable in a reef tank with adequate hiding spots.
Taxonomy
- Family: Pseudochromidae
- Genus: Pictichromis
- Scientific name: Pictichromis paccagnellorum
- Other names: Bicolor Dottyback, Paccagnella's Dottyback
- Origin: Western Pacific
Habitat
Native to the western Pacific around Indonesia and the Philippines. Inhabits caves and overhangs of coral reefs at depths of 10-30 m. Distinctive bicoloured pattern of magenta anterior and yellow posterior. Captive-bred lines are now common and recommended over wild stock.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-27 °C
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- Water flow: moderate
- Adult size: 5-7 cm
- Lifespan: 5-7 years
- Difficulty: beginner
Diet
Classified as carnivore. Recommended feeding frequency: 2x daily. In captivity, offer a varied diet appropriate to the species — quality prepared foods supplemented with frozen or live items of suitable size.
Compatibility
- Temperament: semi-aggressive
- Swimming level: middle
- Compatible tank mates: Clownfish, Firefish Goby, Blue Chromis, Tangs
- Avoid with: Royal Gramma, Other Dottybacks, Very Small Fish
Reef compatibility
Generally classified as reef-safe: does not feed on stony or soft corals, tridacnid clams or ornamental shrimps under normal conditions.
Breeding
- Breeding strategy: cave-spawner
- Breeding difficulty: intermediate
Royal Dottyback Breeding Guide
Overview
Pictichromis paccagnellorum, the bicolor or royal dottyback, is a small Western Pacific reef fish reaching about 6 cm and listed by the IUCN as Least Concern. It is an oviparous, demersal cave spawner. The species has been bred in captivity, although it is unclear whether it is produced commercially to the same extent as the orchid dottyback, which is farm-raised regularly worldwide.
Sexing
External sexing is difficult, as the species shows little visible dimorphism. As with other dottybacks, a working pair is normally obtained by raising juveniles together or by introducing two size-mismatched fish and monitoring for pair formation, because the species is territorial.
Conditioning
Frequent meaty feedings bring the female into condition to produce eggs. Stable reef temperature and salinity, with plenty of hiding spots to reduce territorial stress, support a settled pair. Adequate rockwork is important because the species is territorial and the male needs a defensible cave.
Breeding Setup
- A pair tank with rockwork providing nooks, crevices and at least one cave.
- Stable reef-grade water quality and temperature within the species range.
- A male cave or pipe where the egg mass can be attached and guarded.
- Cultured rotifers and enriched Artemia prepared before spawning.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The male prepares a nest in a cave, and the female deposits an egg mass that the male then fertilizes. Up to 1,000 or more eggs are laid by the female. The egg sac is negatively buoyant and is adhered to the inside of the male's cave, where it is held together by filamentous threads rather than glued to the substrate.
Egg & Fry Care
The male protects and tends the spawn inside his cave until the eggs hatch. After hatching, the larvae are pelagic and require very small live first foods such as rotifers, moving to enriched Artemia as they develop, following the general pattern of cave-spawning dottybacks. A separate larval rearing vessel with cultured live foods is required.
Common Challenges
The principal challenges are forming a stable pair given the fish's territorial behavior, and rearing the small pelagic larvae, which demand consistent live-food cultures and clean larval water. Because commercial production is limited compared with the orchid dottyback, published rearing protocols for this species are less detailed.