Oblique-lined Dottyback

The Oblique-lined Dottyback is a dottyback fish native to the Pacific waters around Australia and the western Pacific Islands.

All in a Name

The Oblique-lined Dottyback has the scientific name Cypho purpurascens. It is also called McCulloch's Pseudochromis, Mccullochi Dottyback and McCulloch's dottyback.


Physical Description

These red or purple ray-finned Oblique-lined Dottyback fish grow to three inches long when fully grown. Males have brighter coloration than the females. The females have a more yellow or washed out red color with red around the eyes The Oblique-lined Dottyback are considered size class zero. The Oblique-lined Dottyback fish has a black eye, dark red scales with darker black or purple edges, a black spot on their top fin, and lively color that makes them popular in aquariums.
The Oblique-lined Dottyback have three dorsal spines. The Oblique-lined Dottyback have 22 to 24 dorsal soft rays. They have three anal spines and 13 to 15 anal soft rays. The Oblique-lined Dottyback have a lower lip with either a weak or no interruption at the symphysis. The caudal fin is rounded with an average of six procurrent rays. The lateral line has tubed scales extending from the gill opening. Their dorsal and anal fins don’t have scaly sheaths.

Behavior

These Oblique-lined Dottyback fish are semi-aggressive and will bully fish twice their size. They get along with most tank mates except very docile fish like anthias. The Oblique-lined Dottyback will attack ornamental shrimps and kill tubeworms. They are likely to attack other dottybacks. The Oblique-lined Dottyback will attack grammas and red fish like cardinal fishes. They will not bother invertebrates. They may help control bristleworm populations in an aquarium. The Oblique-lined Dottyback will get along with damselfish, angelfish, surgegonfish, and larger wrasses.
The Oblique-lined Dottyback fish can be kept in male-female pairs in tanks of 100 gallons or larger. These pairs will spawn if you can prevent the male from killing the female. It is best to acclimate the pair at the same time to reduce the odds of this. In the wild, they are found solitary or in pairs.
These predators need meaty foods. The Oblique-lined Dottyback do well on finely shredded sea food, mysis shrimp, frozen meaty preparations, enriched flake food, and cycloop-eeze. They should be fed every other day.
After they are acclimated to the aquarium, you can find them swimming in the open.

Habitat

These Oblique-lined Dottyback fish live in the coral sea in the wild. The Oblique-lined Dottyback prefer to stay near holes in coral and rock reefs, though they are found in tide pools, island lagoons, and reef slopes. These Oblique-lined Dottyback fish are reef-compatible and suitable for beginner aquarium keepers. They can be kept in saltwater fish only tanks. The Oblique-lined Dottyback have a minimum tank size of 20 gallons for a single one, though 30 is better if there are other fish in the tank.
They need water between 24 C and 28 C or 75 F and 82 F. They live in depths of five to forty meters.
Their ideal water pH is 8.1 to 8.4. Their perfect water conditions are a dKH of eight to twelve and standard gravity of 1.020.

Range

The native range for this Oblique-lined Dottyback species is the western Pacific. The Oblique-lined Dottyback is found around Tonga, Papua New Guinea, the Great Barrier Reef, and many Pacific islands.

Trivia

This species was identified by De Vis in 1884.
The species has not been evaluated by the IUCN.