Dottybacks were once one of the most popular groups of marine aquarium fish to be found in every single kind of fish and reef display. However over the years they’ve been overly maligned and it’s now a pleasant surprise to…
Hybrid Dottyback Still Enjoying Life at the Reef Builders Studio
Abby the ‘aberrant’ dottyback is a unique specimen of Pictichromis that was the first fish we ever got at the Reef Builders Studio. Nearly two years after first receiving this fish and starting it out in its own bare bones nano…
Up Close with an Aberrant Pictichromis Dottyback
Dottybacks are some of the most colorful, small & hardy perfect aquarium fish, and this is especially true of the several different species of Pictichromis. These fish are packed with personality and are very easy to care for, but unfortunately they…
A few Beautiful Pseudoplesiops collare Collected in Sulawesi
Dottybacks are a diverse group of small tropical marine fish which include many popular species such as the colorful Pictichromis and personable Pseudochromis. While many of these dottybacks have a reputation for being quite pugnacious and aggressive, there are some smaller and…
Pseudochromis stellatus, a new species of dottyback from Raja Ampat
Pseudochromis stellatus is the newest species of dottyback to be added to the roster of reef fish from Indonesia. This new Pseudochromis was collected from Batanta and Batu Hitam in the northern Raja Ampat Islands of West Papua Province, Indonesia at…
Top Five Rare Captive Bred Dottybacks
You know, clownfish get all the attention when it comes to domesticated strains – and angelfish get all the praise and attention when a new species is bred in captivity for the first time. But there’s one group of fish…
Pseudochromis yamasakii, the Dottybelly Dottyback Gets an Official Description
Pseudochromis yamasakii is the newest species of dottyback, this time hailing not from the typical Indonesian or Filipino reefs, but from the land of the rising sun, Japan. The species was described from just a single specimen from Kii Peninsula,…
Gorgeous Aberrant Dottybacks Collected in Philippines
Pictichromis dottybacks are a staple of the marine aquarium hobby, with strawberry and diadema dottybacks being a common and hardy fish well suited for beginner reef tanks. Since these fish are so abundant and often seen in tanks and stores,…
Fun graphic shows difference between a royal gramma and a royal dottyback
In the world of tropical reef fish, there are numerous examples of convergent evolution, where unrelated and widely separated fish develop the same color and shape. The similarity between some cases of convergent evolution can be so similar between these fishes. Starcki…
The elusive Ogilbyina salvati appears at Quality Marine
Ogilbyina is a genus of dotty backs endemics to the Australian-Melanesian subregions of Oceania. The genus is easily diagnosed by having a triangular patch of teeth on their vomer, as well as having a more anteriorly placed dorsal fin. The…