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…
Monday misnomer: Will the real Pseudoplesiops rosae please swim up?
In another effort to rectify the various misnomers that plague the aquarium industry, we’ll take a look at a small innocuous dottyback that has been masquerading under an inaccurate alias for far too long. The fish above in the tile…
“Leucoxanthic” Pseudochromis is a funky aberrant we’ve never seen before
Aberrant fish show up occasionally from time to time and it’s always a game of roulette as to what form they will take. Pseudochromis are not exclusively spared from such afflictions, although it’s not everyday we come across a unique…
PNG’s Pictichromis aurifrons from Milne Bay show a gradient of color patterns
Dottybacks are some of the quintessential reef fish; they are small, hardy, come in a myriad of colors and they are both readily available and affordable to aquarists. The other feature of dottybacks is how amenable they have been to captive…
An afternoon with Dr. Anthony Gill and the Macleay Museum of Sydney
The final installation of our Australian trip recount adjourns with the meeting of Dr. Anthony Gill at the Macleay Museum of Sydney. If you remembered, we took a little trip to Cairns recently where we had the privilege of seeing the wonderful…
Black neon dottyback product review: a really sweet hybrid from Sea & Reef Aquaculture
This might be the first time we’ve ever had a live aquarium animal to review but seeing as the Black Neon Dottyback is an artifact of captive bred hybridization, we want to tell you why this fish has quickly become…
O-‘By-The-Way’-RA: Did you notice the OTHER new captive bred fish?
Yeah…we’ve know about this one for a year, and yes, they kept it on the down-low from the general public. Casually mentioned within ORA’ s announcement of the first captive-breeding of Priolepsis cincta, is the “oh by the way” recognition of…
Video of an all yellow pseudochromis is probably a xanthic mutation
Something about this beautiful dottyback discovered and imaged by Marj Awai reminds us instantly of Gramma dejongi. We know we have a fever that can only be cured with more dejongi which is why this all yellow slender fish really grabs our…
