Orange dottyback

The orange dottyback is a vivid, solid orange reef fish from the western Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, where it hides among rubble and rocky crevices. Small but bold, it is territorial and pugnacious, defending a chosen cave against other dottybacks and similarly shaped fish, so keep only one per tank and add it last to a community. It is reef-safe with corals but may eat small ornamental shrimp and bristleworms, which some aquarists value as pest control. Provide plenty of live rock with caves and stable reef conditions: warm water, salinity around 33 to 35 ppt, pH 8.1 to 8.4 and good filtration. A carnivore, it thrives on a varied diet of mysis, enriched brine shrimp and quality frozen and prepared marine foods. Hardy once established.