Springers Dottyback?

I put a Springers Dottyback on hold at the store today. I like the look of them and they seem to be an active fish. I like everything I've read about them, but I was wondering if any of you that have them or have had them can tell me what you think and of your experiences with them.

I'm most interested in temperment and other fish that it would not get along with (i already know others of its own kind are a no).

 

bump

 

Hi

I have a Springeri Dottyback (am assuming thats just another name for the same fish).

He lives in a 29g tank with a pair of clowns and a coral beauty.

There has never been any trouble with with his tank mates and I have to say that he is my favorite fish. Always very active - especially at feeding time, and amazingly fast when he wants to be.

Generally speaking great fun to have and watch.

Have heard that they dont get on with other wrasses, but this could just be individual personalities.

Congrats on your purchase;D

 

yea, i haven't actually bought him yet, but im pretty sure im going to go get him today. Sounds like a good fish! The guys at the store mentioned the wrasse thing...i think its like "with caution" kind of thing. I did want to eventually get a sixline, but maybe i won't do that unless i upgrade to a 46 gallon (more likely to get on with more space). Im excited! Hes also been aquacultured which is a plus

 

Dottybacks are active and good looking fish.

However.....you knew that was coming!!!

....they have nice large canines and the ability to ram their target pretty well. Combined with a notorious bad attitudes towards fish they dislike, there can be problems in the tank, even with larger fish of different species.

I had a dottyback myself and that little bugger was all over the place, expressing dominance over others even though it was (1) smaller than all the other fish and (2) the last in the tank. You would think it would show some respect. I watched mine tag team with a pair of mated ocellaris clowns and tear up a good sized damsel. Didn't kill it. I got to it in time, but it was pretty ugly looking. I returned the dottyback my next trip to the LFS.

They are jumpers, so you will need eggcrate or a canopy for it to bounce off of.

They are hard to catch.....Thank God I had a leak in my 75. I caught it while transferring everything to the 90. It was the hardest one to catch.

They also think ornamental shrimp are tastee. Something I did not know when I purchased it. In fact, when I purchased it, I thought it was an orchid dottyback. I got a strawberry. Oops. Orchids are the least tempermental of the genus.

So you may want to read up on this one a bit. I got lucky. If you can call a leak lucky.