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View Full Version : is the orchid dottback really mean ?


greennd79
09/24/2007, 04:23 PM
I was wondering if the fish is mean i would like to have one for my 165 gallon tank but dont want him if he is going to pick on my flasher wrasse or my green chromis .Also i will be adding a bluespotted jawfish and a spottail shrimp goby.

mile sq. reefer
09/24/2007, 07:08 PM
I wouldn't do it because of their aggressive nature. Fridmani, Sprineri, or Pseudo. elongatus are more suitable, smaller and less aggressive species.

Invso
09/24/2007, 07:22 PM
Fridmani is an orchid dottyback.

greennd79
09/24/2007, 07:27 PM
what would you get as a small fish ? thanks for the input reefer a do you like chalk bass maybe 3 of them?

Roger928
09/24/2007, 07:55 PM
IMO, tank bred Fridmani (Orchids) are among the most peaceful of the dottybacks. In fact, I have one with my clown and neon gobies and he/she completely ignores them. Combining with another dottyback could be asking for trouble. Love that fish!

Bax
09/24/2007, 08:15 PM
I have had several Orchids. I will always have one in my reef. It will freak if you add similar body type fish after it is established. In a big enough tank, it'll pass, if you don't add too many such fish. i have paired two, not easy but it's doable. They are full of personality and very beautiful.

mile sq. reefer
09/24/2007, 09:42 PM
I was thinking of the arabian for some reason when I wrote that.

Sk8r
09/24/2007, 09:46 PM
Damsels have nothing on dottybacks. I've heard they're remotely related to wolf eels, and I believe it...they harass other fish, I swear, for the enjoyment of it. For the record, mine was a yellow, not an orchid.

tadashi123
09/24/2007, 10:27 PM
i love chalkbass... they aren't agressive at all... very peaceful.. they hover like hummingbirds and then dart around really fast.
The only issue with chalkbass is they sprint to food, and may outcompete more deliberate, slow eaters.

msn711
09/25/2007, 07:51 AM
I love the arabian/neon pseudos. They'll try to harass anybody, but in my experience, they were too small to do much more than chase. I had one try to chase a foxface rabbitfish once. In a 165g tank...I can't see one really being able to do any damage in that amount of space. There should be plenty of room for the other fish to get away if need be.

Sheol
09/25/2007, 09:40 AM
Orchids are known to be the LEAST aggressive of all dottybacks. Just be sure to avoid the purple or strawberry dottyback. Those are mean fish, very aggressive..
I'm watching for an OD to become available near me ( as long as its not PETCO!) so I can get one..

Matthew

Chooch1
09/25/2007, 09:41 AM
Captive bred orchid dottybacks are pretty docile. I've kept several orchids over the years and have never had a problem. My second dottyback was somewhat territorial with a Royal Gramma but there was never any damage. They would both flare their fins occassionally when they crossed paths but that was about it. I would think that a captive bred orchid dottyback would ignore the green chromis and the flasher wrasse. I would add the jawfish and goby first and you should have no problems. Keep us posted.

oct2274
09/25/2007, 09:56 AM
a fish that is very similar to the orchid dottyback and actually better looking in my opinion is the blackcap basslet. It is also a much less aggressive fish. Cheaper as well, I think they are under $20 from reeftopia, that is where I got mine and it was nice sized and in great shape.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/images/201_blackcap5.jpg

Cultivatedcoral
09/25/2007, 06:44 PM
How about the sunrise dottyback? They are very nice looking fish and the tank bred are fairly docile even compared to tank bred orchid dottybacks.

triggerfish1976
09/26/2007, 06:38 AM
Just to clarify, Wild Caught Orchid Dottybacks can be very territorial towards other fish and can dominate larger fish but very few wild specimans are sold these days and most specimans available are CB which can be docile and good for community tanks. You just need to make sure that the ones you're looking at are CB.

SDguy
09/26/2007, 07:26 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10842744#post10842744 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cultivatedcoral
How about the sunrise dottyback? They are very nice looking fish and the tank bred are fairly docile even compared to tank bred orchid dottybacks.

I had a flavivertix many years ago. Extremely aggressive. He was wild caught back then though.

Cultivatedcoral
09/26/2007, 03:40 PM
SDguy,

The flavivertex captive bred from ORA are not very aggressive at all. 3 months in one of my tanks and they already spawned. Awesome fish.

Nick