Is Pseudochromis diadema REEF SAFE?

[vtec si]

Hello Every one,

I just wanted to known if Pseudochromic diadema (the one that has purple/pink on top and a yellow body) I have a chance to get one free from a friend that is tacking his tank down. He gave me all of his LR and softies that he had (not much) but he has this fish and he will give it to me also.
Any help would be great


VTEC SI

[Poseidon]

"The Pseudochromis diadema grows up to 3 inches. The small size will come to you generally 1½ to 2½ inches; the medium generally 1½ to 2½ inches; the large generally 2½ to 4 inches. The Diadema, Purple Stripe Pseudochromis prefers a tank of at least 20 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Pseudochromis diadema is a carnivore and likes to eat variety of meat treats, brine shrimp, prepared foods. The Diadema, Purple Stripe Pseudochromis is a low maintenance fish and may act aggressively toward other fish. Reef-safe, but may eat small ornamental shrimps. Pseudochromis diadema, Lubbock & Randall 1978, the Diadem Dottyback. One of the first Dottyback species to be kept. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Diadema, Purple Stripe Pseudochromis is commonly collected from the Indian Ocean."

Found that buy putting "Pseudochromis diadema" in google... Looks like you are good to go...

[Minh Nguyen]

This Dottyback is one of the most aggressive Dottyback there is. It is also prone to color loss but is very hardy.
Minh

[Ninong]

All of the dottybacks are reef-safe in that they do not bother corals or other sessile invertebrates. Some of them will eat ornamental shrimp and almost all of them are extremely territorial and will not tolerate other similar shaped fish (wrasses, royal grammas, etc.) and certainly not any other dottybacks unless you have a mated pair or are willing to try to pair up a couple of juveniles.

The three Red Sea species will eat bristleworms. That's either good or bad depending on your opinion of bristleworms.

Pseudochromis diadema is particularly aggressive, as Minh has already pointed out. I would not want one in my tank because of all the hassles it would present in the selection and addition of new fish. I do have a captive-bred Orchid Dottyback (P. fridmani) in my tank that is perfectly behaved. He doesn't bother anybody else except the bristleworms. OK, he also gives the hair worms a crewcut from time to time but that's about it. I have three fairy wrasses that were added after the Orchid Dottyback but they were all larger than him when they were added so I can't really say if he would have gone after them if they were much smaller or not.

[vtec si]

Tanks to all,

Well the fish did not make it in the quarintine tank. Comes to find out that the freind I got it from had not feed his tank in over a month. The stress was to much for it to handle I guess. I could not get it to eat at all in the quarintine tank. I think it lived 2 1/2 days maybe.

Thanks again.

[Medevack1]

Hey I came across this website by mistake and I would like to comment on the OP. I also got a Pseudochromis diadema from a friend this one he had it for 5 yrs and is a good size I would say 2 to 2 ½" I have several fish already in my tank (Naso tang, yellow tang, 2 clowns, goby and his sidekick shrimp, pajama cardinal, blue cleaner wrasse and a banded shrimp) and so far so good the Pseudochromis diadema stays pretty much to herself in and out of the corals and no signs of fighting among them so far......