Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Royal Dottyback
Pictichromis paccagnellae
Also called Bicolor dottyback, Bicolor pseudochromis, False gramma, Gramma dotty
From Western Pacific, from Indonesia (Java and Sulawesi) east to Vanuatu, plus Palau in Micronesia1
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Slender, elongated dottyback
A neat two-tone fish: the front half is a rich purple and the back half a bright yellow, with a crisp dividing line between the two.23
Personality what they are like
Plucky and self-assured. It defends its corner of the reef with real spirit, even against much larger fish, yet gets along with many common aquarium species.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Hovers near coral or rubble and darts in and out of the rockwork around its territory.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Give it rockwork with caves and crevices to claim. It will hunt bristleworms but may also go after small ornamental shrimp, so pick tankmates with that in mind.3
Home where they are happiest
Minimum about 30 US gallons (114 L) with plenty of rock hiding places. Saltwater at about 22 to 26 °C (72 to 78 °F), pH 8.1 to 8.4, dKH 8 to 12, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025.3
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Carnivore. Offer meaty foods such as brine shrimp, mysis and prepared frozen foods.3
Company who they like around
Best kept as the only dottyback in the tank, with tankmates that can hold their own.32
The story where it all began
Herbert R. Axelrod described the species in 1973 and named it after the Paccagnella family of Bologna, aquarium fish wholesalers who supplied the type specimen. It has been a popular marine aquarium fish ever since.2
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is often mistaken for the Caribbean royal gramma, which has a similar purple-and-yellow look but belongs to a different family.2
- 2
It lives from shallow coastal water down to outer-reef drop-offs as deep as about 50 metres.1
- 3
Its scientific name honours an Italian family of aquarium fish wholesalers from Bologna.2
- 4
Despite reaching only about 7 cm, it will stand up to fish several times its size.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 2015)1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Royal Dottyback. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Salinity checkevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water testevery week
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Glass cleanevery week
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Pictichromis paccagnellae summary fishbase.seused for origin, size, habitat, IUCN
- Wikipedia: Pictichromis paccagnellae en.wikipedia.orgused for history, naming, other names, colour, temperament
- LiveAquaria: Bicolor Dottyback liveaquaria.comused for care, water parameters, tank size, diet, temperament, colour
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.