Dottyback compatibility

[nterry]

I am looking to setup a 120 gallon reef tank and I would like to add several dottybackst to it, maybe 3 and I am looking for suggestions of species I could add. Potential tankmates include dwarf angels, tang, snowflake eel, long-nose hawkfish, comet, triggerfish, butterflyfish. (Haven't decided exactly which of these will fit--this is just a "wishlist" and I don't plan on adding all of these--it's only possibilities right now, but I want to start with dottybacks which would "work" with any of the above. I'll narrow down the these choices later in my planning.)

1. One choice is: sunrise, an orchid dottyback and a springer dottyback, (or maybe a purple), but I was afraid that they might be too timid for the larger tankmates I'm thinking of. But these have the advantage that I think they're the more peaceable dottybacks and might reasonably coexist in a large tank. Maybe 4 is too many, but these are the most peaceful of the dottybacks that I regularly see in LFS.
a. would these fish be ok together?
b. would these fish be picked on by the others in my list?

2. Another choice is diadema, bicolor. Would a purple be too imtimdated withhese too? I imagine that these dottybacks would would get along better with larger tankmates, but be less likely to refrain from killing each other.
a. would these fishes be ok together?
b. would these fishes fare well with the potential tankmates listed above

3. I really like arabian dottybacks, but I think they would not be compatible with any other dottybacks. Would this species be compatable with any other dottybacks in a tank this size? Would it be compatable with the other species listed?

4. Could I mix any of the dottbacks from list 1, 2 and 3?

Does anyone have experience with multiple dottybacks in a large tank. Any other possible combos that I missed?

any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[scubasteve06]

I have a bi-color pseudochromis in my tank, and he is a hellion. If I could catch him he would be gone. The funny thing is he gets a lot of attention from company whenever they come over, they always say ooh that purple and yellow fish is so pretty, and I think to myself yea pretty on the outside...if they only knew. He doesn't mess with any fish in my tank except for every now and then I will catch him hovering over my red scooter dragonet twitching like he wants to attack. A quick little rap on the glass usually gets his attention. When I added my first cleaner shrimp he kept circling it like he was about to attack it, and the shrimp never wanted to clean him when he would pull up later on. I did actually see the cleaner clean him several times since then though. When I had my six-line wrasse in the tank with him before he carpet surfed the wrasse kinda cornered him and had the dottback scared actually. I tapped on the glass to get the wrasse to flee and when I did the dottyback sprung into action. He harassed that six line to his poor death. I've always heard that sixlines were terrors, but my bicolor showed him who was boss.

I don't know about any of those fish you listed except for the springer and orchid dottyback. I've heard they are still territorial little s.o.b.'s but maybe not to the extent of a bi-color. As they are hands down the most aggressive dottyback there is. I have two Zebrasoma tangs (scopas and yellow) a lyretail hawkfish, percula and occelaris that are a pair, 4 blue/green chromis, green mandarin, red scooter blenny, and a lawnmower blenny in my tank. He gets along fine with all of them except for the hovering and twitching over the red scooter dragonet from time to time. I'd think that any dottyback could hold their own in a 120 with those fish you mentioned. It may not win the war in the long run, but it could certainly win a battle or two.