Why is it for the love of God every time I see one of these fish even on Divers Den they look like holy hell. Small.... less than 3 inches, clamped fins, torn fins, thin, washed out purple color. I have never, never, seen a fat healthy looking specimen. Frustrating. Even the ones that are ORA captive bred look awful.
Orchid Dottyback
- Thread starter CODE3EMT
- Start date
Janetsplanet
New member
I wouldn't be surprised if the captive bred ones aren't given enough space and they pick at each other. I've noticed the same with ORA Assessors.
ThRoewer
New member
It's a fish I wouldn't buy online as it is usually way to pricy there. Most I see here in stores are in quite good condition and cost around $30.
I would only pay more than that for wild ones.
Generally they are hardy fish. My issue with them is that they like to live dangerously and too often sneak in turned off pumps.
What I observed with some captive bred is a high degree of mouth damage, likely due to constant fighting.
In general I would prefer smaller individuals.
The Yellow Assessors I got two weeks ago from ORA are nearly fully grown - not sure if they are still female or all already males...
I would only pay more than that for wild ones.
Generally they are hardy fish. My issue with them is that they like to live dangerously and too often sneak in turned off pumps.
What I observed with some captive bred is a high degree of mouth damage, likely due to constant fighting.
In general I would prefer smaller individuals.
The Yellow Assessors I got two weeks ago from ORA are nearly fully grown - not sure if they are still female or all already males...
Moort82
New member
I also think it's an issue of space when captive bred. I've bred these and a few other species of dottyback in the past and the reason I stopped was because as they mature they need lots of space. You can't cram them to the same densities as clownfish (not that I like to cram them) without them fighting and causing ripped fins (or worse).
Agreed. I know they are abundant and available at many LFS. My issue is I have yet to see one that is in "quality condition" Petco had a few..... all were thin and tore up. Neptune Aquatics had one as well it to was tore up. Divers Den has them and they do not look very stellar as well. Tried a couple stores in Sacramento and theirs were tiny and covered with ich and sunken in bellies. The ORA captive bred ones look as if the health chromosome was bred right out of them. LOL.
Janetsplanet
New member
Keep looking, I had a similar issue with my purple firefish. I'd call stores hours away asking if they were available and eating. Then would to drive to the store and find out the ones they had all looked AWFUL! It took me months to find one that looked healthy, but it's worth the wait!
Moort82
New member
I'm not sure whether mine I have now is ORA or maybe sustainable aquatics (might be someone else but it is captive bred) but they are pretty good but don't have the vibrancy of the wild ones I used to have and breed. I do have an ORA indigo dotty (fridmani X sankeyi) and its extremely vibrant and stunning. It's must be from a year or two after they started producing them (5-6 years I think) and this might be when they were better. I do look at liveaquaria from time to time and they always look awful on there and I'd never have bought them from those pics but they were completely different at the wholesalers so perhaps quality has slipped a fair way.
