Purple Dottyback lost his purple color ?

[Antman]

Hello all my Purple Dottyback is not that purple anymore he is kinda pale ..When I moved and upgraded the tank from a 24G nano to a 57 Rimless he went missing few weeks I thought I lost him than one day he popped out . Did he get stuck in some coral and stressed out durring the move ? how can i bring his vibrant color back ??
Thanks

 

[ThRoewer]

It helps to keep them in pairs. My 2 pairs are all deep purple, and one is still in a 10 gallon QT.

 

[Antman]

a while back in the 24G I tried to introduce a 6 line wrasse and the Purple Dottyback was nasty to the wrasse

 

[ThRoewer]

a while back in the 24G I tried to introduce a 6 line wrasse and the Purple Dottyback was nasty to the wrasse

And that means what...? That he will be nasty to another member of it's own species?

I put pairs of P. fridmani together since the 90s and it always worked perfectly. They can actually change sex both ways, but female to male goes significantly faster.
To make a pair just get a smaller one than the one you have. Qt it well and when its time to add it catch the current one (trap works well) and keep it in a breeder box for a few days. When the new fish has settled in release the old one back into the tank. If they are too close in size there may be some fighting and chasing in the beginning, but it will stop after a while. If the roles are clear all you may see is some chasing.
Some of the pairs I put together from wild specimen started spawning within a month.

 

[SoloChromis]

And that means what...? That he will be nasty to another member of it's own species?

I put pairs of P. fridmani together since the 90s and it always worked perfectly. They can actually change sex both ways, but female to male goes significantly faster.
To make a pair just get a smaller one than the one you have. Qt it well and when its time to add it catch the current one (trap works well) and keep it in a breeder box for a few days. When the new fish has settled in release the old one back into the tank. If they are too close in size there may be some fighting and chasing in the beginning, but it will stop after a while. If the roles are clear all you may see is some chasing.
Some of the pairs I put together from wild specimen started spawning within a month.

I think he's referring to Pseudochromis porphyreus, which personally, I've never seen paired up in a tank (not to say it's impossible).

 

[ThRoewer]

I think he's referring to Pseudochromis porphyreus, which personally, I've never seen paired up in a tank (not to say it's impossible).

Its current valid name is Pictichromis porphyrea.
Those should be able to change sex the same way as the other Pseudochromidae, but there will likely be more fighting in the pairing process.

I could have gotten a pair of Pictichromis diadema recently.
But the Pictichromis are among the nastiest fish you can put into a tank, so I'm not sure I even would want to try it.

 

[Antman]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+38+170&pcatid=170

My question is why has he lost his color and what can I do to bring his vibrant color back

 

[ThRoewer]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+38+170&pcatid=170

My question is why has he lost his color and what can I do to bring his vibrant color back

It is a common problem with these guys.
Food may be one problem, but the lack of a partner to impress is for sure a component to this as well. Environment could also be a factor.

I've seen the same with single orchid dottybacks, but not so much with pairs. This leads me to believe that the social component may be the most important.

 

[ThRoewer]

It's official, these guys can change sex both ways:
Bidirectional sex change in the magenta dottyback Pictichromis porphyrea: first evidence from the field in Pseudochromidae

Abstract

Protogyny and protandry are well known among fishes, but bidirectional sex change has been reported from only 25 species in six families; field evidence is limited to nine species in four families. The present study confirmed bidirectional sex change of the magenta dottyback Pictichromis porphyrea in the field, the first field evidence for this phenomenon in the family Pseudochromidae. Field experiments were conducted on the patch reefs of Sesoko Island, Okinawa. The sex ratio was female-biased, and males were significantly larger than females. These features are common to protogynous species with a polygynous mating system, although mating behavior was not observed. When members of the opposite sex were removed from a certain area, nearly half of the tagged fish moved to different sites. Among the fish that moved from the original site, four females changed to male, and two males changed to female. Gamete release was confirmed both before and after the sex change. The sex-changed males were larger than their neighbors, whereas the sex-changed females were smaller than their neighbors, suggesting that the sex change was socially controlled in both directions.

 

[Antman]

Well sad news is ..... He Jumped out
First Jumper on my rimless tank