Dottyback or Dottyback fish are groups of saltwater fish in the same family. They are very colorful and could be a sight to see in the saltwater aquarium, but they are very aggressive and territorial, although many are semi-aggressive and territorial too. As a fish keeper, you may have wondered if these fish could be kept together or not. If you are reading this article, it means you are wondering the same and you want to know. I suggest you read this article to the end.
Can Dottyback fish be kept together? Many species of Dottyback fish could tolerate each other and the majority don’t tolerate each other.
As I mentioned above, these fish have many species and they vary in size, temperament, and even behaviors.
So, each of them has its behaviors and temperament, but the majority are very aggressive and territorial that they will always fight other fish, including each other.
Some are semi-aggressive and could tolerate each other and other fish a bit, but only a few could be classified as being peaceful Such as the Sunrise Dottyback, Orchid Dottyback, etc.
This is to say that the right answer to this question is, that it depends.
The level of success you will achieve in keeping these fish together depends on the specie you choose to keep together. I
If it is the peaceful or the semi-aggressive species, you could manage to keep them together.
If you want to keep the wider aggressive species together in one tank, then it is not recommendable because they are so aggressive and territorial that they will fight and kill each other or stress each other to death.
So, it depends on the species you want to keep together. If they are the peaceful types, then you could try, but if they are not the peaceful types, then you will be trying at your own risk.
In general, Dottyback fish are not suitable to be kept together no matter the temperament because the so-called Peaceful or semi-aggressive types could become aggressive for some reasons.
Can Orchid Dottybacks Live Together?
Orchid Dottyback is one of the semi-aggressive species of Dottyback Fish, being less aggressive than many others, you may be wondering if they could tolerate each other.
Can Orchid Dottybacks live together? Yes, Orchid Dottybacks are semi-aggressive and could tolerate each other to some extent.
They are still aggressive and could disturb each other, so they should be kept in pairs or introduced at the same time and also should be the same size so that they could not easily bully each other.
Can You Have Two Dottybacks In One Tank?
You can have two less aggressive Dottyback in a sizeable tank but can’t have more than one fully aggressive Dottyback in the same tank.
These are lone fish and don’t school nor need the presence of their type to survive, so they will always fight among themselves when kept together.
If you want to keep them together, then you should invest in a tank divider, so that each of them could be at its end without having any physical contact with the other.
Conclusion
Dottyback fish are not compatible with each other and shouldn’t be kept together unless you want to take a huge risk.
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