Orange Peel Dottybacks

P. tonozukai

Orange Peel or "Tono's" dottybacks are very nice looking fish that are easy to sex because they are sexually dimorphic as can be see in this photo where the male is on the top and the female is on the bottom :

. Breeding Journal DataSheet

This first post should be updated regularly to include new information as events take place or changes are made to your system

General
Species: Pseudochromis tonozukai (Tono's Dottyback, Orange Peel Dottyback)
Social Structure: M/F Pair
Size of Individuals: 3.5"
Age of Individuals: Unknown
Date added to Tank: 11-04-2010

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank: 10 Gallons
Substrate Details: Fine layer of black sand
Filtration Details: Plumbed into main broodstock system
Water Changes: 20% monthly
Water Temperature: 82°F
Lighting: Shop light
Lighting Cycle: 14hrs light, 10hrs dark
Other Tank Inhabitants: Pair of A. percula

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types: Mix of frozen foods: Ocean Nutrition- Formula 1, 2, Spirulina H2O Life Spirulina, 50/50 Plus and Marine Fusion. PE Mysis, Bloodworms, squid. Vita-Chem
Feeding Schedule: 4X per day

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn: 12-07-10
Spawn Time of Day: Between 4 and 8pm
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: 12-19-10 (4-5:30pm)
Courtship Details: I didn't see it happen. The first time she was gravid on 11-25-10 the female hung out in her pipe and the male would try to enter from behind. Kinda rough... female has a ragged caudal fin from time to time.
Egg Size: ~2-3mm
Egg Color: Whitish/cream colored
Egg Count: ~1000?

Hatch Details
Hatch Date: 12-22-10 (From 12-19-10 spawn)
Hatch Time of Day: Between 10pm and 1am
# Days after Spawn: 3
Larvae Description: Clear, similar to P. fridmani but slightly larger. Eyes look gold or blue/green depending on lighting. Strongly attracted to light.

Larval Tank Details
Temperature: 82°F
Size of Larval Tank: 26x15x22 BRT
Substrate Details: None
Other Tank Decor: None
Filtration Details: None
Lighting: CF bulb with reflector
Lighting Cycle: 24/7
Water Changes: None yet

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types: Rotifers with RotiGreen Omega
Feeding Schedule: Constant, add more Rotigreen as needed to maintain greenwater. CloramX is also added at the same time as the RotiGreen to control ammonia.

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:
Days after Hatch:
Date of Settlement End:
Description of Fry:

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:
Size of Grow-Out Tank:
Substrate Details:
Other Tank Decor:
Filtration Details:
Lighting:
Lighting Cycle:
Water Changes:
Size at Transfer:
Age at Transfer:

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:
Feeding Schedule:

Additional Information:
This pair came from Kevin Kohen at Diver's Den.

Female hydrating eggs

Male tending to egg mass

Male-female interaction

Egg mass in hatching vessel

Post-hatch larvae

Larvae in rearing tank

Cautionary notes

While these are very attractive fish I found them to be quite temperamental. This member of the dottyback family is larger and more aggressive than the more gentle Orchid dottybacks. Sadly I was never able to raise any juveniles to settlement and I ended up losing the female of August 2011.

The first several spawns went well but after a couple of months the male started to get very aggressive towards the female. I separated them by using a mesh barrier and only removed it when the female looked gravid. This worked for a couple of months but the male continued to get increasingly aggressive until I found the female dead one morning.

In hindsight I should have housed them in a much larger tank, 20 gallons, or more. If you happen to find a pair of these beautiful fish and attempt to work with them I would advise you to keep this in mind.