🐠 Lyretail Dottyback (Pseudochromis steenei)
Marine Reef-Safe-With-Caution Extremely Aggressive Dottyback • Bright Orange Head With Blue-Black Body & Flowing Tail • Genuine Extreme Aggression — Please Read Before Buying • Advanced Marine Fish
 
⚠️ Important Information — Please Read First
We want to be genuinely direct on this one. This species is documented as one of the most aggressive dottybacks in the entire hobby, and has genuinely been recorded attacking tank mates far larger than itself, and even divers' camera equipment in the wild. It should only ever be housed with genuinely large, dominant species such as eels, angelfish, surgeonfish, groupers, squirrelfish, snappers, triggerfish, or rabbitfish — and even then, it may still nip at larger tank mates. Please only consider this species with a genuinely large, well-planned tank and appropriate companions.
 
📋 The Lyretail Dottyback, also known as Steene's Dottyback, has a genuinely striking bright orange head, a neon blue fringe along the dorsal fin, and a blue-black tail, with males developing a distinctive white bar behind the eyes and the long, flowing, lyre-shaped tail filaments that give the species its common name.
Native to the tropical Western Pacific, primarily Indonesia and northern Australia, this species is found across a genuinely wide depth range, from just a few feet to over 300 feet, typically over soft bottoms near coral and rubble.
This is a genuinely hardy, disease-resistant species that heals from fin or scale damage quickly. We want to be honest that it should only ever be kept singly, as it's genuinely territorial toward its own kind. It's considered reef safe with caution — it typically ignores sessile invertebrates, but will genuinely sometimes attack ornamental shrimp and eat bristleworms.
 
🟠🔵 Highlights
🎨 Orange Head With Blue-Black Body & Lyre Tail: A genuinely striking, distinctive dottyback
⚠️ Genuinely Extremely Aggressive: Please read our disclosure above before purchasing
💪 Genuinely Hardy: Heals quickly, highly disease-resistant
🌿 Reef Safe With Caution: Will sometimes attack ornamental shrimp
🧬 Genuine Rare Captive-Bred Offspring: Occasionally available, though not enough to meet demand