🐠 Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax)
A Deep Ruby-Red Body Scattered With White Spots • Unique Bright Yellow Pectoral Fins • A Recently Discovered Species, First Described in 2015
 
📋 The Ruby Red Dragonet has a striking, unmistakable appearance, a deep ruby-red-to-crimson body scattered with small white spots, and unique bright yellow pectoral fins crossed by an incomplete black stripe. Males develop a dramatic, enlarged fan-shaped dorsal fin used in courtship and rival displays.
It comes from coral rubble areas and reef flats across the Philippines and wider Western Pacific, at depths from 5 to 40 metres, a species quite new to science, it was only formally described in 2015, and was successfully captive-bred for the first time in 2016. Every Ruby Red Dragonet we ship is feeding well.
Like other dragonets, this species feeds almost entirely on tiny live copepods and amphipods in the wild, and we recommend it only for an aquarium established for at least 6 months with a healthy, thriving pod population. It's a slow, deliberate feeder that can struggle to compete with faster fish at feeding time, so quieter tankmates and an ongoing live food supply matter for long-term success. It reaches up to 8cm, so a 115L tank suits it well, mature with an established pod population.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Deep Ruby-Red With Yellow Pectoral Fins: A unique, unmistakable dragonet
🔬 Recently Discovered: Only formally described in 2015
🍽️ Live-Food Specialist: Thrives in an established tank with a thriving pod population
🌿 Fully Reef Safe: Won't harm corals or invertebrates
🐠 Successfully Captive-Bred: ORA achieved the first captive breeding in 2016