Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax)
The Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Ruby Dragonet, Moyer’s Dragonet, and Red Wine Scooter Dragonet is only found around Jolo Island within the Sulu Peninsula in the Philippines.
The Ruby Red Dragonet is a deep water dragonet that is found alone, in pairs, and occasionally in small loose groups around soft and stony corals, coral rubble, and broken rocks that they use as retreats in depths to 125 feet or more.
Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax)
The Ruby Red Dragonet is a beautiful, vibrantly colored species that has a bright crimson red body color with yellow colorations around the pectoral and ventral fins, white dashes around the head, and smaller white dashes over the body. Males have large dorsal fins with a long first spine. Females are smaller with a black to dark blue splotch on the first dorsal.
The Redback Dragonet (Synchiropus tudorjonesi) found around Cenderawasih Bay in Indonesia is occasionally misidentified as the Ruby Dragonet however, the Redback Dragonet has no yellow on their fins and the third spine on their dorsal fins extend the highest.
The Ruby Red Dragonet is only found in the Philippines.
The Ruby Red Dragonet is a peaceful species that does best in an aged reef tank that has matured at least 6 to 8 months, of at least 30 gallon capacity, with a deep live sand substrate and copious amounts of live rock arranged into caves, overhangs and crevices for them to hop around, explore, hide among, and graze from. This species benefits greatly from a refugium sump well stocked with amphipods and copepods. Because all dragonets are superb jumpers, a tight fitting cover is recommended.
When keeping more than one male Synchiropus sycorax or more than one species: a larger tank of at least 55 gallon capacity with a good thick layer of live sand is recommended to provide the space and the food source they need.
Although Ruby Red Dragonets are very peaceful fish and get along with others of their own kind, the fish should be introduced into the tank at the same time at a ratio of 2 to 3 females per male to prevent spats between the males, especially during spawning.
Ruby Red Dragonets do get territorial when kept with blennies, gobies and dartfish, especially if they feel crowded. The Ruby Red Dragonet will get along well with other species as long as they are not aggressive or overly competitive. Potential tankmates include chromis, tilefish, jawfish, tangs, angelfish, wrasses, puffers, flame hawkfish, and rabbitfish.
Although Red Ruby Dragonets make excellent reef fish, take care when keeping them with sea anemones in reef tanks. They are small, too trusting, and often end up as food for the anemone.
The Red Ruby Dragonet has been bred in an aquarium environment as well as commercially.
The eggs are pelagic, floating in the open water until they hatch out into small larvae. Males and females are about the same size but males are more colorful and have a more prominent first dorsal fin. A short courtship that usually happens after the sun goes down initiates the spawning process where both the male and female swim towards the surface with locked fins. At the surface the pair release their gametes. The buoyant eggs are pelagic and float in open water until they hatch out into small larvae.
The larvae are smaller than Red Scooter Blennies (Synchiropus ocellatus) or Brown Scooter Blennies (Synchiropus stellatus) and develop more slowly, which makes breeding them somewhat complicated. It takes 20 to 25 days for the small larvae to metamorphose, caring for the larvae is demanding, and the fertility rate is low.
Fortunately ORA offers captive bred lines to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts.
In their natural habitat, Red Ruby Dragonets walk on their ventral fins throughout the day hunting for amphipods and copepods.
In an aquarium environment their slow moving, deliberate, feeding habits and specialized diet makes them difficult to keep. They will not convert to a commercial diet which is why their tank must be furnished with mature live sand, live rock, AND a refugium that is well stocked with amphipods and copepods. They require copious amounts of live Tisbee Pods to keep them healthy and prevent them from wasting away.
Tisbe biminiensis and supplemental offerings of bloodworms, glassworms, Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, marine algae, and nori can also be offered.
The Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax) is available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts upon request as wild caught and aquacultured specimens from online retailers, wholesalers, and transhippers. Prices for approximate purchase sizes: 1/2″ to 2-1/2″ range from $ 49.99 – $64.99 or more
Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax)
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallon (55+ gallons for pairs)
Aquarium Type: Reef
Care Level: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Aquarium Hardiness: Hardy when acclimated
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8 – 12°, pH 8.1–8.4, sg 1.023-1.026
Max size: 2.8″
Color Form: Red, White, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: Reef Safe
Origin: Jolo Island, Philippines
Family: Callionymidae
Lifespan: 4 – 6 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Expert
