| Care Level | Expert |
|---|---|
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Reef Safe | Yes |
| Functional Benefit | Ornamental Only |
| Diet Type | Carnivore |
| Mininum Tank Size | 30 gallons |
| Max Size | 3 inches |
| Temperature | 72–78°F |
| pH Range | 8.1–8.4 |
| Specific Gravity | 1.022–1.025 |
| Stock | Variations | Price | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Stock | 1 - 2" - Indo-Pacific |
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| Out of Stock | 1" or smaller - Indo-Pacific |
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Healthy, stable animals from vetted suppliers — inspected before packing, shipped overnight. Decades of experience built this model so we can deliver premium livestock at 30%+ less than you'd pay elsewhere.
The Ruby Red Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax) is a small, bottom-oriented dragonet known for its deep red coloration with bright accenting and fine pattern details. It moves in short “hops” across live rock and live sand, spending the day grazing and picking at tiny foods in a reef tank.
What You’ll Observe:
- Slow, deliberate cruising over rockwork and sand, with frequent pauses to perch and look around
- Repeated “pecking” at surfaces as it grazes, especially in areas with mature live rock
- Calm behavior around other peaceful fish, staying focused on foraging rather than chasing tankmates
To help it settle in, provide mature live rock and live sand, plus calm tankmates so it can feed at its own pace. Offer small meaty foods and support its natural grazing with pod-rich areas (a refugium is a helpful way to keep that food supply steady).
Will a Ruby Red Dragonet eat frozen foods right away?
Some start taking frozen quickly, but many do best when they can graze naturally while they learn your feeding routine.
Is it normal for it to ignore food in the water column?
Yes—many focus on picking food from surfaces, so target feeding near the bottom in a consistent spot can improve results.
Do Ruby Red Dragonets “compete” with other pod-eaters?
They often do better when other constant grazers are limited, so they get uninterrupted time to hunt between feedings.
Can I keep more than one Ruby Red Dragonet together?
Many hobbyists have the best results adding them at the same time, so they establish their spacing together in the tank.
Why does it seem to “walk” and perch so much?
That perching-and-hopping movement is typical dragonet behavior and is part of how they search the rock and sand for tiny prey.
Each fish is checked for strong appetite and activity before we approve it for your tank.
