Purple Firefish
Pearl body, violet fins, and a tall dorsal spine that flicks like a metronome.
Also called the decorated firefish — a pale body shading into deep purple and magenta fins, with a signature tall first dorsal spine it flicks constantly while hovering. Peaceful, reef safe, and perfectly sized for nano and mid-size reefs. One of the most elegant fish in the hobby for the money.
Photo: Foto: NOAA / Flickr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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What it needs to thrive
- Lighting
- Any standard reef lighting — no special requirements.
- Flow
- Moderate reef flow with calm resting zones.
- Feeding
- Small meaty foods 2–3× daily — mysis, calanus, and fine pellets.
- Temperament
- Peaceful and fully reef safe with corals and inverts.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Ideal Tank Size
- 20 gallons and up with a secure lid.
- Water Parameters
- 76–80°F · salinity 1.024–1.026 SG · pH 8.1–8.4 · 0 ammonia / 0 nitrite · nitrate under 10 ppm
Hovers just above the rockwork near a rubble hole it can dart into. A tight lid is essential — firefish jump.
Peaceful and shy. Keep one per tank or a bonded pair; they fight with their own kind otherwise. Never house with aggressive fish.
Quarantine, dip, and acclimation
Quarantine
Hold all new fish in a bare-bottom 10–20 gallon QT for a minimum of 4 weeks. Observe for flashing, clamped fins, white spots, or breathing changes. Treat preventatively with copper (1.75–2.5 ppm chelated) or tank-transfer method for ich, plus a praziquantel course for flukes. Invertebrates and corals skip QT but go through dip and observation instead.
Recommended coral dip
For every new coral: a 5–10 minute bath in your reef-safe dip of choice (Bayer Complete, CoralRx, or Reef Primer) following label dosage, followed by two clean saltwater rinses. Inspect plugs and bases for flatworms, pyramid snails, and eggs — remove or refrag onto clean plugs before placing in display.
Acclimation
Float sealed bags in your QT or display for 15 minutes to match temperature. Then drip acclimate at 2–4 drops per second for 45–60 minutes until volume has tripled. Net livestock into the tank — never pour shipping water in. Dim the lights for the first 24 hours to reduce stress.
