The
Striped Dottyback is found in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
They live in small colonies in rock rubble at relatively shallow
depths. This is one of the least territorial of the dottybacks due to
its lifestyle of living in colonies with other members of the species.
P. sankeyi have a distinct black and white striped color pattern, and may be a mimic to the Coral Catfish (Plotosus lineatus).
This is an easy species to care for in the marine aquarium, as long
as it’s provided good rocky hiding places and zooplanktonic foods such
as brine, mysid or krill shrimp. More than one per tank is possible
since they exhibit colonial behavior and normally do not fight each
other. It is best to introduce all the fish together when trying to
establish a colony.
Striped Dottybacks will spawn about every 8-11 days and have large
egg masses of up to 1,000 eggs. Typically they will hatch in 4-5 days
and are larval for 24-28 days.