Scissortail Dartfish

The scissortail dartfish is a dartfish whose slender, elongated body is light blue-gray in the front half and dark blackish at the rear, with a deeply forked, dark-edged tail that resembles an open pair of scissors. It reaches 12–14 cm. In the wild it hovers 1–2 meters above the bottom on outer reef slopes, in lagoons and in bays, catching zooplankton. Adults mostly live in pairs, juveniles in small groups. When in danger, rather than fleeing into a burrow like most dartfish, it swims quickly away; for this reason it needs a large swimming area in the aquarium.

• At least 200 liters for a pair; a long, open swimming area.
• Salinity specific gravity 1.023–1.026, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C.
• Reef-safe: it leaves corals and invertebrates alone.
• A gap-free lid is essential; when startled it jumps out of the aquarium.
• Rock crevices to hide in and moderate flow.

Carnivorous. Offer frozen mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and fine granules. Feed small portions 2–3 times a day; it may fall behind in the competition with fast-eating fish.

Peaceful and timid. It can be intolerant of unfamiliar individuals of its own species; a mated pair or a single specimen is the safest choice.

Good companions: Clownfish, cardinalfish, gobies, blennies, fairy wrasses, royal gramma, ornamental shrimp.

Avoid: Predators such as lionfish and triggerfish, hawkfish, tough damsels, large territorial fish.