Compatible Tank mates: Blennies, Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish.
Diet: Varied diet, including small crustaceans, such as vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, and prepared foods for herbivores. Will typically do best with some filamentous algae and live rock.
Tank Size For Adult: 20gal (76l)
Narrative: Excellent for the reef aquarium. This is a wonderful fish that is rarely aggressive toward other species. May starve if placed in a new aquarium or one without live rock and sand to provide grazing opportunities. Juveniles can be kept together in medium-sized tanks if introduced together, but adults often quarrel. It is best to keep one per tank, unless the system is large and affords many hiding places. Can be kept with other members of the genus, but do not house with fishes like Dottybacks, hawkfishes, and sand perches, which are prone to picking on small, substrate-bound fishes.
Compatible Tank mates: Blennies, Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish.
Diet: Varied diet, including small crustaceans, such as vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, and prepared foods for herbivores. Eats large quantities of algae in the wild and will do better if provided with similar fare in the aquarium.
Tank Size For Adult: 30gal (114l)
Narrative: Usually not considered a threat to sessile invertebrates, but may attack zoanthids. This species can be employed in a utility role to help keep the upper layers of aquarium sand stirred by taking in mouthfuls and then expelling them through its gills. It will also eat some filamentous algae. Pugnacious fishes, such as Dottybacks, hawkfishes, and sand perches, may harass these gobies. May jump out of an open aquarium.
Care Level: Relatively easy Adult Size: 2.8in pH Range: 8.1 – 8.3 Temperature Range: (F/C) 77-79F/25-26C Specific Gravity/Hardness Range: 1.023-1.026 Origin/Habitat: Indo-Pacific Temperament/Behaviour: Moderately peaceful
Compatible Tank mates: Blennies, Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish. Diet: Meaty foods, such as fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, and frozen preparations for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 20gal (76l) Narrative: Will not harm sessile invertebrates, but larger specimens will eat smaller ornamental shrimps. This is a fine aquarium species and the most common shrimp goby in the aquarium trade. Can be yellow, light brown, or white overall with blue spots on the head, dorsal fin, and flanks, often with 4-5 dusky bars on the body. It readily adapts to captive living and has even spawned in reef aquariums. Provide a sand bottom with live rock or coral rubble to form hiding places. Placing two individuals together in the same tank can be risky unless they are a male-female pair. Will attack other shrimp gobies, especially in smaller aquariums. May jump out of an open aquarium.
Origin/Habitat: Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific
Temperament/Behaviour: Moderately aggressive.
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish.
Diet: Meaty foods, such as fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, finely chopped table shrimp, and frozen preparations for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 30gal (114l)
Narrative: Will not harm sessile invertebrates, but will eat ornamental shrimps. This is one of the most handsome members of this group, but also one of the more aggressive. Larger specimens will often attack other gobies and even smaller, unrelated fishes like assessors and wrasses. It is more likely to pose a behavioural problem if space is limited and if its one of the first introductions to the tank. Aggression usually takes the form of jaw gaping and lateral displays, but if it escalates, the goby may bite and do physical damage to the intruding fish. Conspecifics will usually fight as well, if they are not a male-female pair. (When mated pairs of shrimp gobies are offered for sale, they should never be split up.)
Common Names: Blackfinned Shrimp Goby (Bluespotted Watchman Goby)
Care Level: Relatively easy Adult Size: 5.1in pH Range: 8.1 – 8.3 Temperature Range: (F/C) 77-79F/25-26C Specific Gravity/Hardness Range: 1.023-1.026 Origin/Habitat: Western Pacific Temperament/Behaviour: Peaceful.
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish. Diet: Meaty foods, such as fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, finely chopped table shrimp, and frozen preparations for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 30gal (114l) Narrative: Will not harm sessile invertebrates, but will eat ornamental shrimps. This is a wonderful aquarium fish with two colour phases that may represent sexual dichromatism. One form is yellowish orange overall with distinct bars on the body, numerous spots on the face, and bold orange markings on the median fins. The other colour form is brown to olive drab overall with blue spots on the head and body. Displays bars only when it is threatened, and the orange markings on the fins are not as striking. This is a peaceful species that may be kept in groups and with other gobies. It may chase more diminutive shrimp gobies and smaller, bottom-dwelling fishes.
Care Level: Relatively easy Adult Size: 1.4in pH Range: 8.1 – 8.3 Temperature Range: (F/C) 77-79F/25-26C Specific Gravity/Hardness Range: 1.023-1.026 Origin/Habitat: Indonesia and the Philippines Temperament/Behaviour: Peaceful.
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish. Diet: Meaty foods, including vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, finely shaved table shrimp, and frozen food for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 20gal (76l) Narrative: Suitable for the reef aquarium, although it will nip small coral polyps but will not do irreparable damage. Although diminutive, this is a fascinating fish to keep in the aquarium, especially in smaller tanks. It does best if housed with live or faux corals of the branching type. Rarely aggressive toward other fishes, but it will fight with members of its own kind in smaller tanks. If there are several fish and enough corals to go around, they will disperse or form male-female pairs. Will spawn in captivity, laying demersal eggs among coral branches. Best kept with other docile species. Members of this genus are thought to have noxious slime that deters most predatory fishes from eating them.
Care Level: Relatively easy Adult Size: 1.6in pH Range: 8.1 – 8.3 Temperature Range: (F/C) 77-79F/25-26C Specific Gravity/Hardness Range: 1.023-1.026 Origin/Habitat: Tropical Eastern Atlantic Temperament/Behaviour: Peaceful.
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish. Diet: Meaty foods, including vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, finely shaved table shrimp, and frozen food for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 20gal (76l) Narrative: Suitable for the reef aquarium. This beautiful cleaning species will actually nip ich cysts off other fishes and may even remove the viral infection Lymphocystis. Unlike the cleaner wrasses, these gobies are totally dependent on fish parasites and slime, but will also eat other foods. Be sure it gets enough to eat if kept with more-aggressive tankmates. This species is a great addition to a reef tank for parasite control. It is not uncommon for male-female pairs to spawn in the aquarium. In most cases, the eggs are laid in a crevice or empty shell, and both parents defend the eggs.
Care Level: Relatively easy Adult Size: 2.0in pH Range: 8.1 – 8.3 Temperature Range: (F/C) 77-79F/25-26C Specific Gravity/Hardness Range: 1.023-1.026 Origin/Habitat: Tropical Eastern Atlantic Temperament/Behaviour: Peaceful.
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish. Diet: Meaty foods, including vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, finely shaved table shrimp, and frozen food for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 20gal (76l) Narrative: A great addition to the reef aquarium, especially the small-polyped stony coral tank. A bright, endearing cleaner species that will service tankmates and help control some diseases. Will actually nip ich cysts off other fishes and may even remove the viral infection Lymphocystis. Although rarely aggressive toward other fishes, it will fight with members of its own kind, especially in smaller tanks. It is not uncommon for pairs to spawn in the aquarium. In most cases, eggs are laid in a crevice or empty shell, and both parents defend the eggs aggressively. Fry are easily raised on rotifers and Artemia nauplii.
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish.
Diet: Meaty foods, including vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, finely shaved table shrimp, and frozen food for carnivores.
Tank Size For Adult: 30gal (114l)
Narrative: Excellent for the reef aquarium. A typical bottom-hugging goby that can be employed in a utility role to help keep the upper layers of live sand stirred. It will take up mouthfuls of substrate and then expel them through its gills. Will behave aggressively toward members of its own and closely related species. Keep only one per tank unless a male-female pair is acquired. May be harasses by more-aggressive bottom-dwelling species, including hawkfishes and sand perches.
Common Names: Signal Goby (Twinspot Goby, Crabeye Goby)
Care Level: Difficult
Adult Size: 2.6in
pH Range: 8.1 – 8.3
Temperature Range: (F/C) 77-79F/25-26C
Specific Gravity/Hardness Range: 1.023-1.026
Origin/Habitat: Western Pacific
Temperament/Behaviour: Peaceful
Compatible Tank mates: Angels, Cardinalfish, and Surgeonfish.
Diet: Difficult to feed. Meaty foods, including vitamin-enriched live and frozen brine shrimp and mysid shrimp, live black worms, as well as prepared foods for carnivores. Typically feeds on the bottom only, taking mouthfuls of substrate, along with the food that lands on or lives within the sand.
Tank Size For Adult: 30gal (114l)
Narrative: Harmless with corals and clams, but may eat ornamental crustaceans. Thought to mimic a crab as it hops along on the bottom with its two eyespot-clad dorsal fins erect. Unfortunately, it is difficult to keep and most individuals slowly starve to death. To succeed, use live sand as a substrate, attach a richly populated refugium to the tank, and feed the fish frequently. Deworming may also help. Usually sold in pairs (often found in pairs in the wild) and are thought to do poorly if kept singly. Do not keep with aggressive fishes, including bottom-feeding food competitors.
