Broadband Goby
Amblyeleotris latifasciata
A peaceful marine shrimpgoby from the Indian Ocean, famous for its fascinating symbiotic relationship with Alpheus snapping shrimps. Features wide vertical bands for camouflage.
Water Temperature
22 - 27 °C
pH Value
8.1 - 8.4
Water type
Marine
Tank level
Bottom
Adult size
13 cm
Minimum tank volume
>= 120 L
Minimum group
>= 1
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: This species is native to the Indian Ocean, primarily found in the Maldives and the Andaman Sea. It inhabits sandy and rubble bottoms adjacent to shallow coral reefs.
Taxonomy and Morphology: Belonging to the family Gobiidae under the genus Amblyeleotris. Features a cylindrical, elongated body with high-set eyes for monitoring predators. Grows to a maximum length of about 13 centimeters.
Social Behavior: Peaceful and bottom-dwelling. It forms a symbiotic relationship with snapping shrimps of the genus Alpheus. The goby acts as a sentinel, while the shrimp maintains their shared burrow.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The body displays a white to light cream background color, accented by broad, distinct reddish-brown vertical bands. There is no significant external sexual dimorphism.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Aquarium Setup: An aquarium of at least 100 liters is required. It is vital to provide a deep sand bed of at least 5-7 cm of fine sand to allow the goby and its symbiotic shrimp to dig their burrow.
Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Feeds on zooplankton in the water column near its burrow. Provide frozen foods such as mysis, brine shrimp, and small marine sinking pellets multiple times daily.
Water Quality: Maintain standard marine parameters: temperature range of 22.0 to 27.0 °C, pH of 8.1 to 8.4, and specific gravity of 1.020 to 1.025. Keep the sand bed clean through proper filtration.
Compatibility and Cohabitation: Very peaceful. Excellent for reef and community tanks with calm tankmates. Do not house with large, predatory fish or highly territorial bottom-dwellers.
Aquarium Breeding: Captive spawning is extremely rare. Replicating the pelagic larval phase and feeding the microscopic larvae in home aquaria presents significant challenges.
Risks and Diseases: Known to jump when startled; a covered tank is essential. Keeping them without a sandy substrate or a symbiotic shrimp partner will cause stress and hiding behaviors.
Geographic origin and distribution
This species is native to the Indian Ocean, primarily found in the Maldives and the Andaman Sea. It inhabits sandy and rubble bottoms adjacent to shallow coral reefs.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsSouth and Southeast AsiaEast Asia
Fish profile
- Temperament
- Territorial
- It is a peaceful, shy, and cautious fish that prefers to stay close to the safety of its established burrow. While it will bravely defend its immediate territory from other bottom-dwellers, it ignores fish swimming higher up. Providing plenty of rubble and a quiet environment helps it feel secure and behave naturally.
- Diet
- Carnivore
- As a micro-predator, its natural diet consists mostly of tiny benthic crustaceans and zooplankton found near the substrate. In captivity, it eagerly accepts frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and sinking carnivore pellets. Providing a varied, high-quality meaty diet is critical for maintaining its health and vibrant coloration.
- Life expectancy
- 4-6 years
- Adult size
- 13 cm
- Sex ratio
- Flexible
- There are no obvious external differences between males and females, making sexing this species visually almost impossible. They are best kept singly or as a confirmed mated pair to avoid territorial disputes. Placing multiple unsexed individuals in a small tank usually leads to aggressive territorial battles over burrow sites.
- Feeding frequency
- Twice daily
- Feeding small portions two to three times daily is recommended to mimic its natural, continuous foraging behavior. Because it rarely ventures far from its burrow, targeted feeding near its home may be necessary in a busy tank. Care should be taken to ensure it gets enough food without overfeeding the entire system.
- Bioload
- Medium
- This species has a minimal impact on the overall bioload of the aquarium due to its small size and sedentary lifestyle. It produces very little waste compared to more active, open-water swimmers. Routine maintenance and standard filtration are entirely sufficient to keep the water pristine.
- Flow
- Strong
- It favors gentle to moderate water flow, reflecting the calm sandy bottoms and rubble zones it inhabits in the ocean. Exceedingly strong currents can collapse its delicate burrow and make feeding difficult. A well-planned, indirect flow pattern allows the goby to thrive while keeping detritus from accumulating.
- Jump risk
- Yes
- Like most gobies, this fish is easily spooked and possesses a strong instinct to jump when frightened or chased. A tight-fitting lid or a fine mesh cover is absolutely necessary to prevent it from leaping out of the aquarium. Keeping it in an open-top tank is highly risky and often ends poorly.
- Reproduction
- Oviparous
- Captive breeding of this species is extremely rare and technically demanding, primarily due to the difficulty of raising its microscopic pelagic larvae. In their natural habitat, they are substrate spawners that lay adhesive eggs deep within the safety of their burrow. The male takes on the responsibility of guarding and oxygenating the eggs until they hatch.
- Compatibility & tankmates
- Peaceful
- It is a fantastic community fish for peaceful reef aquariums, coexisting easily with corals and small, non-aggressive tank mates. This fish forms a fascinating symbiotic bond with pistol shrimp, which provides an incredible behavioral display. Large or predatory fish must be avoided, as they will easily consume this small goby.
- Tank level
- Bottom
- This bottom-dwelling fish spends the vast majority of its life resting on the sand bed or hovering just outside its burrow. It relies heavily on a deep sand substrate to create its home alongside its symbiotic shrimp partner. It will only dart higher into the water column momentarily to grab a passing morsel of food.
Scientific Parameters & Models
FishBase
Window to the official scientific data of the species
FishBase v25.04Data synced on: 06/15/2026
- Trophic level
- 3.4 ± 0.4 se
- Resilience
- High (less than 15 months)
- Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50)
- 0.5
- Bayesian Length-Weight
- a = 0.00741, b = 3.09
- VulnerabilityLow vulnerability (10 / 100)
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