Tiger Goby

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Western Tropical Atlantic: southern Florida and Bahamas to northern South America. Found in rocky and coral reefs down to 20 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Gobiidae. Features an elongated cylindrical body and pelvic fins fused into a cup-like suction disk. Reaches 5 cm in length.

Social Behavior: Peaceful; territorial only towards male conspecifics. Acts as a cleaner goby, establishing cleaning stations to service larger reef fish.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Semi-translucent light grey body with numerous vertical black or brown stripes. Yellow markings on the snout. No obvious sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Suitable for nano reefs of at least 40 liters. Provide a soft sand bed and plenty of small caves or holes in the rockwork. A secure lid is recommended.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Feeds on ectoparasites and zooplankton. In captivity, accepts fine frozen foods (copepods, rotifers, cyclops) and tiny prepared granules.

Water Quality: Maintain stable values: temperature 23-27 °C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity SG 1.020-1.025. Standard reef filtration is recommended.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Peaceful with all fish. Welcomed by larger tankmates due to its cleaning services. Do not house with predatory species.

Aquarium Breeding: Lays adhesive eggs inside small crevices or empty shells. Males guard the nest. Raising pelagic larvae is difficult.

Risks and Diseases: Known to jump if startled. Highly resistant to typical skin parasites due to its active cleaning behavior and mucus layer.