Two-stripe Goby

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Western Indo-Pacific, common in Indonesia, Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. Inhabits protected coral reefs and shallow lagoons among soft corals.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Family Gobiidae. Genus Eviota. One of the shortest fish species in nature, barely reaching 2.5 cm in size. Glassy, compressed body.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, shy, and highly gregarious. Spends its time resting on coral branches or small stones. Must live in small groups.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Glassy, semi-transparent body, characterized by two dark black or reddish longitudinal stripes running from snout to tail. No obvious sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a small aquarium of at least 30 liters. Include fine sand and porous rock fragments to allow them to find shelters.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivore. Feeds on fine zooplankton. Supply live or frozen copepods, cyclops, rotifers, and fine powder foods.

Water Quality: Stable parameters: temperature 23-27°C, pH 8.0-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025. Requires very clean water.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Highly defenseless. Avoid predatory, fast, or intrusive fish. Well-suited for cohabitation with small, non-aggressive shrimp.

Aquarium Reproduction: Not documented in captivity at the hobbyist level. In the wild, they have an extremely short lifespan.

Risks and Diseases: High sensitivity to unscreened powerheads. Risk of starvation if placed in aquariums with competitive fish.