Rainford's Goby

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Western Pacific, endemic to the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Found in shallow, sandy lagoons and protected inner reefs at depths of 2 to 20 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Gobiidae. Small, cylindrical body, typical of gobies, reaching a maximum size of 5 cm.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, shy, and solitary. Spends its time hovering near the sandy bottom and rock bases. Can show territorial behavior toward other Rainford's Gobies unless they are a mated pair.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body is greenish-gray with horizontal orange-red stripes and prominent black eyespots (ocelli) on the dorsal fin and tail base. No sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum tank size of 40 liters. Requires a fine sand substrate and plenty of mature live rock.

Diet and Feeding: Omnivore. Naturally sifts sand for micro-invertebrates and grazes on microalgae. Supplement with frozen copepods, baby brine shrimp, and spirulina.

Water Quality: Requires a stable, well-established aquarium. Temperature 22-27°C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity SG 1.020-1.025.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Perfect reef inhabitant. Safe with all corals. Do not house with aggressive or predatory tankmates.

Aquarium Breeding: Extremely difficult. Lays eggs in burrows beneath the rockwork. Larval rearing is rarely successful in home aquaria.

Risks and Diseases: High risk of starvation in sterile or newly established tanks without a sand bed. High jumping risk.