Girdled Goby

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Tropical Indo-West Pacific. Inhabits rocky crevices of deep reefs, outer reef slopes, and protected marine caves down to depths of 70 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Belongs to the family Gobiidae. Reaches about 7 cm. Elongated body with a large rounded head and a short, robust caudal fin.

Social Behavior: Very secretive and nocturnal fish. Spends almost all its time inside caves or under rocky ledges, often clinging upside down to rockwork.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body coloration ranges from light brown to reddish, crossed by distinct vertical yellow or orange bands bordered with black. Dark fins.

Aquarium Setup: Aquarium of at least 50 liters (13 gallons) with plenty of live rock arranged to form small caves, overhangs, and shaded areas to feel secure.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivore. Feed small frozen foods (mysis, brine shrimp, Cyclops, copepods). May require targeted feeding with a pipette initially.

Water Quality: Maintain temperature at 22-28°C (72-82°F), pH 8.0-8.5, specific gravity 1.020-1.026. Sensitive to sudden spikes of ammonia and nitrite.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: 100% reef-safe. Ideal for calm nano-reefs with small, peaceful fish. Does not bother hard or soft corals.

Aquarium Breeding: Spawning occurs in caves, but larvae are extremely small and raising them is not documented at the hobbyist level.

Risks and Diseases: Can slip into filtration slits or overflows due to its small size. Secure all drains. Jump risk if startled.