Eyebar goby
Gnatholepis anjerensis
A small and peaceful benthic Indo-Pacific goby, characterized by golden eyes and sandy camouflage. It spends its days continuously sifting sand to find tiny edible organisms.
Température de l’eau
22 - 27 °C
Valeur du pH
8.1 - 8.4
Type d'eau
Marin
Niveau dans le bac
Fond
Taille adulte
8 cm
Volume minimal du bac
>= 100 L
Groupe minimal
>= 1
Description de l'espèce
Geographical Origin and Habitat:
This species is widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa all the way to Hawaii and the Marquesas Islands. It inhabits coastal lagoons and reef flats at depths between 1 and 15 meters.
Taxonomy and Morphology:
Belongs to the Gobiidae family. It has an elongated, cylindrical body with a rounded head and protruding golden eyes. It reaches a maximum length of about 6-8 cm. Its pelvic fins are fused to act as a suction cup.
Social Behavior:
A peaceful and strictly benthic marine fish. It spends its time sifting through the fine surface sand with its mouth to feed, filtering organic particles and expelling sand. It is not aggressive towards other fish.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism:
The sandy coloration with golden, brown, and silver spots perfectly camouflages the fish on the bottom. It features a prominent dark vertical line running through the eye, giving it the common name eyebar goby.
Soins, reproduction et cohabitation
Aquarium Setup:
Requires an aquarium of at least 60-80 liters. A layer of fine, soft sand (3-5 cm) is indispensable to accommodate its natural sifting behavior.
Diet and Feeding:
Feeds on micro-invertebrates and benthic detritus. In the aquarium, it readily accepts frozen foods like brine shrimp and mysis. Over time, it adapts to dry micro-granules.
Water Quality:
Maintain stable parameters: temperature 22-28 °C, pH 8.1-8.4, and specific gravity 1.020-1.025. Ensure efficient filtration with moderate flow at the bottom.
Compatibility and Cohabitation:
Ideal for peaceful community tanks. Fully reef safe, it lives well with clownfish, cardinalfish, and small wrasses. Avoid large or predatory tankmates.
Aquarium Breeding:
Breeding in the aquarium is extremely complex. They lay adhesive eggs under a rock, protected by the male. Pelagic larvae require complex rearing protocols.
Risks and Diseases:
Risk of starvation if housed with fast-feeding fish that consume food before it reaches the bottom. Use non-sharp sand to prevent mouth injuries.
Origine et répartition géographiques
This species is widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa all the way to Hawaii and the Marquesas Islands. It inhabits coastal lagoons and reef flats at depths between 1 and 15 meters.
Origine
Océans tropicaux et récifsAfrique et Madagascar
Profil de poisson
- Tempérament
- 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.
- Régime alimentaire
- Carnivore
- It is an active sand-sifter, taking mouthfuls of substrate to extract tiny benthic invertebrates, detritus, and microfauna. In the home aquarium, its diet should be supplemented with sinking pellets, frozen mysis, and chopped meaty foods. Ensuring a mature sand bed is present is vital for its long-term nutritional needs.
- Espérance de vie
- 3-5 years
- Taille adulte
- 8 cm
- Ratio des sexes
- Solitary
- 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.
- Fréquence d'alimentation
- 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.
- Charge biologique
- Low to 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.
- Courant
- Moderate
- 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.
- Risque de saut
- 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.
- Compatibilité et compagnons
- Community
- This species is remarkably peaceful and makes an excellent addition to standard reef or fish-only aquariums. It spends its time sifting through the sand, ignoring most other fish and invertebrates. It should not be housed with aggressive bottom-dwellers that might outcompete it for food or territory.
- Niveau dans le bac
- 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.
Modèles et paramètres scientifiques
FishBase
Fenêtre sur les données scientifiques officielles de l’espèce
FishBase v25.04Données synchronisées le : 15/06/2026
- Niveau trophique
- 3,4 ± 0,5 se
- Résilience
- Élevée (moins de 15 mois)
- Singularité phylogénétique (PD50)
- 0.501
- Relation bayésienne longueur-poids
- a = 0.01023, b = 3
- VulnérabilitéVulnérabilité faible (10 / 100)
Espèces associées
Recommandations regroupées par proches parents, compagnons et soins similaires.
