Sharknose Goby

With the bright stripe running from the eye to the tail along its dark back, the sharknose goby is a close relative of the neon goby, which has its own page on the site. The stripes on both sides meet in a V at the tip of the snout; depending on the locality, the stripe can be yellow, white or bluish. It reaches only 4 cm. In the wild it lives in pairs on top of coral heads on clear-water Caribbean reefs and is a cleaner that picks parasites off the skin of larger fish. It is bred in aquariums; captive-bred individuals are used to dry food and hardy.

• At least 40 liters for a pair; suitable for nano reefs.
• Salinity specific gravity 1.023–1.026, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C.
• Reef-safe: it leaves corals, shrimp and snails alone.
• Rock and coral surfaces to perch on; cover pump intakes with sponges.

Carnivorous. Offer small frozen foods (mysis, brine shrimp, copepods) and fine granules. Cleaning behavior alone does not provide enough food; feed small amounts twice a day.

Peaceful and curious; it may try to clean other fish. It can be territorial towards unfamiliar individuals of its own species.

Good companions: Clownfish, cardinalfish, firefish goby, royal gramma, calm blennies, ornamental shrimp.

Avoid: Hawkfish, dottybacks, lionfish and any predator it fits in the mouth of; tough damsels.