Barber Goby

Elacatinus figaro

Also known as Yellow Neon Cleaner Goby

SaltwaterFish

Barber Goby (Elacatinus figaro) — Rzpguimaraes · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Southwestern Atlantic, coastal Brazil
Family: Gobiidae

Overview

Barber gobies are peaceful toward tankmates, though they can be quarrelsome with their own kind in tight quarters, so keep one or a bonded pair. They suit nano reefs and larger systems alike, clean occasionally without depending on it, and feed easily on small pellets and frozen foods.

In the wild

Endemic to the Brazilian coast, where it lives over rocky and coral bottoms and gathers in groups of up to six on coral heads. Like other cleaner gobies it holds regular stations where larger reef fish stop to have parasites picked off.

Good to know

Described in 1997, this is the cleaner goby of Brazil, black with a bright yellow stripe running from snout to tail. Heavy collection for the aquarium trade saw it listed as Vulnerable, and Brazilian researchers published captive breeding methods specifically to take pressure off wild populations.

Did you know

Both of its names come from the barber shop. Client fish line up and hold still while the goby trims away parasites, and the scientific name figaro honors fiction's most famous barber.