Blue neon dwarf goby

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep it at 22 to 27 C with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5 in an established tank of 75 litres or more with high turnover and lots of oxygen. It is peaceful, though males squabble over grazing spots, so keep it with more females and only very calm tankmates. The main challenge is food, because it eats algae film and biofilm and can slowly starve in a spotless tank. Supplement natural grazing with algae wafers, blanched vegetables and occasional frozen foods.

In the wild

Blue neon dwarf gobies graze the film of algae and micro life that coats sunlit rocks in fast, clear coastal streams. They cling to and hop across stones using a fused pelvic sucker. Give them a mature tank with strong flow, bright light to grow algae, smooth rocks and sand, and a tight lid since they can climb. The tank must already have a good film of green algae and biofilm before they go in.

Good to know

Stiphodon atropurpureus is an amphidromous goby, meaning adults live and breed in fresh water while the hatched larvae drift to the sea and later return upstream as juveniles. Males show an electric blue stripe over a dark body, while females are plainer with a pale striped pattern. Its subterminal mouth is built for scraping aufwuchs off rock surfaces.

Did you know

Because the larvae need to wash out to sea to develop, the species is essentially not bred in home aquariums, so almost all fish in the hobby are wild collected.

Related species

• Cobalt blue goby

  Stiphodon semoni

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)13 gal (50 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  White-cheek goby

  Rhinogobius duospilus

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)

• 

  Desert goby

  Chlamydogobius eremius

  2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)

• 

  Bumblebee goby

  Brachygobius doriae

  1.6 in (4 cm)12 gal (45 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Scarlet goby

  Rhinogobius zhoui

  1.6 in (4 cm)12 gal (45 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)
• Black toraja goby

  Mugilogobius sarasinorum

  3.1 in (8 cm)21 gal (80 L)79–82°F (26–28°C)