Chinese mandarin goby

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a coolwater ambush fish, a freshwater sleeper rather than a true goby, and it is best kept singly or with tankmates chosen carefully. It sits still on the bottom among stones and caves for long stretches, then lunges at passing food, so anything small enough to swallow, including shrimp and slim fish, is at risk. Keep it in an unheated tank with plenty of rock gaps and shaded hollows to claim, and pick calm, sturdy tankmates too large to be eaten. Feed meaty foods it can be tempted to take: frozen bloodworm, blackworm, chopped prawn, and small sinking pellets. A tank of at least 112 litres suits it.

In the wild

It comes from cool, clear coastal streams in southern China, lying among stones and crevices in flowing water. Keep it unheated or cool, around 16 to 24 degrees Celsius, with a neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5. A bottom of sand and rounded stone with caves, rock gaps, and driftwood gives it the ambush cover and shaded resting spots it depends on.

Good to know

It belongs to the freshwater sleeper family, Odontobutidae, a group found only in East Asia, and reaches about 10 cm. Despite the mandarin goby name it is a sleeper, sitting motionless and hunting by ambush rather than perching and hopping like a true goby. Breeding is of moderate difficulty, with males guarding eggs laid in a sheltered spot.

Did you know

It is not really a goby at all. It belongs to the Odontobutidae, the freshwater sleepers, an East Asian family whose members earn the sleeper name by lying still for long stretches before striking at prey in a blur.

Common questions

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