Cobalt blue goby

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a tricky fish that depends on a mature, algae-rich tank, so it is not one for a new setup. It is a bottom grazer that spends its day rasping biofilm and algae off surfaces, and it will struggle if there is not enough natural growth, so supplement with algae wafers and small frozen foods like daphnia. Keep it in mostly peaceful company, though males can squabble over grazing spots. Give it at least 50 liters with strong flow and clean water at pH 6.5 to 7.5.

In the wild

The cobalt blue goby lives in fast, clear, well-oxygenated streams in Sumatra and New Guinea, clinging to rock in the current. To keep it well you need to copy that flow, so run a tank with strong water movement, high oxygen, and lots of smooth rock and wood covered in algae and biofilm for grazing. Cool to moderate water, around 20 to 26 C, suits it best.

Good to know

Stiphodon semoni is in the family Gobiidae and stays small, around 4.5 cm. Males carry the bright cobalt color the species is named for. Like many of its relatives it has fused pelvic fins that form a suction disc, letting it hold tight to rock in heavy current.

Did you know

In the wild this goby climbs waterfalls and fights its way up rushing streams using its sucker-like pelvic disc to grip wet rock. That climbing ability is how it reaches the upstream habitats where it lives.

Related species

• Blue neon dwarf goby

  Stiphodon atropurpureus

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  White-cheek goby

  Rhinogobius duospilus

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

• 

  Desert goby

  Chlamydogobius eremius

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

  Mugilogobius sarasinorum

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