Dragon sleeper goby
Amblygobius phalaena
Also known as Sleeper Banded Goby, Banded Sleeper Goby, Brownbarred Goby, Dragon Goby, Banded Dragon Goby
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–81°F
- 23–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 5.9 in
- 15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 30 gal
- 115 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe with caution
- Family
- Gobiidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific
Overview
The dragon sleeper goby is a peaceful sand-sifting goby for a saltwater tank with plenty of open sand. It suits a keeper with some experience.
Did you know
Unlike the touchy Valenciennea sleepers that often starve, the dragon sleeper goby usually learns to take prepared food. That makes it one of the few sand-sifting gobies you can keep long term without a constantly replenished live sand bed.
Caring for the dragon sleeper goby
Give a dragon sleeper goby a tank of at least 30 gal (115 L). An open sand bed matters more than heavy rock, because it feeds by sifting mouthfuls of substrate. It uses a burrow under a rock as a home and retreat. It is a strong jumper, so keep the tank covered.
Keep the water at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C), with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It feeds readily on frozen mysis and other meaty preparations.
Dragon sleeper gobies are peaceful and ignore corals. Like all sand sifters, though, they deposit sand on clams or corals placed low in the tank, so they rate reef safe with caution. They also help aerate the sand and can clear cyanobacteria films.
Keep just one unless you have a confirmed pair. Breeding them is hard.
Good to know
The dragon sleeper goby is a sand-sifting member of the family Gobiidae, in the genus Amblygobius. It is marked with dark vertical bars. It is a pair-forming burrower, and it is now regularly captive-bred.
In the wild
The dragon sleeper goby ranges across the western and central Pacific, over sandy and rubble bottoms beside reef. It hovers just above the sand there and darts into a burrow when threatened.
Common questions
What size tank does a dragon sleeper goby need?
A dragon sleeper goby needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a dragon sleeper goby need?
A dragon sleeper goby is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a dragon sleeper goby eat?
A dragon sleeper goby feeds readily on frozen mysis and other meaty preparations. It also sifts mouthfuls of substrate for food.
How big does a dragon sleeper goby get?
An adult dragon sleeper goby reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).
Related species
3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Buan's sleeper goby
Amblygobius buanensis
3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Link's goby
Amblygobius linki
2.8 in (7 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
5.9 in (15 cm)55 gal (208 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Diamond sleeper goby
Valenciennea puellaris
5.9 in (15 cm) · 55 gal (208 L)
5.9 in (15 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Golden head sleeper goby
Valenciennea strigata
5.9 in (15 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)
5.5 in (14 cm)40 gal (150 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Sixspot sleeper goby
Valenciennea sexguttata
5.5 in (14 cm) · 40 gal (150 L)
4.3 in (11 cm)30 gal (114 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Orange-spot prawn goby
Amblyeleotris guttata
4.3 in (11 cm) · 30 gal (114 L)