Elegant algae goby

Stiphodon elegans

Also known as Elegans stream goby, Elegant goby, Elegant algae eating goby

FreshwaterFish

Elegant algae goby (Stiphodon elegans) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 6.5–7.8
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Society and Samoa island streams
Family: Oxudercidae

Overview

This is a classic algae-grazing river goby, a peaceful bottom dweller that scrapes green film from stone all day. It is social; keep a group of five or more over rounded, film-covered cobbles, leaving males extra room to hold small grazing patches and show off their teal striping. It needs a mature, well-lit tank where biofilm and soft algae can grow, since it will not thrive on flake food alone; supplement with algae wafers and the occasional frozen cyclops. Give it steady flow and high oxygen, and keep only small, calm tankmates that will not race it to the food. A 54 liter tank matured enough to grow algae suits a group.

In the wild

In the wild it grazes the stony beds of clear island streams across Polynesia, from Tahiti and the Society Islands to Samoa and neighboring groups, in warm water running bright over rock. To copy that, keep a shallow, stony tank with steady current, strong light to feed the algae film, and clean water changed regularly. Warmth of 23 to 27 C and a pH between 6.5 and 7.8 suit it, and its larvae naturally develop at sea before the young return upstream.

Good to know

Stiphodon elegans, sometimes called the green riffle goby, is a member of the family Oxudercidae, described by Steindachner in 1879. It reaches about 5 centimeters, and males wear teal to green stripes over a pale body. Like all Stiphodon it is a dedicated algae grazer, using spatula-shaped teeth that regrow as they wear against stone. It is amphidromous with marine larvae, and there is no established record of it breeding in aquaria.

Did you know

Stiphodon gobies graze with rows of fine, spatula-shaped teeth set in an extendable lower jaw, scraping algae from rock. The teeth wear down against the stone and are steadily replaced from behind, a little like a shark's.