Elegant lentipes goby

Lentipes venustus

Also known as Venustus goby

FreshwaterFish

Elegant lentipes goby (Lentipes venustus) — 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: 1.8 in (4.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: New Guinea streams
Family: Oxudercidae

Overview

This is a small, brightly marked climbing goby for a fast, clean stream tank, an active bottom dweller that grazes biofilm and hunts tiny invertebrates. It is peaceful and enjoys company; keep a small group over cobbles and boulders, giving displaying males room to hold territory so disputes stay to harmless flaring. It works the current near the floor, so offer small frozen and live foods such as cyclops, baby brine, and finely chopped bloodworm, and let film build on the rockwork. Keep only calm, current-loving tankmates that cannot out-compete it. Around 54 liters with strong flow and high oxygen is the right size for a group.

In the wild

In the wild it lives in cool, clear, fast-flowing mountain streams on the D'Entrecasteaux Islands off eastern New Guinea, clinging to rock with its pelvic sucker at elevations from about 100 to 600 meters. Match that with strong flow, smooth boulders and gravel, high oxygen, and very clean water. Keep the tank at 23 to 27 C and the pH from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, near 6.5 to 7.8.

Good to know

Lentipes venustus is a sicydiine goby in the family Oxudercidae, described by Allen in 2004. It reaches about 4.5 centimeters, and displaying males show lavender and flame tones that earned the name venustus, Latin for charming or graceful. It is amphidromous, with marine larvae and no established record of aquarium breeding. It is known only from a small island group off eastern New Guinea, which leaves it localized and seldom seen.

Did you know

Its name borrows the adjective the Romans reserved for Venus: venustus means charming or lovely. Fittingly, it is known from just one small island group, the D'Entrecasteaux Islands off the eastern tip of New Guinea.