TankBud

Gold neon dwarf goby

Stiphodon percnopterygionus

Also known as Gold neon goby, Black-fin stiphodon

FreshwaterFish

Gold neon dwarf goby (Stiphodon percnopterygionus)
Laurent Pasteur · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
1.6 in
4 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Oxudercidae
Origin
Island streams of Japan, Taiwan, and the western Pacific

Overview

The gold neon dwarf goby is a bright, peaceful algae grazer for a well-lit, mature river tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

Displaying male gold neon dwarf gobies do not hold one fixed color. They shift between an electric blue phase and a gold to orange phase, so one fish can look like two different gobies within minutes.

Caring for the gold neon dwarf goby

Give a small group of gold neon dwarf gobies at least 14 gal (54 L). The tank should have run long enough to grow a green film. Rounded cobbles in a shallow, stony layout and strong light let algae and biofilm grow on the stone. Keep the flow steady and the oxygen high.

Run the water a touch cooler than most tropicals, at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8. Change it regularly to keep it clean. It scrapes biofilm from stone rather than eating flake, so add supplements such as algae wafers and the odd frozen cyclops.

The gold neon dwarf goby is peaceful and sociable. Leave males a little more space to hold grazing patches. Choose small, calm companions that will not muscle in at feeding time.

It is amphidromous, and breeding it in captivity is very hard. The larvae must develop at sea before the young climb back upstream.

Good to know

Stiphodon percnopterygionus is a member of the family Oxudercidae. Its name points to its dark-edged, dusky fins, and it is also known as the black-fin stiphodon. Like all Stiphodon, it is a dedicated algae grazer with spatula-shaped teeth.

In the wild

The gold neon dwarf goby grazes fast, clear island streams in Japan, Taiwan and the western Pacific. It holds to stone in bright, oxygen-rich, current-swept water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The gold neon dwarf goby is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a gold neon dwarf goby need?

A gold neon dwarf goby needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a gold neon dwarf goby need?

A gold neon dwarf goby is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does a gold neon dwarf goby eat?

A gold neon dwarf goby scrapes biofilm and algae from stone rather than eating flake. Supplement its grazing with algae wafers and the odd frozen cyclops.

How big does a gold neon dwarf goby get?

An adult gold neon dwarf goby reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

How does a gold neon dwarf goby breed?

The gold neon dwarf goby is amphidromous, so its larvae must develop at sea before the young climb back upstream. That makes breeding it in captivity very hard.

Related species