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Golden striped goby

Stiphodon aureofuscus

Also known as Aureofuscus neon goby

FreshwaterFish

Golden striped goby (Stiphodon aureofuscus)
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
1.4 in
3.5 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Oxudercidae
Origin
Java, Bali and Lombok, Indonesia

Overview

The golden striped goby is a small, peaceful river goby that scrapes biofilm from stone all day. It needs a mature stream tank and is best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

The golden striped goby is a recent find, described by science only in 2015. Its name, aureofuscus, reads as gold and dusky, the two tones a displaying male sets side by side along his body.

Caring for the golden striped goby

Golden striped gobies need a shallow, stony tank of at least 14 gal (54 L), with rounded cobbles. It must be mature and under strong light so algae and biofilm can grow. Let it grow in long enough to carry a green film before they go in. Add steady flow and high oxygen.

Hold the water at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Keep it clean with frequent water changes. The golden striped goby will not live on flake food. Offer algae wafers and a little frozen cyclops as extras to the film it grazes.

It is a peaceful, sociable bottom dweller, best kept as a small group. Leave the males a little more room to hold grazing patches and show their gold and dusky striping. Choose only small, gentle tank mates that leave it room to feed. It is amphidromous, with marine larvae, and there is no practical record of it breeding in an aquarium.

Good to know

Stiphodon aureofuscus is a member of the family Oxudercidae, described by Keith and colleagues. Like all Stiphodon, it grazes algae with spatula-shaped teeth. It is also known as the aureofuscus neon goby.

In the wild

In the wild, the golden striped goby lives in clear, rocky, high-gradient streams on Java, Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The water there is warm, oxygen-rich and swept by current, at low to moderate elevations.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The golden striped 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 golden striped goby need?

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

What temperature and pH does a golden striped goby need?

A golden striped goby is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does a golden striped goby eat?

A golden striped goby grazes algae and biofilm, and it will not live on flake food. Offer algae wafers and a little frozen cyclops as extras.

How big does a golden striped goby get?

An adult golden striped goby reaches about 1.4 in (3.5 cm).

How does a golden striped goby breed?

Golden striped gobies are amphidromous, and their larvae live in the sea. There is no practical record of them breeding in an aquarium.

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