Lipstick goby

Sicyopus rubicundus

Also known as Rubicundus goby, Red lipstick Sicyopus goby

FreshwaterFish

Lipstick goby (Sicyopus rubicundus) — 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: Common
Origin: Sumatran and Javan streams
Family: Oxudercidae

Overview

A small stream goby that hunts rather than grazes, taking small meaty foods delivered into the flow. Keep a group in a 54 liter river tank with cobble, strong current and high oxygen; the red develops properly only in moving, well-oxygenated water. It is peaceful and ignores anything it cannot fit in its mouth. Feed frozen cyclops, daphnia and bloodworm, and expect it to feed off the stone.

In the wild

Sicyopus rubicundus lives in clear, fast streams on Sumatra and Java, in the broken water of the steeper reaches. Keep it at 23 to 27 degrees Celsius and pH 6.5 to 7.8, with real current across the substrate rather than a single directional powerhead.

Good to know

Sicyopus rubicundus reaches about 5 centimeters, males carrying a deep red rear body against a paler front. Its fused pelvic fins form a suction disc used to hold position in current. It is amphidromous, so it will not breed in an aquarium and every specimen in the trade is wild collected.