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Papua red goby

Lentipes multiradiatus

Also known as Multiradiatus goby

FreshwaterFish

Papua red goby (Lentipes multiradiatus)

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
Family
Oxudercidae
Origin
Northern New Guinea streams

Overview

The Papua red goby is a small climbing goby for a fast, clean stream tank. It is an active bottom dweller that grazes biofilm and hunts tiny invertebrates, and it takes an experienced keeper.

Did you know

A displaying male Papua red goby lights up as if dipped in paint. His front half stays plain while the back half glows red, which gives the fish its common name. The scientific name looks elsewhere, since multiradiatus means many-rayed and counts fins rather than colors.

Caring for the Papua red goby

Keep Papua red gobies as a small group in at least 14 gal (54 L), over cobbles, smooth boulders and gravel. They need high flow, high oxygen and very clean water. Let a film grow on the rockwork for them to graze.

Keep the water toward the cool end of 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C). Hold the pH at 6.5 to 7.8, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. It works the current near the floor. Offer small frozen and live foods such as cyclops, baby brine shrimp and finely chopped bloodworm.

Papua red gobies are peaceful and social. Give displaying males room to hold territory, so their disputes stay to flaring. Pair them only with calm, current-loving tank mates. They are amphidromous, and their marine larvae leave no practical record of spawning in tanks.

Good to know

Lentipes multiradiatus is a sicydiine goby in the family Oxudercidae, described by Allen in 2001. It is also known as the multiradiatus goby.

In the wild

The Papua red goby lives in clear streams draining the north coast of New Guinea, in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It clings to rock in cool-leaning, oxygen-rich water that tumbles over stone.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Papua red 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 Papua red goby need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Papua red goby need?

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

What does a Papua red goby eat?

A Papua red goby takes small frozen and live foods such as cyclops, baby brine shrimp and finely chopped bloodworm. It also grazes the film that grows on rockwork.

How big does a Papua red goby get?

An adult Papua red goby reaches about 1.8 in (4.5 cm).

How does a Papua red goby breed?

Papua red gobies are amphidromous, with marine larvae. There is no practical record of them spawning in tanks.

Related species