Pinkbar Goby

Amblyeleotris aurora

Also known as Aurora Goby, Pink-Bar Shrimp Goby, Aurora Shrimp Goby, Pinkbar Shrimpgoby

SaltwaterFish

Pinkbar Goby (Amblyeleotris aurora) — Julien Bidet for MDC Seamarc · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Minimum tank: 30 gal (115 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Found in the western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Maldives and Mauritius, on sandy lagoon floors.
Family: Gobiidae

Overview

Keep it in a 115 litre or larger tank with a sand and rubble bed and a secure lid, at 23 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4. It is fully reef safe and can be kept with corals, clams, and other inverts. Feed small meaty foods such as mysis, brine shrimp, and frozen preparations a few times a day. It is peaceful and does especially well paired with a pistol shrimp.

In the wild

The pinkbar goby is a white to cream fish crossed by bold pink to orange bars, with a spotted tail. It lives on sandy lagoon floors and shares a burrow with a pistol shrimp. It hovers at the burrow mouth and darts inside when threatened, signaling the shrimp with its tail. A soft sand bed with some rubble lets the pair dig and reinforce the burrow.

Good to know

Amblyeleotris aurora is a shrimp goby in the family Gobiidae. It forms a mutual partnership with pistol shrimp of the genus Alpheus, trading lookout duty for a ready made burrow. The bars brighten and fade with the fish's mood and surroundings.