TankBud

Redbelly dwarfgoby

Eviota nigriventris

Also known as Yellow Nano Goby, Red Neon Eviota, Red Neon Eviota Goby, Red-and-Black Eviota

SaltwaterFish

Redbelly dwarfgoby (Eviota nigriventris)
(c) jeyre, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
1.2 in
3 cm
Minimum tank
10 gal
38 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Gobiidae
Origin
Indo-West Pacific (Andaman Sea to New Caledonia)

Overview

The redbelly dwarfgoby is a tiny, peaceful goby for a calm reef tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

Wild Eviota lives are usually measured in months. One captive pair of redbelly dwarfgobies was reported alive after more than four years, among the longest runs noted for the genus.

Caring for the redbelly dwarfgoby

The redbelly dwarfgoby needs a tank of at least 10 gal (38 L). Give it a branching coral, or a twiggy piece of rock in its place, as a base to hover over and duck into. Pick a calm corner, since it feeds and displays in gentle flow.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Offer small pellets, Calanus, cyclops and baby brine shrimp in several small feedings. A mature tank with a standing copepod population fills the gaps between meals.

Redbelly dwarfgobies are peaceful and at their best in a group of three to six. A group keeps each fish bold enough to hover in the open. Choose tank mates carefully, because even mid-sized fish can swallow one whole.

Biota reported rearing it in 2015, one of the first Eviota ever bred in captivity. The larvae started out about two millimeters long. Breeding it is moderately difficult.

Good to know

The redbelly dwarfgoby was described by Louis Giltay in 1933, from the Banda Islands of Indonesia. Its species name means black belly in Latin, for the dark patch below its red and yellow body. The name later became a catch-all. Eviota atriventris and Eviota brahmi were both separated from it after closer study.

In the wild

The redbelly dwarfgoby ranges across Indo-West Pacific reefs, from the Andaman Sea to New Caledonia. It lives in small groups among the branches of Acropora and Seriatopora corals.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The redbelly dwarfgoby 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 redbelly dwarfgoby need?

A redbelly dwarfgoby needs at least 10 gal (38 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a redbelly dwarfgoby need?

A redbelly dwarfgoby is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a redbelly dwarfgoby eat?

A redbelly dwarfgoby eats small pellets, Calanus, cyclops and baby brine shrimp, offered in several small feedings. In a mature tank, the resident copepods fill the gaps.

How big does a redbelly dwarfgoby get?

An adult redbelly dwarfgoby reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).

How does a redbelly dwarfgoby breed?

Redbelly dwarfgobies are moderately difficult to breed. Biota reared them in 2015 from larvae about two millimeters long, one of the first Eviota bred in captivity.

Related species