Scarlet goby

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep it in a cool tank of 45 litres or more at 16 to 24 C with a pH of 7.0 to 8.0 and strong, oxygen rich flow. Males are territorial, so provide many rocky caves and either keep a single male or give a group enough broken sight lines in a larger tank. Do not house it with small ornamental shrimp, which it will hunt. Feed meaty foods such as frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, small live foods and sinking carnivore pellets, since it ignores floating flake.

In the wild

The scarlet goby comes from cool, clear, fast-flowing mountain headwaters that are very high in oxygen. It is a bottom dweller that perches on and darts between smooth rocks. Recreate this with a cool tank, sand or fine gravel, plenty of smooth rockwork forming caves, strong flow and extra aeration. Pristine, well oxygenated water and frequent changes are essential, which makes it a fish for experienced keepers.

Good to know

Rhinogobius zhoui was described in 2008 and named after the collector who first brought it to attention. Males are boldly patterned in red and orange with spotted cheeks and defend small territories among the rocks. It is a cool water species best kept without a heater in most rooms.

Did you know

Because it needs cool, spotless, fast water, it usually does best in a dedicated hillstream style tank rather than a warm community aquarium.

Related species

• 

  White-cheek goby

  Rhinogobius duospilus

  2 in (5 cm)16 gal (60 L)61–75°F (16–24°C)

• 

  Bumblebee goby

  Brachygobius doriae

  1.6 in (4 cm)12 gal (45 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Cobalt blue goby

  Stiphodon semoni

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)13 gal (50 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)
• Blue neon dwarf goby

  Stiphodon atropurpureus

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Desert goby

  Chlamydogobius eremius

  2.4 in (6 cm)16 gal (60 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)

• 

  Knight goby

  Stigmatogobius sadanundio

  3.5 in (9 cm)21 gal (80 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)