TankBud

Sharptail goby

Oligolepis acutipennis

Also known as Acutipennis goby

FreshwaterFish

Sharptail goby (Oligolepis acutipennis)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.0–8.2
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Oxudercidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific estuaries and lower rivers

Overview

The sharptail goby is a large, slender estuary goby for a tank with an open sand floor. It takes a little experience to keep well.

Did you know

The sharptail goby's tail tapers to a sharp point like the nib of a quill, and the name says so. Acutipennis means sharp-feather, using the old sense of feather for fin. The genus name, Oligolepis, means few scales.

Caring for the sharptail goby

Give the sharptail goby at least 29 gal (110 L) with a long open floor, since it grows large and stays active. Use a soft, fine sand bed, with cover such as wood or rock it can retreat under. Gentle flow suits it.

It is relaxed about salt and does well in fresh or lightly brackish water. Keep the water warm, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C), and neutral to alkaline, with a pH of 7.0 to 8.2.

The sharptail goby stays on the bottom, sifting and hunting over the sand. Feed meaty foods such as frozen bloodworm, small pieces of seafood and sinking foods.

It is mostly peaceful and social, but it is a predator toward anything small enough to swallow. Adults take small fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates, so keep it with fish too big to be food. It is amphidromous, with no established aquarium breeding record.

Good to know

Oligolepis acutipennis is a member of the family Oxudercidae, described by Valenciennes in 1837. It is also known as the acutipennis goby.

In the wild

In the wild, the sharptail goby works muddy estuaries, coastal bays, lagoons and the lower reaches of rivers across the Indo-Pacific. It lives over soft sand and mud, from South Africa east to Indonesia and the western Pacific.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The sharptail goby is a mostly 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 sharptail goby need?

A sharptail goby needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a sharptail goby need?

A sharptail goby is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.2.

What does a sharptail goby eat?

A sharptail goby eats meaty foods such as frozen bloodworm, small pieces of seafood and sinking foods. It is a predator and will take anything small enough to swallow.

How big does a sharptail goby get?

An adult sharptail goby reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How does a sharptail goby breed?

The sharptail goby is amphidromous, and there is no established record of it breeding in an aquarium.

Related species