TankBud

Sixspot sleeper goby

Valenciennea sexguttata

Also known as Sleeper Blue-Dot Goby, Ladder Goby, Chalk Goby

SaltwaterFish

Sixspot sleeper goby (Valenciennea sexguttata)
Klaus Stiefel · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
40 gal
150 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Gobiidae
Origin
Indian Ocean and western Pacific lagoons and bays

Overview

The sixspot sleeper goby is a peaceful, sand-sifting goby for a large, mature reef tank. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The sixspot sleeper goby is named for six small, iridescent blue dots on its face. They sit below the eyes and across the cheeks, and they are easy to miss from a distance.

Caring for the sixspot sleeper goby

The sixspot sleeper goby needs a well-established tank of at least 40 gal (150 L). Lay a thick bed of fine sand so it has room to sift. It jumps, so plan on a tight-fitting lid.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It spends its day working through the sand for the tiny invertebrates it feeds on. It needs a mature sand bed to find enough food on its own. Add mysis, brine shrimp or other small meaty foods, especially in a newer system.

The sixspot sleeper goby is peaceful and reef safe, and it rarely interacts with fish outside its own kind. Pair it with calm tank mates that will not compete for food near the substrate. It will fight with others of its own species unless properly paired. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The sixspot sleeper goby is a member of the genus Valenciennea, in the family Gobiidae. Its pale blue face spots stand out against an otherwise plain, pale gray-white body. Like other Valenciennea, it pairs up with a single mate and shares a burrow.

In the wild

The sixspot sleeper goby lives in bays and lagoons of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific. It is found from about 3 to 25 meters deep, on silt or sand bottoms with rocks to burrow beneath.

Common questions

What size tank does a sixspot sleeper goby need?

A sixspot sleeper goby needs at least 40 gal (150 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a sixspot sleeper goby need?

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

What does a sixspot sleeper goby eat?

A sixspot sleeper goby sifts the sand for tiny invertebrates. Give it mysis, brine shrimp or other small meaty foods as well, especially in a newer tank.

How big does a sixspot sleeper goby get?

An adult sixspot sleeper goby reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

Related species