Storthynx Dwarfgoby

Eviota storthynx

Also known as Hairfin Nano Goby, Hairfin Goby, Rosy Eviota, Belly-Spotted Pygmy Goby

SaltwaterFish

Storthynx Dwarfgoby (Eviota storthynx) — Biota · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 5 gal (19 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Indo-West Pacific (Indonesia to southern Japan)
Family: Gobiidae

Overview

It is peaceful alone or in a small group, and a group shows more behavior as fish trade places at the best lookouts. Feed small pellets, Calanus, and baby brine shrimp in a few small portions a day. Nothing in the tank should be big enough to eat a fish under three centimeters.

In the wild

It lives on shallow inshore reefs with heavy algae cover, from Indonesia and the Philippines north to southern Japan. On the reef and in the tank it claims nooks and crannies in the rock, darting out for food and backing in again. Even a very small aquarium works when the scape offers a few tight hiding spots.

Good to know

Robert Rofen described it in 1959 from Sulu Province in the southern Philippines, originally in the genus Eviotops, which taxonomists later folded into Eviota. The sexes can be told apart, since dominant males develop a grayish head and four elongated dorsal fin rays, while females keep a deeper red gill patch and only two. It tops out around 2.5 centimeters.

Did you know

It is sold as the Hairfin Nano Goby for its elongated fin rays, though the formal name Hairfin Dwarfgoby belongs to a different species, Eviota prasites, so the scientific name is the safest handle here.