Yellowline Sponge Goby

Elacatinus horsti

Also known as Yellowline Goby

SaltwaterFish

Yellowline Sponge Goby (Elacatinus horsti) — Biota · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Western Atlantic, Florida and the Bahamas to Curacao
Family: Gobiidae

Overview

Yellowline gobies are peaceful and reef safe, and captive-bred fish give up the sponge habit without complaint. In the aquarium they perch in the open on rockwork, interact readily with tankmates, and eat small pellets and frozen foods.

In the wild

Ranges from Florida and the Bahamas south to Curacao, where it always lives in association with tube sponges and other large sponges at about 7 to 27 m. Rather than running a cleaning station, it spends its day perched in and on its host sponge.

Good to know

Elacatinus horsti was described in 1922 and reaches about 5 cm, with a narrow yellow line running from the eye to the tail base over a dark body. In parts of its range the line is white instead of yellow, and the fish feeds heavily on the parasitic worms that infest its host sponges.

Did you know

This goby pays its rent. By eating the parasitic worms inside its host sponge it helps keep the sponge's pumping channels clear, so both animals come out ahead.

Tank mates

Yellowline Sponge Goby is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.