Sharknose Goby

Size: 2”

Family: Gobiidae

Care Level: Easy

Lifespan: 2 years

Temperament: Peaceful

Range: Western Atlantic Ocean

Minimum aquarium size:  10 gallons

Diet: Carnivore

Reef Compatible:  Yes

Color: Black, Blue, Yellow

Water Conditions: Normal sea water

Special Requirements: None

Captive Bred Available: Yes

Where To Buy: Fragbox Corals

Overview

The Sharknose Goby is very similar in size, color and temperament to its more well known cousin, the Blue Neon Goby.  What sets this fish apart is the yellow striping that begins at its nose and continues down either side of its body below its blue stripe.

Care level

Sharknose Gobies are very easy to keep and will accept a wide variety of frozen and prepared foods.  Due to its varied natural diet, it is recommended that they be fed a variety of carnivore appropriate foods.

Size & Sex

The Sharknose Goby grows to a maximum of 2 inches, making it a great choice for smaller nano aquariums.  It is very difficult to tell the sexes apart, although some reefers claim that males have more vivid coloration.  However, this is unproven.

Family

The goby family consists of over 2000 species of fish.  The majority are found in marine environments but some are native to brackish or freshwater regions.

Diet

In the wild, most of the diet of Sharknose Gobies consists of parasites and dead skin plucked off of larger fish.  Since this diet is very difficult to replicate in a home aquarium they should be fed a variety of carnivore appropriate foods, such as high quality pellets and fresh or frozen mysis or brine shrimp.

Reef Compatible

The Sharknose Goby is 100% reef safe and will not bother any corals or invertebrates.

Aggression

The Sharknose Goby is known to be a very peaceful fish and is very unlikely to bother any other tank inhabitants.  They may, however, behave aggressively towards other members of the same species unless they are a mated pair.

Water conditions

The Sharknose Goby does not require special water conditions to survive and thrive. Normal salinity of 1.025 is ideal.

Color

The Sharknose Goby has an elongated, black body that is accented by vivid yellow and blue striping and a lighter colored underside.

Breeding

Similar to the Blue Neon Goby, the Sharknose Goby will often lay eggs in captivity, although the fry are unlikely to survive without a specialized breeding setup.  However, there are numerous captive breeding programs and the vast majority of Sharknose Gobies available in the reefing hobby are captive bred.