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@dawi03 here you go!
How many of you have walked into an LFS and seen gobies of ever genus and size?
I bet all of you have. I have walked into my LFS and seen gobies from 5 inch long all the way to 0.25 inch long. Gobiidae has got to be in the top 5 most common beginner families, with Pomacentridae/Amphiprioninae being the most common. But why are they a good beginner fish? Simple, they’re peaceful, most don’t have a too difficult care, and most importantly they’re bright. Look at Nemateleotris, one of the best starting genera out there. No matter what species you get, wether it’s N. decora, N. magnifica or N. exquisita they’re all vibrant and highly personable. But also look at those grouchy faces on many of the sand dwellers!
Now, where do most gobies hang out in the wild?
Well let’s start with the most common ones. Such as:
- Cryptocentrus cinctus
- Cryptocentrus leptocephalus
- Stonogobiops yasha
- Stonogobiops nematodes
- Nemateleotris magnifica
- Nemateleotris decora
- Gobiodon citrinis
- Gobiodon acicularis
- Gobiodon atrangulatus
- Gobiodon okinawae
- Gobiodon histrio
- Elacatinus oceanops
- Elacatinus evelynae
That’s a list of the most common species in captivity. Now I will go through these guys and a few others that are mentioned rather often in this hobby such as the guys in; Koumansetta, Discordipinna, Signigobius, Valencienna ect. If you think one genus is needed in this thread then feel free to give some commonly kept species from that genus and some extra information!
Let’s get into it then!
First genus to get into:
Cryptocentrus.
This genus is known as the “Watchman” Gobies. They can get rather large and boisterous for a goby however they have some beautiful colours. The most commonly kept ones in this genus are, Cryptocentrus cinctus and Cryptocentrus leptocephalus. The Yellow Watchman Goby and The Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.
Cryptocentrus cinctus inhabits the Sandy areas of shallow lagoons and protected coastal bays. They are often found in burrows with alpheid shrimps, normally at depths between 10-15 meters. In captivity they show similar behaviours and inhabit the bottom of the tank. In many cases when paired with a pistol shrimp they live in a burrow in the sand bed. They’re found around the Philippines, Indonesia and the Western Pacific.
Cryptocentrus leptocephalus inhabits a rather similar environment however they’re instead found on the silty bottoms of coastal reefs and inner reef flats. These gobies also inhabit the coastal water including mangroves, large tidal pools. They prefer a sand and rubble substrate to reside in. This goby is found on the Western Pacific and are aggressive to similar species.
So this genus prefers to stay close to the sand and can be seen on a range of substrates from silty bottoms to pure sand flats.
Now the next genus,
Stonogobiops
This genus are known as the “Hi-Fin” or “Shrimp” gobies. These stay on the small side so are best for small nanos (20g or less). These also display some nice colours, with the most common ones being Stonigobiops yasha and Stonogobipps nematodes.
Stonogobiops yasha inhabits Sandy areas along the outer slopes of reefs where they are often found in burrows with Alpheus randalli at 15 to 40 meters. These are native to the Western Pacific and are a rather small species of “Shrimp” Goby.
Stonogobiops nematodes inhabits deep coastal slopes and sand flats usually over 10 meters deep. They can also sometimes be found inhabiting sand-rubble bottoms. These are found around the indo-pacific and are found in burrows with Alpheus randalli.
I will finish the rest tomorrow as right now I’m half asleep haha. Also only the yasha goby photo is mine so far - I have a few other photos but haven’t mentioned those specific gobies yet!
How many of you have walked into an LFS and seen gobies of ever genus and size?
I bet all of you have. I have walked into my LFS and seen gobies from 5 inch long all the way to 0.25 inch long. Gobiidae has got to be in the top 5 most common beginner families, with Pomacentridae/Amphiprioninae being the most common. But why are they a good beginner fish? Simple, they’re peaceful, most don’t have a too difficult care, and most importantly they’re bright. Look at Nemateleotris, one of the best starting genera out there. No matter what species you get, wether it’s N. decora, N. magnifica or N. exquisita they’re all vibrant and highly personable. But also look at those grouchy faces on many of the sand dwellers!
Now, where do most gobies hang out in the wild?
Well let’s start with the most common ones. Such as:
- Cryptocentrus cinctus
- Cryptocentrus leptocephalus
- Stonogobiops yasha
- Stonogobiops nematodes
- Nemateleotris magnifica
- Nemateleotris decora
- Gobiodon citrinis
- Gobiodon acicularis
- Gobiodon atrangulatus
- Gobiodon okinawae
- Gobiodon histrio
- Elacatinus oceanops
- Elacatinus evelynae
That’s a list of the most common species in captivity. Now I will go through these guys and a few others that are mentioned rather often in this hobby such as the guys in; Koumansetta, Discordipinna, Signigobius, Valencienna ect. If you think one genus is needed in this thread then feel free to give some commonly kept species from that genus and some extra information!
Let’s get into it then!
First genus to get into:
Cryptocentrus.
This genus is known as the “Watchman” Gobies. They can get rather large and boisterous for a goby however they have some beautiful colours. The most commonly kept ones in this genus are, Cryptocentrus cinctus and Cryptocentrus leptocephalus. The Yellow Watchman Goby and The Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.
Cryptocentrus cinctus inhabits the Sandy areas of shallow lagoons and protected coastal bays. They are often found in burrows with alpheid shrimps, normally at depths between 10-15 meters. In captivity they show similar behaviours and inhabit the bottom of the tank. In many cases when paired with a pistol shrimp they live in a burrow in the sand bed. They’re found around the Philippines, Indonesia and the Western Pacific.
Cryptocentrus leptocephalus inhabits a rather similar environment however they’re instead found on the silty bottoms of coastal reefs and inner reef flats. These gobies also inhabit the coastal water including mangroves, large tidal pools. They prefer a sand and rubble substrate to reside in. This goby is found on the Western Pacific and are aggressive to similar species.
So this genus prefers to stay close to the sand and can be seen on a range of substrates from silty bottoms to pure sand flats.
Now the next genus,
Stonogobiops
This genus are known as the “Hi-Fin” or “Shrimp” gobies. These stay on the small side so are best for small nanos (20g or less). These also display some nice colours, with the most common ones being Stonigobiops yasha and Stonogobipps nematodes.
Stonogobiops yasha inhabits Sandy areas along the outer slopes of reefs where they are often found in burrows with Alpheus randalli at 15 to 40 meters. These are native to the Western Pacific and are a rather small species of “Shrimp” Goby.
Stonogobiops nematodes inhabits deep coastal slopes and sand flats usually over 10 meters deep. They can also sometimes be found inhabiting sand-rubble bottoms. These are found around the indo-pacific and are found in burrows with Alpheus randalli.
I will finish the rest tomorrow as right now I’m half asleep haha. Also only the yasha goby photo is mine so far - I have a few other photos but haven’t mentioned those specific gobies yet!
thankyou!!
