To many of us westerners, Japan is a magical place, full of legends, myths and tales that most of us have no knowledge of. For example, the epic Taketori Monogatari or “Tale of the Bamboo Woodcutter” is the story of a Moon Princess, sent to earth as a penance. She is named Kaguya Hime. The tale ends in sadness, and you can read it yourself if you like by just googling the title. In the world of aquarium enthusiasts, there is a gorgeous dartfish named Kaguya's Dartfish (Navigobius kaguya). Kaguya's dartfish has a line of circles along its gorgeous dorsal fin and, it could represent a moon phase chart (very, very loosely). As a result, and as a nod to Japan where this fish was originally found, this Dartfish got named for the princess in the story above.
While these fish aren't new to the deepwater divers of Japanese waters, they hadn't been described for science until 2017. Since that time, another population of them has also been found in the Philippines, though they are still among the rarest of Dartfish available to aquarists. They come from deepwater, the shallowest fish we know of was 137 feet deep, and we don't really know yet how much deeper they can actually go! They're usually found above sandy or silty areas, or areas with low reef and rubble cover.
Dartfish spend their day suspended in current, eating whatever comes along. As a result, they burn through a lot of energy and are always eating! This is likely the biggest challenge in keeping them, they are very shy to start with, which makes them hide during feedings, and they need to be fed often. We suggest feeding them at least three times a day, and more would be better. Luckily, they aren't that picky about what they eat, so you should be able to get food into them with some patience. Navigobius kaguya is a small fish, and they'll need small foods. Here we use Gamma foods, and like to feed them the Rotifers, Copepods, finely chopped Prawn and all the different infused Brine that Gamma offers. We're also introducing them to the sinking pellets from Nutramar, and getting them on food like this makes a huge difference in keeping them as these pellets have a broad nutritional spectrum, and are protein dense so you can feed a little less. It also allows aquarists to use an auto-feeder for some of the scheduled feedings. Click here to learn more
While these fish aren't new to the deepwater divers of Japanese waters, they hadn't been described for science until 2017. Since that time, another population of them has also been found in the Philippines, though they are still among the rarest of Dartfish available to aquarists. They come from deepwater, the shallowest fish we know of was 137 feet deep, and we don't really know yet how much deeper they can actually go! They're usually found above sandy or silty areas, or areas with low reef and rubble cover.
Dartfish spend their day suspended in current, eating whatever comes along. As a result, they burn through a lot of energy and are always eating! This is likely the biggest challenge in keeping them, they are very shy to start with, which makes them hide during feedings, and they need to be fed often. We suggest feeding them at least three times a day, and more would be better. Luckily, they aren't that picky about what they eat, so you should be able to get food into them with some patience. Navigobius kaguya is a small fish, and they'll need small foods. Here we use Gamma foods, and like to feed them the Rotifers, Copepods, finely chopped Prawn and all the different infused Brine that Gamma offers. We're also introducing them to the sinking pellets from Nutramar, and getting them on food like this makes a huge difference in keeping them as these pellets have a broad nutritional spectrum, and are protein dense so you can feed a little less. It also allows aquarists to use an auto-feeder for some of the scheduled feedings. Click here to learn more
