Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: East Africa to Tuamotu Islands, north to Southern Japan, and south to Sydney, Australia, and Lord Howe Island.
Size: 7 inches (17 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits sandy bottom areas on coastal reef slopes and inner reef areas and usually found at depths between 10 - 85 feet (3 - 25 m) where it lives in burrows and feeds by sifting mouthfuls of sand to capture small invertebrates and organic matter.
General Husbandry: Common in the trade, and having a pale grey body with yellowish head, and a curved bluish bar from below the eye to the gill plate.
Best maintained in well-established fish-only or reef aquariums wide-open fine-grained (1 - 2 mm) sandy areas along with some small rubble. These fishes are burrow dwellers, and will normally seek protection under low overhanging rocks or actually burrow underneath rock to form a secure home.
Should not be housed with aggressive or fin-nipping fishes, such as groupers, dottybacks, triggerfishes or angelfishes.
They are a sand sifter, picking up large mouthfuls of sand and expelling it through the gill covers, sifting out anything edible.
As to diet, should be fed a diet of finely chopped fresh or frozen meaty foods, e.g., krill, marine fish flesh, mysis shrimp, shrimp, scallops, squid, clams and algae containing foods and be fed four times daily.
They also take a wide variety of flake foods. Small sinking enriched shrimp meal pellets are an excellent way of keeping them well fed.
If difficult to get feeding, try live adult fortified brine shrimp and black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus).
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Gobioidei
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Valenciennea
FYI: May jump out of uncovered aquariums.
Even though they mate for life in the wild, pairs can form in the closed system. Should be maintained in pairs if at all possible.
Some seem to waste away no matter how well fed, which could be a sign of intestinal worms.
Can be very secretive when first introduced into the aquarium.
Experience Level: Beginner
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 - 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5