All fish / Gobiidae

Banded Goby

Amblygobius phalaena

Also known as banded sleeper goby, brownbarred goby, white-barred goby, dragon goby, sand goby, banded mud goby, green banded goby, yes, サラサハゼ, 尾斑钝虾虎鱼, 长身钝虾虎鱼

A slim greenish to brown goby with pale vertical bars, blue-edged spots on the head and a dark spot at the base of the tail. Aquarists keep it because it constantly sifts the sand bed, helping to turn over the substrate and keep diatoms and detritus down.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Omnivore: sifts sand for small invertebrates and algae; offer mysis, brine shrimp, finely chopped seafood and quality frozen or sinking foods several times daily

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa and the Red Sea to Samoa, north to Japan and south to Australia

Breeding

Pairs dig a burrow under rocks where the female lays eggs that the male guards until they hatch. Eggs have been laid in home aquariums, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

It needs a deep, mature sand bed with plenty of live food in it, or it can slowly starve, and its sifting can bury corals placed on the sand. It may jump, so keep a tight lid, and it tends to fight with other sand-sifting gobies.