All fish / Oxudercidae

Desert Goby

Chlamydogobius eremius

Also known as desert goby, australian desert goby, lake eyre goby, chlamydogobius, デザートゴビー, 沙漠虾虎鱼

A small, stocky goby with a mottled brown body; breeding males show a bright yellow-edged dorsal fin and blue tones on the fins and head. It comes from desert springs where conditions change a lot, so it copes with a wide range of temperatures and salt levels, making it a hardy and characterful choice for a species tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

10 to 32 °C

pH

7 to 8.5

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

One male with two or more females, or several in a larger tank with caves

Diet

Carnivore: small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp and daphnia, plus some sinking pellets and algae grazing

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Australia: Lake Eyre basin, mound springs and bore drains of northern South Australia

Breeding

Males claim a cave or pipe, show off to females, and guard the eggs stuck to the cave roof until they hatch in about a week or more. It breeds readily in captivity, and the fry will take newly hatched brine shrimp.

Good to know

Males fight over caves, so give each one a hiding spot of its own. Hard, alkaline water with a little added salt suits it best, and it should not be released into the wild outside its native range.