All fish / Microdesmidae

Zebra Dartfish

Ptereleotris zebra

Also known as zebra goby, zebra dart goby, zebra barred dartfish, chinese zebra goby, zebra dartfish goby, bar goby, シマハタタテハゼ, 斑马凹尾塘鳢, 斑马鳚虾虎

A slim, pale greenish dartfish crossed by many thin pinkish-red vertical bars, with a blue-edged spot near the throat and long dorsal and anal fins. It hovers in the water column picking at plankton and suits peaceful reef tanks, where groups can be kept because it lives in loose shoals in the wild.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Group of 3 or more in a large tank, or a single fish

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods, finely chopped seafood and small marine pellets, fed two or three times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 6 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Line Islands, north to Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef

Breeding

Pairs spawn in burrows and the male guards the eggs, but the larvae are planktonic. Captive breeding is very rare, so almost all fish sold are wild caught.

Good to know

It is a skilled jumper, so a tightly fitting lid or mesh cover is essential, and it will hide or starve if kept with boisterous or aggressive tankmates. Do not confuse it with the zebra goby sold for cold water, Lythrypnus zebra, which needs quite different conditions.