All fish / Gobiidae

Sixspot Goby

Valenciennea sexguttata

Also known as six spot goby, sixspot sleeper goby, six-spot sleeper goby, blue-spotted sleeper goby, blue dot sleeper goby, ladder goby, sand sifting goby, sleeper goby, サザナミハゼ, 六斑凡塔氏虾虎鱼, 六斑范氏塘鳢

A slim, pale grey to whitish goby with a few bright blue spots on the cheeks and a dark tip to the first dorsal fin. It is kept mainly for its habit of sifting mouthfuls of sand through its gills, which keeps the substrate surface turned over and clean.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

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

Carnivore: sifts sand for small invertebrates; offer frozen mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood and sinking pellets several times a day

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

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

Breeding

Pairs dig burrows under rocks where the female lays eggs that the male guards. Spawning happens occasionally in captivity, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae is very difficult.

Good to know

Needs a deep, mature sand bed with plenty of live food in it, or it can slowly starve; it may also bury corals placed on the sand and will jump from uncovered tanks.