How to Care for Orange Spotted Goby

written by Dave Burr

Behavior: The Orange Spotted Goby makes an excellent "Nano Fish" and does well in any peaceful reef aquarium. It will pair with the nearly blind pistol shrimp. This unique symbiotic relationship is quite interesting to observe. The goby serves as lookout while the nearly blind shrimp keeps their burrow dug out and tidy. They will get along well with other shrimp gobies. This goby is best added before larger more aggressive gobies.

Keep a lid on your aquarium because the Orange Spotted Goby is likely to try to jump out.

Feeding: Offer the Orange Spotted Goby a mixed diet of mysis shrimp and finely chopped meaty foods 1-2 times per day. Soaking all fish food with vitamins will help keep your fish healthier and make them less susceptible to disease. We recommend soaking food in garlic as well when adding new fish and whenever your notice ich or other disease in the aquarium. Garlic will help repel external parasites and will boost the fishes immunity.

Feeding Tips: Remember to feed slowly. Leftover food will cause nitrates and phosphates to rise. If you see food falling to the sand bed and into the rocks, you should feed slower and give the fish a chance to eat before adding a little more. Using a turkey baster allows you to target food to different fish. For example you can feed the aggressive fish on one side of the tank and then squirt a little bit on the other side for the less aggressive fish. This way all the fish get a chance to eat enough.

Maximum Length: 3.5"
Care Level: Easy
Family: Gobiidae
Reef Compatibility: Excellent
Minimum Aquarium Size: 20 gal.
Range: Indo Pacific
Diet: Carnivore
Water Conditions: 75-80° F; sg 1.024-1.026 (1.025 is ideal); pH 8.1-8.4 Ca 420-440 ppm, Alk 8-9.5 dKH, Mg 1260-1350, Nitrates <10ppm, Phosphates, < .10ppm

Water Chemistry: Maintaining Ammonia at 0 ppm, Nitrites at 0 ppm, and Nitrates below 10ppm will help to keep your Orange Spotted Goby happy and healthy. We recommend doing a water change soon after Nitrates rise above 10 ppm. Maintaining proper calcium (420-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9.5 dkh - run it 7-8 if you are carbon dosing), and magnesium levels (1260-1350 ppm) will help to keep pH stable in the 8.1-8.4 range. We recommend a specific gravity of 1.024-1.026 with 1.025 being ideal for fish. Temperature should remain stable as well and should stay within a 2 degree range.

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