ORA Neon Goby - Captive Bred

How to Care for Neon Goby

Neon Gobies are found in Florida and the Caribbean Sea, and are one of the most recognizable and popular saltwater aquarium fish. It is well documented that this fish is a cleaner species that picks parasites and other debris from the mouth, gills and skin of larger fish. ORA frequently provides Neon Gobies in large quantities to public aquariums for disease control in their displays.  They are small fish, reaching about 2 inches in length.

Neon gobies are easy to keep in aquariums, and are especially well suited to reef tanks. They will eat small bits of frozen and dry aquarium foods although in nature they are almost exclusively parasite pickers. Normally, they are not bothered by larger fish because they are recognized as cleaners. They can fall victim to mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp and other ambush feeders sometimes present in the live rock of reef tanks.

Spawning of this species is well documented, and pairing and spawning are often observed in aquaria. This species can lay 500-800 eggs every 10 days, hatching in about 8-9 days. They spend about 25-28 days as larva until metamorphosis.

Be sure to check out the Hybrid Cleaner Goby that is produced when this fish mates with a Yellowline Goby.

Feeding: Offer the Neon Goby a mixed diet of mysis shrimp and finely chopped meaty foods 4-6 times per week. 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: 2"
Care Level: Easy
Family: Gobiidae
Reef Compatibility: Excellent
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gal.
Range: Captive Bred ORA Farms
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 Percula Clownfish 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.