The Lagoon Goby (Cryptocentrus cyanotaenia) is a very difficult fish to find in pet stores. In fact, I only remember seeing him once here in Brazil. However, he is considered relatively easy to care and does well in small tanks.
Below, check out a complete Lagoon Goby care guide. Learn about water parameters, food and feeding, appearance, behavior, tank mates, reproduction and tank setup.
Lagoon Goby – Care Guide
Technical Details
Name: Lagoon Goby, Lagoon Shrimpgoby, Bluebanded Shrimp Goby;
Scientific Name: Cryptocentrus cyanotaenia (Bleeker, 1853);
Family: Gobiidae;
Species Origin: Pacific Ocean;
Length: Up to 4,7 inches (12 centimeters);
Life Span: Between 3 – 5 years;
Care Level: Easy;
Water Parameters
pH: 8.1 – 8.4;
Water Hardness: Between 8 – 12;
Temperature: Must be kept between 24 – 28°C;
Distribution / Habitat
The Lagoon Goby is a fish native to the Indo-Pacific, found from the Java and Indonesia Islands, and going to Papua New Guinea and Palau, in Micronesia.
In wild, the species inhabits protected coastal sandy areas, with depths that can vary between 1 and 12 meters. In these places, these fish live in the company of pistol shrimp, where they spend a good part of their time feeding on benthic invertebrates.
Appearance / Sexual Differences
The Lagoon Goby is a fish that comes in a huge colors variety, most of which have a white base body with brown bands ranging from light tan to chocolate. In addition, there are also other yellow bands around the mouth and body, with some thin, bright blue bands near the fish’s face.
Regarding sexual differences, males and females are visually identical. They also possess the ability to change sex to form pairs, although they don’t always do this!
Foods and Feeding
Carnivore. Feeding the Lagoon Goby isn’t the most difficult task, although you should provide good amounts of live and frozen food such as brine shrimp and bloodworms.
It’s interesting to note that this fish finds its food in the substrate. So, this means that he will spend a good part of his time digging in the sand in the tank in search of small invertebrates to feed on.
Temperament / Behavior
Generally speaking, the Lagoon Goby is a relatively peaceful fish and can do well in community tanks. However, it’s good to keep an eye on your tank mates, as they tend to have territorial behavior and can fight fish that want to invade their domains.
Tank Mates
If you’re looking for a bottom fish for a reef tank, the Lagoon Goby is an excellent option! It doesn’t usually bother any type of coral, although it can be a threat to small shrimp.
You can mix them with many others peaceful
fish and with have similar water requirements. Some good tank mates for the Lagoon Goby include, for example:
- Damselfish;
- Angelfish;
- Clownfish;
- Dottybacks;
- Blennies;
The Lagoon Goby has a symbiotic relationship with the famous Pistol Shrimp. Shrimp will dig a burrow under the sand for them to live in, made up of several tunnels, entrances and exits. So the Goby stands guard at one of these entrances and keeps an eye out for potential threats.
As the shrimp maintains the tunnel and searches for food, it keeps an eye on the Goby. If the Goby senses danger, it flicks its tail, signaling the shrimp to make a quick retreat. So the Goby can quickly follow the path if it’s something really threatening.
At night, or when a tunnel isn’t being used, the shrimp block it with shells and small stones.
Reproduction
The Lagoon Goby couples are able to share the same spaces. However, there aren’t reports of reproduction of these fish in tanks.
Tank Setup
The tank for the Lagoon Goby needs to be a minimum of 20 gallon (76 liters). It’s very important that there’s a good amount of substrate so that it can dig and look for food.
In addition, you should also take care to add a lot of live rocks and create caves and slits with them, as these fish love to create their own territories.
Gobies are excellent jumpers; when startled or threatened, they often jump out of the tank. So, don’t forget to add a tight-fitting lid to prevent potential leaks!
References
Myers, R.F., 1999. Micronesian reef fishes. A comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 216 p. (Ref. 34765);
Allen, G.R. (2015). “Descriptions of two new species of shrimpgobies (Gobiidae: Cryptocentrus and Tomiyamichthys) from Papua New Guinea” (PDF). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 16: 67–81.;
