The Diamond Goby (Valenciennea puellaris) is a saltwater fish that is quite easy to care. It spends most of its time scouring the substrate for copepods and other food sources. Although it’s a hardy fish, it still needs a stabilized tank with a good variety of food to stay healthy.
Below, check out a complete Diamond Goby care guide. Learn about water parameters, food and feeding, appearance, behavior, tank mates, reproduction and tank setup.
Diamond Goby – Care Guide
Technical Details
Name: Diamond Goby, Maiden Goby, Orange Spotted Goby, Diamond Sleeper Goby;
Scientific Name: Valenciennea puellaris (Tomiyama, 1956);
Family: Gobiidae;
Species Origin: Indo-Pacific;
Length: Up to 7,8 inches;
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 22 – 26°C;
Distribution / Habitat
Native to Indo-Pacific and Great Barrier Reef waters, the Diamond Goby spends most of its time in the bottom region sifting through the substrate in search of food. It inhabits areas with depths ranging between 2 and 30 meters.
In reef areas, these fish are often found in couples that are considered monogamous.
Appearance
The Diamond Goby is a typical bottom dweller, with an elongated body, flattened at the bottom and a large mouth that helps it perform its favorite activity: sifting through the substrate.
Furthermore, the fish of the species have a grayish body with yellowish or orange horizontal lines and dots.
The Diamond Goby usually reaches up to 7,8 inches (20 centimeters) in length and lives between 3 and 5 years under good care.
Foods and Feeding
In the wild, the Diamond Goby obtains his food by filtering the sand. Many copepods, detritus and tiny invertebrates can be found there. Unfortunately, our home tanks are too small and clean for him to be able to support himself on his filtering activities alone.
Getting the Diamond Goby to accept live food and ornamental fish preparations can be a difficult task, but it’s important to try. You can add brine shrimp, mysis, copepods and other protein foods. Also, it’s best to feed him small amounts 2-3 times a day.
Watch the fish feeding! Keep an eye on things to make sure the Diamond Goby is actually feeding. Other fish can get to the food long before it has a chance to reach it. If this is the case, add the food directly to the bottom of the tank and close to the fish to make it easier for them to feed.
Temperament / Behavior
The Diamond Goby is a semi-aggressive fish and spends most of its time hidden. In fact, you might not see him for quite some time, as in some cases, he might even cover up the entrance to your cave so you can’t find him.
An interesting feature about these fish is that they are excellent jumpers. Therefore, it’s very important to add a very tight lid to the tank to avoid possible accidents.
Tank Mates
In general, the Diamond Goby would rather hide than fight. It’s a territorial fish when sharing the tank with other gobies. However, you can still keep a couple without major problems.
In general, the Diamond Goby would rather hide than fight. It’s a territorial fish when sharing the tank with other gobies. However, you can still keep a couple without major problems.
In addition, the Diamond Goby has a symbiotic relationship with the Pistol Shrimp. These two species often form a mutually beneficial partnership, where the Goby acts as a lookout, warning the shrimp of potential predators, while the shrimp keep the burrow clean and provide protection.
The species can also live peacefully with other peaceful fish in reef tanks. The best tank mates for the Diamond Goby include, for example:
- Damselfish;
- Clownfish;
- Invertebrates;
- Angelfish;
- Wrasses;
Sexual Differences
The Diamond GOby changes gender whenever it needs to. In the wild, for example, this ability means that he will always be able to breed without having to find another goby of a specific sex, which can be a useful ability in sparsely populated areas.
Differentiating between male and female is a very difficult process, as they are capable of changing sex.
Reproduction
When it comes to spawning, the Diamond Goby female deposits her eggs inside her burrow, where the male will fertilize them. Then, the male watches over the eggs for a few days while he waits for them to hatch.
Once the fry are born, you will need to provide them with plenty of food and a planktonic diet. Plankton isn’t easy to obtain and it may be necessary to order a supply from specialist stores.
The planktonic diet should allow the fry to survive and grow. However, it may be necessary to remove them from the main tank to a nursery tank to prevent predation.
Tank Setup
The tank needs to be a minimum of 20 gallon (100 liters) for a single Diamond Goby. If you want to keep a couple, you will have to acquire a larger space.
Gobies are famous for jumping, so the tank should have a tight-fitting lid. Also, they prefer longer tanks than tall ones.
On reefs, the Diamond Goby spends most of its time sifting through the sand in search of food. Therefore, it’s very important that there’s at least between 7 and 10 centimeters of substrate so that it can create caves and areas where it will feel safe and protected. In addition, you should also add a lot of live rocks to create caves and slits.
The cleanliness of the water must be maintained and your filtration system must generate a strong enough current to replicate the conditions of the gobies’ natural habitat. You should perform partial water changes of up to 25% at least every two weeks.
References
Hoese, D.F. and H.K. Larson, 1994. Revision of the Indo-Pacific gobiid fish genus Valenciennea, with descriptions of seven new species. Indo-Pac. Fish. (23):71 p. (Ref. 8527);
Michael, S. W. (2001). Marine Fishes, 500+ Essential to Know Aquarium Species. T.F.H. Publications;
