Firefish Goby

1 Firefish Goby Overview

The Firefish Goby is as special as its name, with vivid color and a small cute body, adults 7–9 cm. Note it likes to jump, so cover the tank.

Chinese name: Firefish Goby

Binomial: Nemateleotris magnifica

Kingdom: Animalia

Family: Tigerfish family

Genus: Shrimp genus

Origin: Coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans

2 Appearance

Small and cute, adults 7–9 cm. Gentle with other fish but aggressive to its own kind. Also likes to school.

Small and cute, vivid; yellow snout, white front half, bright red rear half; second dorsal, anal and caudal outer edges deep red; first dorsal spine stands as a filament like radar. Short head, big mouth; white front, red rear; first ray a tall filament like radar.

3 Habitat

In the wild it hovers in pairs about two feet above the bottom and is social; not hard to keep, but keeping its special color takes effort.

It likes to jump, so cover the tank. With halogen lights no cover needed but keep a 20 cm rim. Gentle with others except its own kind; a paired firefish won’t fight. Likes medium light, several hiding spots and a coral tank with medium flow.

4 Feeding

Gentle with others except its own kind; a paired firefish won’t fight. Distinctive and popular; how to feed healthily?

Feed chopped crustaceans, live or frozen fish and shrimp. Always cover the tank; with halogen lights no cover needed but keep a 20 cm rim.