[Ebook] 500 freshwater aquarium fish – Miscellaneous Fish – Emerald River Goby (Stiphodon elegans)

The Emerald River Goby is one of the more recent species of goby to appear in the hobby. The lightish-colored body has a few irregular dark bands extending from snout to tail, but fully mature males develop the shiny emerald coloration indicated by the species’ common name.

Synonym

• Stiphodon omatus elegan

Family

• Gobiidae

Subfamily

• Sicydiinae

Distribution

• Southeast Asia.

Size

• Around 1 3/4in (4.5cm).

Behavior

• Active but peaceful.

Diet

• Livefoods preferred but other diets, including algae, accepted.

Aquarium

• Well filtered, planted, with fine-grained substratum, some pebbles, and a water current (e.g. as produced by a powerhead outlet). Neutral, medium-hard water preferred, but some deviation (though not extreme) tolerated. Temperature range: 75-81 F (24-27 C).

Breeding

• Challenging but achievable in aquaria. However, no documented accounts currently available.