Description:
The Starry goby is found from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf to Hawaii and the Line Islands, north to Japan and south to Lord Howe Island, as well as Western Australia and New South Wales. These little members of the Gobiidae family are absolutely beautiful. The juveniles of this species appear white with dark splotches. They are speckled with small, iridescent blue dots. The mature gobies will be a dark, mottled color which make those iridescent dots look even more incredible - like a starry night. A Starry goby can reach up to 1.5 inches in length and requires an aquarium of at least 10 gallons with a soft, fine substrate to burrow in.
Diet:
Starry gobies are carnivorous. They will swim or hover in the water current waiting for food to float by. They will accept pellet or flake foods sometimes, but for good nutrition, they need small meaty meals like Mysis shrimp, phytoplankton, copepods, and/or prepared or frozen offerings of crustacean or fish flesh. It is strongly recommended that these fish be fed twice per day as they are not aggressive eaters and could get outcompeted for food by more aggressive fish.
Behavior:
As stated earlier, a Starry goby can reach up to 1.5 inches and requires an aquarium of at least 10 gallons. In addition to its striking coloration, the Starry Goby is also known to be a sweet-tempered fish with lots of personality. They will become territorial of their burrow and may be aggressive with other gobies. The best bet for keeping multiples is to keep a pair if they are a mated pair. When you first add a new firefish goby to your tank, expect it to hide out for a few days. When startled, a Starry goby will dart to a safe place and hide until the coast is clear. This safe place could be a small cave or a tight area behind something - coral, a heater, etc. It’s a good idea to make sure your tank has some rockwork so your Starry goby has a few options for places to hide. They will make a little burrow in the sand to sleep in and will share the burrow with their mate if they have one. If you intend to keep fish - especially a goby, a netted lid is recommended.