Cleaning Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
Fish in the family Gobiidae. Moderate care. Reef Safe.
Quick facts
Appearance
Small, elongated goby with a distinctive bright blue horizontal stripe running along the side of the head and body, contrasting against a pale yellow or white body. The mouth is large relative to body size, an adaptation for its specialized cleaning behavior. Reaches approximately 1.8 inches in adult length.
Diet and feeding
In captivity, feed small meaty foods such as copepods, amphipods, mysis shrimp, and finely chopped preparations 2–3 times daily. The fish naturally grazes on parasites and biofilm from rocks and fish, but supplemental feeding is essential for long-term health in smaller systems.
Difficulty and care for the Cleaning Goby
Moderate - Cleaning Goby requires standard marine aquarium maintenance and intermediate fish keeping skills.
Common health issues
Parasitic infection (ich), starvation if live food unavailable, bacterial infection from poor water quality
Origin and habitat
Western Atlantic, from Florida through the Caribbean to the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles. Found in tropical reef environments at depths of 10-100 feet.
Log Cleaning Goby in your reef tank
Reef Trak gives you the full record on every species in your tank: acquisition date, source, photos, parameters at time of stocking, and links to maintenance and feeding events. Track Cleaning Goby alongside everything else in your reef.
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