Sharknose Goby - Elacatinus evelynae - Captive Bred

The Sharknose Goby (Elacatinus evelynae, formerly Gobiosoma evelynae) is one of the more popular "cleaner gobies". The appearance of these gobies varies, but they are usually black with a pale belly and long horizontal stripes of yellow, pale blue, or a combination of the two.

"Cleaner gobies" come mostly from the Gobiosoma genus but are also found in Elacatinus and a few others as fish are reclassified and new genuses are formed or assigned. Most fish from these groups clean parasites and dead scales off of larger fish, leading to their common name, but all can live without a "host" and will feed on a variety of foods in the aquarium. They are best kept in smaller reef tanks where they can be easily fed and enjoyed. Their diet should consist of meaty items like Cyclops, baby brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and similar items.

While predators generally leave known "cleaner" fish alone in exchange for their services, always add larger fish well after these tiny gobies are established in the aquarium and monitor carefully. Predators may still eat smaller fish and inverts, "cleaner" or not. Not all of these gobies are "cleaner" fish and may not help keep parasites from other fish in the aquarium. Gobies from the same species may show aggression towards each other but are generally peaceful towards other fish of a similar size and temperament.