Biota Captive Bred Sleeper Banded Goby - Amblygobius phalaena

Amblygobius phalaena - We are excited to introduce a new aquacultured species - a working sand-sifter type goby called the Sleeper Banded Goby. It is also sometimes called the "dragon," "sphynx," or "bullet" goby. This is a pretty fish with a white body and dark vertical bands and iridescent eyes. This fish specie's claim to fame is that many hobbyists over decades have reported this fish helps to keep Cyanobacteria off the sand bed in the reef aquarium.

The Sleeper Banded Goby is peaceful, reef safe, and gets along great with other peaceful reef fish. Avoid keeping it with aggressive species or animals that are large enough to eat small fish. Like other gobies, these can easily jump out of an aquarium when chased or frightened, so a tight fitting lid is required. 

This type of goby doesn't always do well in captivity when wild caught, but our captive bred gobies feed on just about any fish foods offered that will fit in their mouths. At sale size, they are eating TDO B2 size pellets. As adults, we recommend a varied diet including Easy Reef DKI Pellets, Masstick, frozen PE Calanus, and Hikari Mysis.

As adults, these gobies do well singly in a smaller tank of 30+ gallons. Pairs may do well in large aquariums when added at the same time, but note that this species can be aggressive toward conspecifics and is not sexually dimorphic. At sale size the small gobies are currently about 2.5 cm. In larger aquariums, you may want to introduce them to your tank using a temporary acclimation box