Red Tailed Goby (Sicyopterus lagocephalus)

For home aquarists looking for a freshwater Goby option, the Red Tailed Goby Sicyopterus lagocephalus is a cucumber-shaped fish with winglike fins that comes in blue, black and white, and red coloring in the tail fin. As with most Gobies, they have long, thin bodies with fused pelvic fins that form a disc-shaped sucker. This appendage is used to adhere to rocks, corals, and tank walls in the home aquarium. For this reason, a tight-fitting lid or canopy is recommended to prevent escape. LiveAquaria® Red Tailed Gobies come from Indonesia.

In nature, Red Tailed Gobies makes their home in clear rainforest streams with rocky bottoms. Gobies can be either freshwater or marine, but the Red Tailed Goby is suited for freshwater aquariums that are at least 15 gallons in size.

Omnivores, Red Tailed Gobies do perform beneficial foraging services, but supplement their diet with foods that sink to the bottom of the aquarium such as a high-quality flake food, sinking carnivore pellets and sinking algae wafers.

Male Red Tailed Gobies can grow up to 5” and females are 4 ¼” at maturity. A member of the Gobiidae family, they can be a great addition to your community tank with other small fish that are peaceful in nature and have similar tank and water requirements.

Approximate purchase size: Small: 1/2" to 1-1/2"; Medium: 1-1/2" to 3"; Large: 3" or Larger

Care details

• Temperature: 74 - 79° F
• dKH: 4 - 8
• Color: Black, Blue, Red and White
• Family: Oxudercidae
• Diet: Omnivore