Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to Samoa, north to Southern Japan, and south to the Great Barrier Reef.
Size: 8 inches (20 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits sandy bottom areas of coastal lagoons and seaward reefs and usually found at depths between 6 - 40 feet (2 - 12 m) where it lives in burrows and feeds by sifting mouthfuls of sand to capture small invertebrates and organic matter.
General Husbandry: Common in the trade, and having a pale grey body with lengthwise dash-like orange markings and small orange spots on the back and blue to whitish streaks or spots on the head.
Best maintained in well-established fish-only or reef aquariums wide-open fine-grained (1 - 2 mm) sandy areas along with some small rubble. These fishes are burrow dwellers, and will normally seek protection under low overhanging rocks or actually burrow underneath rock to form a secure home.
Should not be housed with aggressive or fin-nipping fishes, such as groupers, dottybacks, triggerfishes or angelfishes.
They are a sand sifter, picking up large mouthfuls of sand and expelling it through the gill covers, sifting out anything edible.
As to diet, should be fed a diet of finely chopped fresh or frozen meaty foods, e.g., krill, marine fish flesh, mysis shrimp, shrimp, scallops, squid, clams and algae containing foods and be fed four times daily.
They also take a wide variety of flake foods. Small sinking enriched shrimp meal pellets are an excellent way of keeping them well fed.
If difficult to get feeding, try live adult fortified brine shrimp and black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus).
Taxonomy:
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Gobioidei
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Valenciennea
FYI: May jump out of uncovered aquariums.
Even though they mate for life in the wild, pairs can form in the closed system. Should be maintained in pairs if at all possible.
Some seem to waste away no matter how well fed, which could be a sign of intestinal worms.
Can be very secretive when first introduced into the aquarium.
Experience Level: Beginner
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Tankmates: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 - 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026
pH: 8.0 - 8.5
