Spikefin goby
Discordipinna griessingeri
Spikefin gobies are distinguished by their vibrant, elongated dorsal fin and a body patterned with shades of brown and cream, often with dark spots.
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About the Spikefin goby
This is that tiny little reef goby with the crazy tall first dorsal spines and orange striping that makes it look like a living piece of candy. It spends a lot of time tucked into coral rubble and little crevices, then darts out to grab food, so giving it real hiding spots is the whole game. Also, it gets mixed up in the trade with the wrong name sometimes, so its worth double-checking the label before you buy.
Also known as
Quick Facts
Size
3 cm (SL)
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Intermediate
Min Tank Size
10 gallons
Lifespan
2-4 years
Origin
Indo-Pacific
Diet
Carnivore - tiny meaty foods like copepods, mysis, brine shrimp, and other small frozen/live foods
Water Parameters
23-28°C
8.1-8.4
8-12 dGH
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Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Give it a mature nano reef with lots of rock rubble and a couple of tight caves - they like to perch and duck into cover fast, and they spook easily in bare tanks.
- Keep salinity stable around 1.020-1.025 and temp about 72-78F; they can become reclusive when stressed by swings (especially after handling or water changes).
- Flow should be moderate with a few calmer pockets near the bottom so it can hover and pick at food without getting blasted.
- Feeding: small meaty stuff works best - live or frozen copepods, baby mysis, enriched brine, and chopped mysis; target feed with a pipette so it does not lose out to faster fish.
- Skip boisterous tankmates like damsels, big wrasses, and hungry dottybacks - they outcompete or harass it; peaceful gobies, small cardinals, and calm shrimp are usually fine.
- Cover the tank - these can jump when startled, especially during acclimation or if you do maintenance with the lights on.
- If it stops eating, check for bullying and check that pods exist in the tank; they can be picky at first, so a refugium or pod additions can save the day.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Other tiny, chill sand-sitters like Yasha gobies or small shrimp gobies (give them their own little patch of sand and a few bolt-holes so nobody feels crowded)
- Firefish (Nemateleotris) - peaceful, keeps to the water column, and usually ignores the goby as long as the tank is calm and you have a lid
- Only with very peaceful, non-competitive fish; avoid aggressive or boisterous species that may outcompete or stress it
- Peaceful, non-aggressive fish that won't outcompete it for food
- Peaceful clowns in a normal mood (ocellaris or percula) - fine in a community tank if they are not hosting right next to the goby's hideout
- Blennies that are more perch-and-peck than brawl, like a tailspot blenny - just make sure there are multiple perches and caves
Avoid
- Dottybacks (especially royal or neon) - they can be little terrors in rockwork and will absolutely bully a shy micro-goby into never coming out
- Hawkfish - even if they look chill, they are ambush hunters and small gobies are exactly the kind of snack they size up
- Big, bossy wrasses or any 'picker' that likes to investigate everything (sixline can go either way, but a lot of them turn into tank cops and pester shy gobies)
- Aggressive clowns or territorial fish that claim the bottom (maroons, clarkii types, or any pair that is defending a nest right on the sand) - the spikefin loses that argument every time
Where they come from
Spikefin gobies (Discordipinna griessingeri) are tiny, flashy little sand-gobies from the Indo-Pacific. You usually find them in shallow lagoons and reef flats where there's fine sand, scattered rubble, and small holes to duck into. In the tank they act the same way: hang low, perch, hop, and vanish the second they feel exposed.
Setting up their tank
Think small fish, big need for "micro habitat." You can keep one in a nano, but it has to be mature and stable, with real hiding spots and gentle flow along the bottom. These guys do best once your tank has some life in it - pods, worms, film algae, the normal reef "grime" that builds up over time.
- Tank size: 10+ gallons can work for a single fish, 20+ is more comfortable and forgiving
- Substrate: fine sand is your friend (they perch and scoot along it)
- Rockwork: lots of little caves and overhangs, plus a few rubble piles
- Flow: moderate overall, but give them calmer zones at the bottom
- Lighting: whatever your reef runs - they do not need special lighting, they need cover
Cover the tank. Spikefins can and will jump, especially the first week or two and anytime they get spooked. A tight lid or mesh top saves you heartbreak.
I also like to add a few small bits of shell, coral rubble, or little "chambers" between rocks where they can claim a spot. They are bold once they have a home base, but they sulk and hide if the tank is too open.
What to feed them
Feeding is the main reason I call them intermediate. Some individuals eat frozen right away, some act like frozen food is invisible. The ones that struggle usually do not starve overnight, but they can slowly fade if you do not get consistent food into them.
- Best starters: live baby brine shrimp (enriched if you can), live copepods, live blackworms (if you have a safe saltwater source/setup)
- Frozen they often accept: mysis (small), calanus, finely chopped brine, roe, small "reef plankton" blends
- Prepared foods: sometimes tiny pellets, but I would not rely on them at first
Target feed near the bottom. I use a pipette and gently "dust" food into their perching area. If you just broadcast into the water column, faster fish will intercept everything.
New spikefins do better with multiple small feedings. Early on I aim for 2-3 light feedings a day, then back off once I see a nice rounded belly and regular hunting behavior. If your tank is full of aggressive eaters, you will be fighting an uphill battle.
How they behave and who they get along with
They are peaceful, a little shy, and very "bottom focused." Most of the time you will see them perched like a tiny hawk, then doing quick little hops between spots. They are not a sand-sifter and they do not bulldoze the scape, which is nice.
- Good tankmates: small, calm fish (firefish, small assessors, tiny cardinals), gentle gobies, small blennies that are not pushy, reef-safe inverts
- Use caution with: dottybacks, bigger wrasses, hawkfish, bigger clowns, damsels, or anything that "owns" the bottom
- Avoid: predators and fast, competitive feeders that keep them pinned in hiding
They are often fine with ornamental shrimp, but a hungry shrimp can steal food right out from under them. If you keep cleaner shrimp or peppermint shrimp, target feeding becomes even more helpful.
Conspecific aggression can happen in small tanks. A bonded pair can work, but two random spikefins in a tight space is a coin flip. If you try a pair, give them lots of structure and watch closely at feeding time.
Breeding tips
They can spawn in captivity, usually in a little cave or under rubble. The hard part is raising the larvae, not getting them to lay eggs. If you ever see the pair hovering around a specific nook and the male posting up at the entrance, you might be close.
- Give them choices: several small caves and tight crevices near the sand
- Feed heavier (but not sloppy) to condition them: small meaty foods, frequent small meals
- If you want to raise babies: you will need a larval setup and tiny live foods (rotifers and appropriate phyto/copepod cultures)
Most hobbyists lose the larvae in a normal reef tank to filtration and hungry mouths. If breeding is your goal, plan a dedicated larval system ahead of time.
Common problems to watch for
The big three with spikefins are starvation, jumping, and stress from tankmates. If you solve those, they are actually pretty hardy for such a small fish.
- Not eating: try live foods for a week, reduce competition, and feed right at their perch
- Getting outcompeted: move them to a quieter tank or use a feeding dome/target feeding
- Jumping: lid/mesh top, block tiny gaps around cables and plumbing
- Hiding nonstop: too much light and not enough cover, or a bully in the tank
- Skin/fin issues (marine ich/velvet): quarantine if you can, and do not add them to a "hot" tank with recent disease history
Rapid breathing, hanging in the open, and refusing food can go south fast with such a small fish. If something feels off, check ammonia, salinity swing, and temperature first, then look at aggression and disease.
If you are picking one out at the store, watch it eat if possible. I have had way better luck starting with a fish that already recognizes frozen or at least shows strong hunting behavior in the holding tank. It saves you weeks of stress.
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