Striped goby
Gobius vittatus
The Striped goby features a slender body with distinctive seven to nine vertical dark stripes and a pale yellow to olive-green coloration.
This page includes AI-generated images. Why am I seeing AI images?
About the Striped goby
A small Mediterranean goby that patrols pink coralline-algae bottoms and picks at tiny crustaceans and worms. It tops out around 2.3 inches and spends most of its time close to the substrate. Researchers have aged females to about 4 years, and there is even work suggesting it mimics a little blenny's look.
Also known as
Quick Facts
Size
5.8 cm SL
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Advanced
Min Tank Size
11 gallons
Lifespan
3-4 years
Origin
Mediterranean Sea
Diet
Omnivore - harpacticoid copepods and other small crustaceans, polychaetes, algae, sponges
Water Parameters
16-20°C
7.9-8.3
Need a heater for this species?
This species needs 16-20°C in a 11 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Run this temperate Mediterranean species at 16-20 C and keep pH around 7.9-8.3; it is not a tropical reef fish.
- One Striped goby fits in 11 gallons, but give it a broad bottom area with sand and coralline-covered rock or rubble to patrol and duck into.
- It is an omnivore that picks harpacticoid copepods and other tiny crustaceans, polychaetes, plus bits of algae and sponges; seed the tank with pods and offer suitably small live foods.
- It fares best in a mature, microfauna-rich system; newly set up tanks rarely provide enough to graze between feedings.
- Peaceful and substrate-oriented, it does best with small, non-predatory temperate tankmates that will not bully or outcompete it at the bottom.
- Aquascape for the bottom: scattered rubble, crevices, and low perches let it patrol and retreat, much like it does over pink coralline in the wild.
- This is an advanced-care goby because it relies heavily on tiny live prey and cool water stability; plan your setup around those needs before buying.
- Expect a lifespan around 3-4 years; females have been aged to about 4 years.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Small, peaceful temperate Mediterranean perchers like triplefins (Tripterygion spp.) that stay under ~7 cm and mostly use rock ledges instead of the sand
- Very small, mild-tempered temperate blennies kept singly, with separate caves so they do not contest the goby's bottom territory
- Temperate clean-up crew inverts the goby ignores: snails, limpets, chitons, and small-to-medium hermit crabs
- Adult temperate rockpool shrimp (e.g., Palaemon-type) in a larger, well-structured tank; adults are usually left alone, but larvae/very small juveniles may be eaten
Avoid
- Other bottom-territorial gobies or blennies in small tanks, which will compete for the same caves and feeding lanes
- Aggressive or predatory fishes that view a 2-3 inch goby as prey, such as big wrasses, scorpionfish, groupers, or basses
- Large crabs, mantis shrimp, or any invertebrate predator capable of pinning or grabbing a small benthic fish
- Tropical reef fish or inverts that need 23-27 C; the Striped goby is a cool-temperate species that thrives at 16-20 C
The striped goby (Gobius vittatus) is a small Mediterranean marine goby that spends its days patrolling coralline-encrusted rock close to the bottom. It tops out around 5.8 cm SL (about 2.3 inches), stays peaceful, and lives roughly 3-4 years; researchers have aged females to about 4. Its feeding style is all about picking tiny crustaceans and worms from hard surfaces, and there is even work suggesting it mimics the look of a little blenny.
Origin and natural habitat
Native to the Mediterranean Sea, this species is most often seen over pink coralline-algae bottoms and similar encrusted rock. It keeps tight to the substrate, moving in short patrols while it searches for small prey.
Aquarium setup and water conditions
Plan for a cool-water marine system and plenty of mature rockwork. A single striped goby can be housed in at least 11 US gallons, but the tank should have coralline-covered rock, crevices, and patches of rubble where microcrustaceans live.
- Temperature: 16-20 C
- pH: 7.9-8.3
- Marine salinity at stable, full-strength seawater levels
- Good biological maturity with visible surface life on the rock
This is a temperate marine fish. Most indoor aquariums run warmer than 20 C, so you will likely need a chiller to keep it within 16-20 C.
Care level is advanced mainly because the fish does best in cool water and relies heavily on natural microfauna associated with mature live rock. Stability and maturity matter more here than flashy equipment.
Diet and feeding
In the wild, Gobius vittatus is an omnivore that picks at harpacticoid copepods and other small crustaceans, polychaete worms, and also nibbles algae and sponges. In aquaria, it has the most success in a well-established tank that constantly produces those tiny foods.
- Seed the tank with harpacticoid copepods and allow coralline and film life to develop before adding the fish.
- A refugium or copepod cultures can help maintain a steady supply of microcrustaceans.
- Offer frequent small feedings of appropriately sized live foods (such as copepods) and very small frozen fare if accepted. Many individuals ignore dry foods.
Behaviour and tankmates
Striped gobies are peaceful and spend most of their time close to the substrate among coralline patches. They are not pushy feeders, so choose calm companions that will not outcompete them and that also tolerate 16-20 C.
- Avoid boisterous or aggressive bottom-feeders that work the same spaces.
- Do not house with larger predatory fish that may view a 2-inch goby as prey.
Common problems and how to avoid them
- Starvation in sterile or new tanks - add the fish only after the rock matures and microfauna are abundant.
- Overheating - temperatures above 20 C increase stress; use a chiller if your room runs warm.
- Food acceptance - some individuals take only tiny live items; plan your feeding around that rather than expecting a switch to pellets.
- Parameter swings - keep pH within 7.9-8.3 and maintain stable, full-strength seawater.
Lifespan is typically 3-4 years under good conditions, in line with field aging studies on females.
Similar Species
Other marine peaceful species you might be interested in.
Banggai Cardinalfish
Pterapogon kauderni
Banggai cardinals just sort of hover like little underwater satellites, and the bold black bars with those long, polka-dotted fins look unreal under reef lighting. They're super chill most of the time, but once a pair forms you'll see real "fish drama," and the male will even mouthbrood the babies like a champ.
Bicolored foxface
Siganus uspi
A Fiji native with a sharp two-tone look, the bicolored foxface is half deep brown and half yellow with a crisp line between. It spends the day grazing algae and can snap into a mottled camouflage when spooked; those tall dorsal spines are venomous, so other fish usually keep their distance.
Blackfin slatey
Diagramma melanacrum
A large sweetlips from Southeast Asian reefs with a pale silvery-yellow body sprinkled in dark spots and distinct black pelvic and anal fins. Juveniles linger in silty shallows, while adults rest in small groups on deeper reef walls by day and roam at night to pick off crabs, shrimp, and other invertebrates.
Blackspot razorfish
Iniistius dea
This is one of the coolest "knife-bodied" wrasses - it hangs over open sand and, when it gets spooked or wants to sleep, it literally torpedoes straight into the sand. Give it a deep, fine sand bed and it will act totally different (and way more natural) than a typical rock-hugging reef wrasse. Adults are usually shy and cruisy with tankmates, but they are not forgiving about rough handling or sketchy setups.
Blueband goby
Valenciennea strigata
This is that classic gold/yellow-headed sand-sifting goby with the little blue cheek stripe-always busy, always rearranging your sandbed. In a reef tank it'll spend the day taking mouthfuls of sand, filtering out tiny critters/foods, then "snowing" clean sand back out, and it'll usually claim a burrow area (often as a pair in the wild). It's super cool behavior-wise, but you really do need a mature tank with a proper sandbed and a lid because they can jump.
Bristletail Filefish (Aiptasia-Eating Filefish)
Acreichthys tomentosus
This little weirdo is one of my favorites because it's got that goofy filefish "face," a knack for wedging itself into rockwork, and a ton of personality once it settles in. People love them for the chance they'll snack on nuisance Aiptasia, but even when they're not on pest patrol they're just fun to watch cruise around and pick at stuff all day.
More to Explore
Discover more marine species.
Blackspotted snake eel
Quassiremus ascensionis
A tropical marine snake eel that buries in soft substrates (sand/mud/gravel) with only the head exposed to ambush prey. Recorded to 71 cm TL and occurs mainly in the western Atlantic (also Brazil) and at Ascension Island; typically found in shallow inshore habitats to ~12 m, including sand and seagrass (turtle grass) areas.
Blue blanquillo
Malacanthus latovittatus
A long, slim tilefish with a bold black side stripe and a blue head that fades down the body. It hovers high above the reef and darts back to a sand-rubble burrow, often living as a monogamous pair; in tanks it is fast, jump-prone, and will eat small crustaceans and tiny fish.
Blue Green Chromis (Green Chromis)
Chromis viridis
Blue Green Chromis are those shimmery little green-blue darts you'll see zipping around the top of a reef tank, always looking like they're catching the light just right. They're super fun in a group because they hover and cruise together, but they've got a bit of a "pecking order" thing going on if the tank's tight or the group's too small.
Blueline demoiselle
Chrysiptera caeruleolineata
A little reef damsel with a bright electric-blue line riding over a yellow body, it tends to live deeper on rubble slopes and hugs the bottom in small groups. In aquariums it prefers dimmer light, plenty of rock cover, and frequent small feedings of planktony foods; males guard eggs stuck to the substrate.
Bluespotted angelfish
Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus
A medium Pomacanthid from the Philippines, it has a dusky body dusted with tiny electric-blue spots and a yellow tail. In the wild it browses sponges and tunicates on deeper reefs, so it thrives only in mature tanks with lots of live rock and frequent feedings.
Bluespotted dottyback
Pseudochromis persicus
A striking dark-bodied dottyback covered in tiny blue spots from the Persian Gulf and nearby western Indian Ocean reefs. It grows larger than most dottybacks and throws a lot of attitude for its size, staking out caves and defending them hard. Best for roomy marine setups with robust tankmates and plenty of rockwork to break lines of sight.
Looking for other species?