Red-spotted Goby

About

This compact stream goby from Taiwan and China, Rhinogobius rubromaculatus, is among the smaller members of its genus, topping out at barely an inch and a third even when fully grown. In the wild it occupies the upper reaches of river systems, where cool, well-oxygenated water tumbles over rocks and gravel. Conditions that tell you something useful about how to keep it happy in captivity. Like most gobies, it is a benthic fish, spending its time on and near the bottom rather than out in open water, and a tank with a natural substrate and some rocky cover will suit it well. The care level is considered beginner-friendly, which makes it a reasonable first foray into the world of small Asian gobies for anyone curious about the group. Its diminutive size does mean it needs appropriately small foods, and tankmates should be chosen with that in mind. Sourcing can be the real challenge with this one, since it does not appear in the hobby as frequently as some of its relatives. But for a keeper interested in small riverine fish from East Asia, it is a rewarding and undemanding little species worth seeking out.