The Masked Goby happens to be one of those underrated marine fish from our native waters (it’s found throughout the tropical western Atlantic). It lacks the bold colors of even something as commonplace as the Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops) so it’s not very high on anyone’s lists for aquarium candidates, and by the same token, a lot of people probably don’t even know this fish exists.
“Todd [Gardner] raised them in the late 90’s at C-Quest. Bloomed tanks with ciliates and hoped for the best. His articles are still online…” wrote ORA President Dustin Dorton as we discussed their latest captive-bred offering, the Masked Goby, Coryphopterus personatus. It’s quite possible that no one has really worked with this species since C-Quest’s success almost two decades prior.
This is one of those darling nano fishes that more people should keep, particularly given this species free swimming, out-and-about nature and the very interesting side-note that it happens to forms schools in the wild. That’s right, a one inch goby that stays out and forms schools. This species is protogynous to boot, which means they’re born as females and can turn into males over time. Want a pair? Simply buy two young ones. Want a school? Just buy more.
Nevermind that this species is now also available commercially as a captive-bred fish from ORA.
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