Black-Lined Sleeper Goby Care Guide
Valenciennea helsdingenii is an Indo-West Pacific sand-sifting goby with two dark stripes; it is a relatively rare, monogamous mound-builder.
Overview
Valenciennea helsdingenii, the black-lined or twostripe sleeper goby, is a marine fish of the family Gobiidae described by Bleeker in 1858. It is a sand-sifting goby with a white body marked by two horizontal black lines and is regarded by FishBase as a relatively rare species.
Taxonomy
- Family: Gobiidae
- Genus: Valenciennea
- Scientific name: Valenciennea helsdingenii
- Authority: Bleeker, 1858
Habitat
The species ranges across the Indo-West Pacific, from the southern Red Sea and East Africa to Indonesia, north to southern Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef. It is reef-associated, found over silty flat sand patches and rubble substrates, often on outer reef drop-offs and occasionally in lagoons, at 1 to 45 m and usually 1 to 30 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- GH: 8-12 °dGH
- Maximum size: 25 cm TL (common 18 cm)
- Lifespan: 3-6 years
Diet
Valenciennea helsdingenii is a carnivore. It feeds by sifting mouthfuls of sand to extract small burrowing animals; a fine sand bed and feeding about twice daily support this behaviour in captivity.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful, bottom-dwelling goby found singly or in pairs. It suits reef tanks with calm tank mates such as clownfish, cardinalfish and wrasses, and should not be kept with predators.
Breeding
The species is monogamous. In aquaria, eggs hatched two days after spawning, and 35 days later the larvae reached 5.25 mm.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed 11 March 2015.