Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna Driessingeri)
Did you know? The flaming prawn goby was first scientifically described in 1978. It’s the type species for its genus, Discordipinna.
Description
Discordipinna griessingeri is a small, brightly colored, marine neritic fish in the family Gobiidae that is commonly called the spike fin goby or flaming prawn goby. Occasionally it is mislabeled as "Stonogobiops griessingeri" which is a binomial species name that does not formally exist. It is also occasionally collected and traded as an exotic aquarium fish in multiple countries.
Status: Generally considered a common species, but population details might vary depending on location.
Discordipinna griessingeri is mostly white in the body, with orange stripes down the body and length of the dorsal fin, and dark spots on the face. Additionally, they have a large protruding dorsal fin just behind the head that characterizes them. The pectoral fin rays are also elongated. The body of spikefin gobies are completely scaled, with ctenoid scales on the posterior and cycloid scales on the anterior. It is between 10 and 22 mm (0.5-0.75 in) in standard length as an adult. Sexual dimorphism, if any, within the species is currently unknown.
Distribution and habitat
The spikefin goby is found throughout the western Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. It is a benthic fish that inhabits crevices and pockets in coral reefs between 2 and 50 meters in depth along the reef rock, rubble, and sand. It is reclusive and is not associated with burrows or prawns.
Did you know? Some gobies, like the popular yellow watchman goby, form symbiotic relationships with (pistol) shrimp. The goby functions as a guard, while the shrimp maintains their shared burrow. Interestingly, although it’s commonly referred to as a “prawn goby”, Discodipinna griessingeri isn’t among these species. It hasn’t been observed living alongside shrimp or in burrows.
Flaming Prawn Goby Aquarium
The flaming prawn goby has been steadily gaining popularity in the reef aquarium hobby thanks to its small size and relatively inactive nature, which make it a good choice for nano and pico tanks.
Like other small goby species, this one will appreciate the presence of plenty of caves and crevices to hide in. Since it’s a bottom dweller, it prefers a soft and sandy substrate. The aquarium should be well-established, with stable water values and regular water changes being performed.If you’d like to keep a flaming prawn goby, it’s important to remember that despite its bright colors, you may not see it much. Couple this with their hefty price tag (it’s gone down a bit in recent years, but some places still sell them for $100+) and it’s not difficult to understand why some aquarists think they’re not worth it.
Don’t forget to use a tight-fitting lid on your aquarium either, because like many other fish species, this one can jump when startled. They can unfortunately fit through surprisingly small openings.
Flaming Prawn Goby Compatibility
Because flaming prawn gobies are absolutely tiny, it’s obviously not a good idea to keep them with large and boisterous fish species. Instead, combine yours with small and peaceful tankmates like ocellaris clownfish, firefish gobies, marine shrimp, snails, and the like.
Although gobies like this species are often kept alone, it’s often recommended to get more than one flaming prawn goby. The larger the group, the more they interact, meaning you’ll see them out in the open more often.
If you keep multiple, each flaming prawn goby will establish its own little territory. They appear to use their large fins to communicate with their congeners.
Flaming Prawn Goby Diet
Flaming prawn gobies are small carnivores and scavengers. In the aquarium, you’ll likely rarely actually see yours eating. This being said, they also rarely appear to starve, so it appears they usually have their food while you’re looking the other way!
If your tank has plenty of copepods and amphipods, these gobies will probably have little trouble finding their daily meals. Still, you may want to supplement their diet with small foods like copepods, fine reef foods and baby brine shrimp. After all, feeding time is likely one of your only opportunities to spot your goby.
.jpeg)
0 Comments