The neon goby, or Elacatinus oceanops, is known for its vibrant blue horizontal stripe against a black body and pale white underside. E. oceanops has translucent fins and grows to about 2 inches. They are mainly found on coral reefs in the western Atlantic around southern Florida, the Caribbean Sea, and northern Yucatan peninsula. They like to sit atop coral heads and in small crevices. Their main food source is ectoparasites on larger reef fish such as tangs, snapper, grouper, eels, etc. The larger fish hover above the reef while neon gobies pick external parasites off of the skin, gills, and mouth. This symbiotic cleaning service is provided by all members of the Elacatinus genus. They also feed on zooplankton and sometimes algae.
Neon gobies are extremely popular in aquaria and easily breed in captivity. Although no scientific literature describes them as such, breeders of neon gobies report them as being sequential hermaphrodites, like many species of Elacatinus. Neon gobies form monogamous pairs and spend much of their life with their partner. They can be territorial towards other individuals of the same species. They spawn from February to April, and males guard eggs until they hatch which usually takes about 6-8 days. After hatching, no parental care is provided, and the larval stage lasts 18-25 days.
References
https://azaquaculture.com/aquaculture-notes-elacatinus-oceanops-the-neon-goby/
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/3876
No comments:
Post a Comment