You will definitely agree that firefish or firefish goby are beautiful seawater ornamental fish, right? The fish, which has another name Nemateleotris Magnifica, is sold in ornamental fish markets at firefish prices which are not that expensive.
Well, for those of you who are interested in keeping this firefish, it’s not wrong to read the forofaro article this time. We will discuss in depth about Firefish goby care, fact, and tankmate.
It belongs to a species that has a fairly strong physique, this non-aggressive species is very easy to survive on condition that you have to take care of it properly. Because of this strong physique, it is very appropriate to be maintained by beginner to experienced hobbyists.
Origins of the Name Firefish Goby
Firefish is indeed very beautiful to look at. It has striking red, orange, yellow and white colors all over its body, even when compared to other seawater ornamental fish. His body was like the color of fire which was finally chosen as his calling.
Facts about the Firefish Goby
- Scientific Name: Nemateleotris magnifica
- Common Names: Firefish goby, fire goby, fire dartfish, magnificent dartfish
- Size: from 2 to 3 inches
- Minimum size of aquarium: 29 gallons
- Aggressiveness level: low
- How to Care: Easy
- Most Active Time: during the day
- Lifespan: Can be up to 3 years
Native Habitat of Nemateleotris Magnifica Fish
You can find this firefish goby in the area of coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. Nemateleotris Magnifica lives at depths between 20 and 200 feet close to coral reefs in Hawaii and also in parts of Africa. The Firefish likes to swim against the current so that its prey swims towards it naturally because it swims with the currents of the sea rather than hunting like many other fish species.
Nemateleotris Magnifica is not currently endangered and prefers to live a solitary life once it reaches adulthood. Once the gobies have found a mate, they will live in pairs. Most often this fish is easy to find in sand burrows, especially if there are predators that will approach.
The way they communicate in the wild, the firefish goby uses the fins on its back to warn other friends that there is imminent danger. I’ve never seen one in its natural habitat, but it would be great fun to see it in a home aquarium.
How to Care for the Firefish Goby in the Aquarium
As for the problem of caring for the goby fish, this is fairly easy, when viewed from the standards of traditional coral reef aquariums. Because it is a small-bodied seawater ornamental fish, you don’t need to provide an aquarium that is too large. The right tank size for the firefish is around 29 gallons.
Be careful, Firefish like to jump out of the Aquarium
The firefish goby is renowned as a beautiful, peaceful, calm saltwater fish for community tanks when mixed with other species, but is often very aggressive when kept with other same or similar species.
According to fish hobbyists, it turns out that they are happier with aquariums with slow currents than with fast currents. So you have to think twice about keeping this goby in an aquarium with high currents.
The most important piece of advice is that you should equip a lid that fits over the top of the tank or a net around the edges because the average firefish is 3 years old, and most of them have a shorter lifespan because they have a habit of jumping out of the tank. Most likely he jumped out because he felt stressed because he felt threatened by other fish.
- In order to store Nemateleotris Magnifica safely, you must have a secure lid on the tank at all times.
- To keep the stress out, you need to provide lots of hiding places for the firefish goby.
- In the wild, the firefish goby loves to burrow in the sand. Try adding a sand substrate to your aquarium, making it deep enough for it to sink into the sand.
Depending on how you design and build your aquascape or decorate your saltwater aquarium, you can use a short section of PVC pipe as their hiding place.
Easy Goby Fish To Adapt
Dartfish or firefish are peaceful community fish species that generally get along well with other non-aggressive fish.
Be careful when you enter it at the end when the tank is established if your tank already has territory-defining fish. These calm darts can become victims of bullying and intimidation by other fish if they are added last to the tank.
That was my personal experience when I last added the firefish goby to the tank. I have a pair of Nemo fish or clown fish that have decided their territory in the aquarium.
They weren’t too pleased with the firefish, and the clownfish would continue to annoy the goby until I separated him. Actually goby fish can coexist well with other fish with fish that are not aggressive either.
Do Firefish Have Aggressive Traits?
No, the Firefish is not an aggressive fish. We have discussed above that this nickname was given to him because the red, orange, yellow and white colors look striking and bright, not because of a fiery temperament. They are a seawater fish species that are calm, strong, and easy to care for.
How many Firefish can be kept together in one Aquarium?
Firefish will be aggressive toward other fish from the same family, so it is best to keep only one Firefish per tank unless you have purchased a bonded pair or have the means to make a pair in your tank. But please be careful here as they are not easy to pair.
I do not recommend keeping more than one firefish in the tank unless you have plenty of time to pay close attention and separate the two if a fight arises. Several years ago I was unsuccessful in trying to mate this firefish. There’s a lot of aggression or territoriality there.
Although it is possible to pair them in the aquarium. While these fish may form pairs in groups of the opposite sex, they are usually territorial with each other. Its territorial characteristics become worse when placed in small tanks where fish cannot swim freely without touching each other.
Young firefish gobies will often be seen swimming in groups, but once they reach maturity they will usually get into fights. Some animals that fit together in a coral reef community with the goby are clownfish, shrimp, and other small gobies.
These fish can be a great asset if you have other types of non-aggressive fish in your tank. Firefish are labeled as ” dithers “, which means they help other fish come out of their shells. This type of fish will not eat plants or disturb the invertebrates in your tank.
The Perfect Tank-mate for the Firefish Goby
As we discussed before, it is a peaceful and calm fish, so it is best if you combine it with other fish that are not aggressive, such as the clown fish Amphiprion or pink skunk clownfish, engineer gobies, neon gobies, Banggai cardinalfish, mandarin fish or even Royal gramma, etc.
These are some good types of fish to keep with the less aggressive clownfish.
