These five marine fishes are all gobies from the Family Microdesmidae, and they make fantastic beginner fish for the new saltwater aquarist.

Of the eight families that currently make-up the suborder Gobioidei (aka gobies), the true gobies (Family Gobiidae) and the dartfishes and wormfishes (Family Microdesmidae) are the favorites in the saltwater aquarium hobby. This article will look at the sometimes brightly-colored, always interesting dartfishes, wormfishes and firefishes appropriate for the beginning marine aquarist.

Taxonomy

The Family Microdesmidae is broken down into two subfamilies, and the fishes discussed in this article all come from the subfamily Ptereleotrinae where you find the following two genera:

• Nemateleotris
• Ptereleotris

Firefishes

When people talk about firefish, they usually mean species from the genus Nemateleotris, which includes one of the stars of the saltwater aquarium hobby—N. magnifica.

Wormfishes

The fishes from the genus Ptereleotris, while perhaps not as initially as showy as the closely related species in the genus Nemateleotris, are beautiful and unique fishes that, owing to their shape, are sometimes called wormfishes.

General Care

All of the fishes discussed in this article need the following:

• A Sandbed
• A Tight Fitting Lid (they are jumpers)
• Plenty of Hiding Places

In addition, these fishes appreciate mild-mannered tankmates, especially if you want to ever see them. Most of these fishes also like a good strong current. They can (and probably should if possible) be kept in pairs or small shoals. Plan to leave about 20 gallons per individual. If you do introduce a small shoal, add them all at the same time. Feeding is rarely a problem with these guys, and they will readily accept most foods, although planktonic crustaceans (e.g. copepods) are probably their favorite foodstuff.

Five Great Gobies from the Family Microdesmidae

Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica)

Right up there with the Clownfish and Flame Angel is the Firefish (sometimes called the Fire Goby, the Magnificent Dartfish, or simply the Fire Dartfish) when it comes to poster children (errr…fishes) for the saltwater aquarium. This is a dazzling fish, hardy enough for the beginner, yet exotic-enough looking for the experienced collector (especially a mated pair!). To three and one half inches, this fish can be housed in a 30-gallon (even as small as a 24-gallon) aquarium. Plan to spend as little as $10 per fish, but add a zero if you want to purchase a mated pair.

Purple Firefish (Nemateleotris decora)

The Purple Firefish, sometimes called the Purple Dartfish, the Flame Firefish, or the Decorated Dartfish is almost identical to the Fire Fish described above—simply a different flavor (and usually more expensive--$20-$30 each). If you’re looking for something different, but still in the same family, try the:

Scissortail Dartfish (Ptereleotris evides)

This is a great looking fish that grows to around five and one half inches. Sometimes called the Scissortail Goby, it does in fact have a distinctive scissor-like tail. Plan to spend $10-$20 for each, and consider keeping a small group in a large tank (although a single individual will do fine in a 30-gallon aquarium).

Zebra Barred Dartfish (Ptereleotris zebra)

This fish, also known as the Zebra Dart Goby, the Bar Goby, the Barred Dartfish, and the Chinese Zebra Goby (among others), used to be somewhat rare in the hobby but is now commonly available. This is a great looking fish ($15-$25) that will grow to five inches, but needs a little more space than the previously described species (plan on nothing smaller than 45 gallons). A true favorite!

Blue Gudgeon Dartfish (Ptereleotris heteroptera)

Finally, there is the Blue Gudgeon Dartfish (also known as the Blue Gudgeon Goby, the Blacktail Goby and the Spot Tail Goby. Growing to five and one half inches ($15-$30), it has the same requirements in terms of space as the Zebra Barred Dartfish (described above).

There you have it! Five fantastic fish appropriate for the beginning aquarist. Whether you are looking for the splash of color from a firefish or the interesting behavior of a worm fish, you can’t really go wrong with one of these five. Choose Wisely!