Pinkbar Goby (Cryptocentrus leptocephalus)

The Pinkbar Goby (Cryptocentrus leptocephalus) displays an elegant pale grey body adorned with pink-red bars and blue-spotted fins. It forms a fascinating symbiotic partnership with Alpheid pistol shrimp, sharing a burrow excavated and maintained by the shrimp while the goby provides watchful predator lookout duties. Hardy and adaptable, it readily accepts prepared foods and does well for beginners. Requires a sandy substrate suitable for burrowing.

Minimum 100 L with open sandy substrate area for burrowing. Feed frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and carnivore pellets. Territorial with conspecifics; keep one specimen unless a mated pair. Pairs naturally with Alpheid pistol shrimp. pH 8.1–8.4, salinity 1.020–1.025, temperature 24–28°C. Reef-safe.