An
attractive and popular
member of a genus
of gobies readily
identified by their
lack of fused pelvis
fins. They are often
bought and sold
as "sand-sifters" or "sand
shifters" due
to their natural
feeding behaviour
consisting of taking
mouthfuls of
sand and "gargling" with
them in order to
extract edible items
contained therein.
The
sand is rejected
and the food consumed.
If
you like this species
and are prepared
to provide
for its relatively
large appetite
then it makes a superb
addition to the
live
rock based aquarium.
However, adding a
specimen or two
to a coral rich system
will often result
in problems such
as sand being deposited
on corals or emaciation
of the fish as
it
does not get sufficient
food.
