About Firefish Goby
Slender, white-and-orange with a tall first dorsal fin. Hovers in open water and dives to its burrow at the slightest scare.
Firefish are jumpers — a tight-fitting lid is non-negotiable. They are otherwise peaceful and beautifully behaved, hovering in mid-water current. Best kept singly or as a bonded pair acquired together.
Notes from the editors
What it looks like. Slender, elongated body in white-to-orange with a tall first dorsal fin that's almost flag-like. Hovers in open water, diving to a burrow when startled.
In your tank. Peaceful and beautifully behaved. Jumpy by reflex — a tight-fitting lid is absolutely required (firefish jump out at the slightest scare and don't survive long out of water).
Care notes. Best kept singly or as a bonded pair acquired together. Two unfamiliar specimens usually fight to the death in tanks under 75 gallons. Reef-safe and compatible with most peaceful tankmates.
Sourcing and feeding. Wild-collected from Indo-Pacific reefs; widely available and inexpensive ($25–50). Carnivore — small frozen and live foods.
Care info is a starting point, not a guarantee. Individual specimens, water chemistry, and tankmate dynamics vary. Verify against multiple sources and adjust to what you observe. See our terms & disclaimers.
Related fish
Sources & attribution
- Taxonomy and accepted name from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS AphiaID 219611).
- Description content adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: pakmat · CC BY-SA 2.0 (via iNaturalist or Wikimedia Commons).