About Orange-dashed Goby
Diamond goby — large, peaceful sand-sifter that constantly filters sand through its gills, exposing detritus for cleanup. Needs an established sand bed with sufficient microfauna or will slowly starve. Mature systems only.
Valenciennea puellaris, the Orange-spotted sleeper-goby, Orange-dashed goby, or Maiden goby, Diamond Watchman goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It inhabits lagoons and outer reefs where it occurs on sandy substrates with larger pieces of rubble to burrow under. It can reach a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) SL. It is a prevalent fish in the aquarium hobby. Its main diet is composed of zoo plankton and dead fish or invertebrates.
Notes from the editors
What it looks like. Long, pale body with rows of small orange-red spots and a slight blue iridescence. Adult size ~5 inches — larger than most "sand-sifting" gobies.
In your tank. Constantly filters mouthfuls of sand through its gills, exposing detritus and oxygenating the substrate. Beautiful sand-bed-cleaning behavior in established tanks; will slowly starve in newer tanks without sufficient microfauna.
Care notes. Mature systems only — needs an established sand bed (2+ inches) with thriving microfauna. Peaceful and reef-safe. Pairs work in 75+ gallon systems.
Sourcing and feeding. Wild-collected from Indo-Pacific reefs; widely available ($30–60). Carnivore/sand-sifter — supplemental frozen mysis, brine, copepods is helpful but not sufficient alone.
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 219595).
- Description content adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: (c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (via iNaturalist or Wikimedia Commons).