Common name/s: Spotted Goby, Striped Sleeper, Fat Sleeper Goby, Freshwater Goby.

Scientific name: Dormitator maculatus

Family: Eleotridae


Origin: America: North Carolina through to Central America and the West Indies. Found in brackish, fresh and salt water.

Maximum size: 10” maximum with a hefty bulk. Not a quick grower from 6” plus.

Care: Very hardy and adaptable. Water is a secondary consideration and they will do fine in harder water with a pH from 7-8, temperature from 20-27 ’C. They need a 75x30x30 tank as a minimum due to their inactivity. Generally, they are bottom orientated. They are nocturnal by habit, and will come out to feed when the light is off. They need a cave or sheltered area within which they can spend their time. They are very peaceful; I have kept mine with a number of fishes and it has done well with them all: young Keyhole cichlids small enough to eat have done fine, but a young Senegal bichir was eaten, so don’t keep them with small, thin fish. More robust cichlids work well, but not aggressive ones like Oscars or Jaguar cichlids, Severums and Chocolate cichlids make very good tank mates. They are probably best kept in brackish water, but mine is happy in freshwater. I also know someone who bred them in freshwater, so as you can see, they don’t really mind what they are kept in.

Feeding: Sinking pellets are your best choice. They eat a lot. In the wild they are primarily herbivores and eat algae (but they are not to be used entirely as algae eaters, some eat it others won’t), softer plants and fruits. If you want to keep plants with these, Java fern and Hornwort are your best bet. They also eat: Bananas, noodles, floating pellets, insect larvae, small shrimps, all frozen foods, large flakes and small chunks of fish.


Sexing: Males have prolonged back rays on their Second Dorsal fin and Anal fin. They occasionally have a fatty hump on their head, but this may be just in the breeding season. Their Genital papilla is long and thin. Males can also be territorial in the breeding season. Females are duller in colour, have a short and fat Genital papilla and have a large girth when ripe with eggs.

Breeding: Rare only because few people keep more than one. They are mature from 4” and spawn mainly in freshwater. A water change seems to trigger this. The male guards the eggs in a cave or another hidden location. After 11-15 hours, the fry hatch from the tiny eggs (0.29mm diameter). Other than this there is little information on raising the fry.

Comments: The Genus Dormitator has a blue spot on the shoulder and they have 7-9 hard rays in the First Dorsal fin, more than the other American and West African Sleeper Gobies (they all have 6). They are full of character and certainly my favourite fish.

Photos:

My female doesent come out much, so the only photos that I have of her are at a fish show.






As you can see, the last few rays on the Second Dorsal fin are not elongated.

You mentioned that there fine with smaller fish, but with mine whenever a new fish is added to the tank he tries to eat at least one, even if its too big to digest, she just spits it out later. Not only that, but mine ate 46 molly fry in one night, so I'm thinking either mollies taste better than cichlids, or one of ours is abnormal aggression wise. I do have to agree though, this is definitely the coolest fish i have ever owned. Just wanted to share my experience.

EDIT : My terrible grammar...

This post has been edited by Freedom18: Aug 23 2007, 12:24 AM

Thanks Freedom18.

Id just like to say that aggression has little to do with how predatory a fish is. I have heard a couple of reports about them being predatory, so I would advise only keeping them with smaller fish if they are chunky and spiny finned.