The Jaguar goby is a relative newcomer to the hobby. We first saw these fish a little more than three years ago when we received a small group of them. We didn’t know much about them at the time but the invoice listed them as Astrabe sp. from Japan. The Jaguars thrived in our systems but we were left with some questions. What species were they and was this the fish that ate Esteban?
Shortly after we raised our first batch of these fish we sent specimens to Naomi Delventhal at the University of Manitoba in an effort to determine which species in the Astrabe genus they were. She examined the fish and concluded that they were not members of the Astrabe genus at all and were in fact Gobiopsis quinquecincta.
Most Jaguar gobies have five distinct dark bands or saddles that may sometimes be joined laterally. Their head is typically the same dark color as their bands and adorned with distinct nasal pores, which give them a scruffy, bearded expression. Our wild broodstock never grew over 2” long, but their progeny have surpassed them in size with some currently 3” in length.
These fish are best suited for small reef aquaria where there is a greater chance of observing them. Jaguar gobies are somewhat cryptic and once they find a place in your aquarium that suits them, they’ll spend the majority of their time there. They can be somewhat combative with conspecifics if suitable hiding places are not available, but we suggest keeping them in a group of at least 3 or 4 fish, with stable rockwork or small caves for hiding, to make them feel comfortable and promote their activity in the tank. This species is very hardy and can be appreciated by both advanced and novice aquarists.
Jaguar gobies are available to all ORA dealers starting today! Check out the product page here.
