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So, I was at the ol' LFS the other day, and I came across a freshwater fish labeled simply 'Neon Spot Goby'. I have never seen or heard of this fish ever, and I've been studying fish for around 4 years now. It was a brownish color, with a bright blue spot around its head and went part way through its body. It had a body form of a darter. I'm assuming it was brackish. I was tempted to buy it, but I've learned to never buy a fish before you know something about it. I've looked for pictures online and nothing showed up. Anybody have some clue on what it is? Next time I'm down I'll ask for a scientific name.

Could be a stiphodon species. These are freshwater and there is one sold under variations of the name neon goby.

I decided to look up the Genus Stiphodon and check out the possibilities. There are quite a few.

Fishbase lists 32 species of Stiphodon (though one or two of these are synonyms - the actual total is probably something like 27 or 28). I searched through them all, and alighted upon some possibilities for you to check out. However, I have only listed those species whose entries explicity state that the fishes are found in freshwater habitats. The reason for this being that - and this might raise a couple of eyebrows - I have, in my copy of Burgess' Mini-Atlas Of Marine Aquarium Fishes a photograph of a fish which is labelled "Stiphodon sp., 4.5 cm" (it appears on page 557). Now, this could be an error - the fish could be mislabelled, or the authors could be correct and the fish illustrated IS a Stiphodon species, which would indicate that at least one member of the Genus is capable of inhabiting marine environments. There is a precedent for this in the world of Gobies, namely the {i]Brachygobius species or Bumblebee Gobies, which are capable of living in fresh water, but are preferentially brackish (and in some cases will live in fully marine water). Whether this applies to any Stiphodon species is open to question, but until I receive confirmation that either [1] ALL Stiphodon species are exclusively freshwater, and Burgess is in error, or [2] there DOES exist a marine Stiphodon species, I shall err on the side of caution and list only those species I have found whose habitat details are explicitly stated as being those of freshwater fishes.

The scientific names that are possible choices include:

Stiphodon alleni known only from one type locality in Queensland, Australia (and upon account of both its rarity and its very recent discovery, only having been described in 1996, chances are this is not your fish, especially as the Australian government is VERY strict about exporting its wildlife) - cited as living in swift flowing streams
Stiphodon atratus from Papua New Guinea (unusual for being an inhabitant of slow flowing waters)
Stiphodon coeruleus from the eastern Caroline Islands
Stiphodon discotorquatus from French Polynesia - cited like most of the others as being an inhabitant of swiftly flowing waters
Stiphodon elegns (locality simply cited as 'Asia and Oceania') - described as inhabiting relatively swift flowing rainforest streams close to the coast (does this mean that individuals sometimes venture out into salt water?)
Stiphodon hydroreibatus (endemic to the Samoa Archipelago) - cited as inhabiting swift flowing steams close to the coast, and also collected above waterfalls
Stiphodon imperiorientis (endemic to the Nakama River, Iromote Island, Japan) - described as preferring to inhabit areas of boulders with a rock and gravel bottom in clear streams
Stiphodon julieni from Easter Island (Rapa Nui) - described as being collected in clear, relatively swift flowing rainforest streams close to the coast, and possessing marked sexual dichromatism ... I suspect it's VERY unlikely that this is your fish, because how many fishes do you EVER see from Easter island?
Stiphodon larson from Papua New Guinea - again cited as inhabiting relatively swift, clear freshwater streams with a rocky bottom (see a pattern emerging here?)
Stiphodon olivaceus from the Southern Philippines - "inhabits relatively swift streams over boulder and gravel bottoms" (yes, definite pattern emerging here ...)
Stiphodon percnopterygionus from the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Guam - "Inhabits small, clear streams with rocky bottoms usually covered with dense mats or clumps of algae" (yes, think we're getting the basic idea here ...)
Stiphodon rutilaureus from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu - again, swift, clear streams over rocky bottoms ...
Stiphodon sapphirinus from New Caledonia - full Fishbase entry on habitat reads:

Inhabits clear swift streams and has been found in streams from near sea level to well above small waterfalls at higher elevations (Ref. 56893). Usually prefers to inhabit one of boulders and slab bottom streams usually with little or no sand and gravel (Ref. 56893). Generally found in riffles but on occasion has been collected in swift waters above waterfalls (Ref. 56893).

Stiphodon semoni from New Caledonia - again full Fishbase habitat entry quote apposite:

Occurs in small, moderately flowing to swift clear streams with rocky and boulder strewn bottom, usually in sunny areas and has been collected above waterfalls (Ref. 33064). Common in small rainforest creeks, often in hilly terrain, but usually within 30 km of the sea (Ref. 2847)

Stiphodon surrufus - known only from Lagu Lagu Creek in Leyte, Philippines (and again unlikely to be your fish because of its rarity), and again a dweller of swift flowing streams, but the fishbase entry says "possibly amphidromus" - the Fishbase glossary says on the subject of the word "amphidromus" the following:

Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Because of this, it is possible that Burgess may not be in error - if this is confirmed, then perhaps the photo in my copy of the Mini-Atlas is of this very rare species!
Stiphodon tuivi (endemic to the Marquesas Islands, and again unlikely to be your fish because of this) - again cited as inhabiting clear streams over rock and boulder strewn bottoms close to the coast
Stiphodon weberi from Irian Jaya - cited as being sympatric with Stiphodon atratus in slow flowing waters, one of two exceptions to the general rule for the other representatives of the Genus
Stiphodon zebrinus from Indonesia - again cited as found in a small stream close to the sea, but fishbase further states:

Habitat is assumed to be similar to other related species which prefer clear rather swift waters in areas of rocks and boulders.

In other words, not a lot is known about this fish.

Among the oddities in the family is one fish that has been named Stiphodon birdsong - I kid you not! - and Stiphodon semoni contains the remarkable following information in its Fishbase entry:

bright green in life, bright blue immediately after death

So check your fish in the store carefully - if it's a bright green fish, it could be Stiphodon semoni, and you'll know if it is because when it dies it turns blue!

Additionally, Stiphodon stevensoni from Japan and several Pacific Islands is cited as a confirmed amphidromus fish - in other words, it wanders out into salt water - so perhaps my Burgess photo is of this species, who knows?

So, bascially, if your fish IS a Stiphodon species, it'll need specialised care. The aquarium for one of these small Gobies should be set up with a swift current similar to that for certain Hillstream Loaches, the substrate should be gravel, and the decor should consist of rocks resembling the boulders of the streams in which so many of these fishes are found. Note that Stiphodon atratus and Stiphodon weberi are exceptions, that inhabit slow flowing waters, and an aquarium for these species will need to be different! For the majority of Stiphodon species, however, you'll be looking at creating a long, shallow aquarium with a rapid current from one end to the other, principally rocky decor, gravel substrate, probably a powerful undergravel filter operating, and most of your plant life will consist of cultivated algal mats on the rocks. I suspect these fishes will feed upon small crustaceans living in these algal mats, so live foods are probably going to be required for successful long term maintenance, and probably fairly specialised live foods such as Gammarus and Crangonyx freshwater amphipods into the bargain. However, someone who has successfully maintained these fishes, as opposed to deriving the maintenance details from first principles based upon habitat, may have other insights to offer. I would consider it safe to say, however, that with the exception of Stiphodon atratus and Stiphodon weberi, these fishes are definitely for the specialist and may not last long in a conventional aquarium. Check the above scientific names, and see which matches the fish you've seen at the dealer's.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks a lot Calilasseia for all that work and help. It turned out to be Stiphodon elegans. I really appreciate all that information you provided me with. After all that information I'm not 100% sure if I want to try them out, but I have a spare tank sitting around, I might give them a shot.