Long-Finned (Striped) Sleeper Goby
Valenciennea longipinnis
| Stock | Variations | Price | Quantity |
|---|
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Monday – Friday 8 AM – 9 PM
Saturday 12 PM – 4 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 9 PM
Healthy, stable animals from vetted suppliers — inspected before packing, shipped overnight. Decades of experience built this model so we can deliver premium livestock at 30%+ less than you'd pay elsewhere.
| Care Level | Easy |
|---|---|
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Reef Safe | Yes |
| Functional Benefit | Sand Sifting |
| Diet Type | Carnivore |
| Mininum Tank Size | 30 gallons |
| Max Size | 6 inches |
| Temperature | 72–78°F |
| pH Range | 8.1–8.4 |
| Specific Gravity | 1.022–1.025 |
This long-finned sleeper goby is a steady sand sifter that helps keep the top layer of your sand bed turned over as it searches for food. It’s white with fine black striping plus orange and neon-green dashes along the body and head, a pattern that reads “striped sleeper goby” under reef lighting. In the aquarium it uses shallow burrows in the substrate as a home base and spends much of the day moving sand mouthful-by-mouthful.
What You’ll Observe:
- Repeated “scoop and sift” mouthfuls of sand along the bottom
- A favorite burrow entrance that gets maintained and reshaped
- Small sand mounds forming near rock edges as it excavates
- Quick dashes out for sinking foods, then back to sifting
How to succeed with this species is straightforward: provide a fine-to-medium sand bed and stable, bottom-set rockwork so burrowing doesn’t shift your aquascape. Offer meaty foods like mysis and brine shrimp (plus other carnivore blends) so it readily takes prepared foods while it sifts. Add a tight-fitting lid or mesh top to keep its active routines fully contained.
Why is my sleeper goby “closing” its burrow at night?
Many sand-sifting gobies intentionally block the entrance after lights-out, then reopen it later. It’s a normal part of how they use a burrow as a home base.
Is it normal for it to pile sand onto a rock or coral?
Yes—mounding and “dumping” sand is part of burrow building. If you keep LPS or frags low, placing them on a small rock shelf or raised plug usually keeps them clearer day-to-day.
Can it dig itself out if something blocks the entrance?
In most tanks they’re persistent diggers and will reopen a blocked entrance. Keeping a little rubble, small shells, or coarse bits nearby gives it building material to reinforce its tunnel.
Why did it disappear right after I added it?
It often spends the first days establishing a burrow and a preferred route for sifting. Once it has a routine, you’ll typically see it out more consistently, especially around feeding times.
Do I really need a lid for a bottom-dwelling goby?
A mesh/screen top is commonly used because sand-sifting gobies can launch when startled or during nighttime activity. A covered top keeps everything stable without changing how the fish behaves.
Our selection process means you get robust, well-adjusted specimens that settle in quickly.
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