The Sixspot Goby is a type of fish from the goby family, found in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
It prefers to live in bays or lagoons with water depths between 10 to 82 feet, where the bottom is made up of sand or silt and rocks for hiding.
Sixspot Goby can grow up to 5.5 inches long and is often seen in pairs, living together in burrows under rocks.
These gobies are also known to gather in groups over large areas within lagoons on atolls (coral islands). Interestingly, they are monogamous and considered safe for coral reefs.
You may find this fish available for purchase as an aquarium pet.
Sixspot Goby Interesting Facts
- The Sixspot Goby is monogamous and lives in pairs, often burrowing under rocks.
- It prefers tropical habitats near coral reefs at depths of 10 to 82 feet.
- This fish has a unique appearance with pale grey coloring, blue or white spots on its cheeks, and a black-tipped dorsal fin.
- Male Sixspot Gobies have a longer pointed tail fin compared to females.
Sixspot Goby Habitat
The Sixspot Goby lives in the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to East Africa and Samoa, and from Japan’s Yaeyama Islands down to Queensland, Australia.
This fish is found near coral reefs at depths between 10 to 82 feet (3 to 25 meters) and prefers water temperatures of 71.6°F to 82.4°F (22°C to 28°C).
Its habitat is in tropical areas between 30°N to 15°S latitude.
| Water Temperature: | 71.6°F to 82.4°F (22°C to 28°C) |
| Water pH: | Unknown |
| Water Hardness: | Unknown |
Sixspot Goby Physical Characteristics
Size: 5.5 inches (14.0 centimeters)
The Sixspot Goby can grow up to 5.5 in (14 cm) long. It has 7 dorsal spines, 12 soft dorsal rays, 1 anal spine, and between 11 to 13 soft anal rays.
Sixspot Goby is pale grey with a faint pinkish stripe on its lower side and blue or white spots on its cheek. Its first dorsal fin has a black tip.
This fish doesn’t have filamentous dorsal spines and has a pointed tail fin which is longer in males.
It has between 71 to 99 scales along the length of its body. These scales are ctenoid (rough) but become smooth (cycloid) toward the front part of the body and on the belly.
The head and middle part of the neck region don’t have scales, while there are some scales on the side of the neck extending forward near the gill opening.
The area before the pelvic fins is either partially or fully covered with scales. The depth of this fish’s body is around five to six times smaller than its length.
Sixspot Goby Reproduction
The Sixspot Goby pairs up for mating, and the pair stays together both because they need to (obligate) and by choice (social).
Sixspot Goby Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Valenciennea |
| Scientific Name: | Valenciennea sexguttata |
| Also Known As: | Sixspot Goby, Sleeper Blue Dot Goby |
| Conservation Status: | Unknown |