White Sleeper Goby – Sand Sifter

Hardy, peaceful, and endlessly useful, this White Sleeper Goby is a top choice for reef keepers looking to add cleanup crew capacity with personality. With its clean white coloration and streamlined body, it spends most of its time methodically sifting through sand, consuming detritus, small crustaceans, and unwanted debris. Watch it scoop mouthfuls of sand and sift it through its gills—a fascinating behavior that keeps your substrate pristine and aerated while maintaining healthy water quality.

This is a WYSIWYG fish – What You See Is What You Get. The goby shown in the photos is the exact specimen you will receive from MyTinyFins, carefully acclimated and ready to thrive in your reef.

Care Guide

Tank Size: White Sleeper Gobies thrive in 30-gallon tanks or larger, though they’re small enough (3–4 inches) to work in appropriately set-up nano systems. They need plenty of open sand bed to sift and burrow. Temperament: Peaceful, reef-safe, and non-aggressive toward corals and most fish. They’re solitary or can be kept in pairs if space allows, though they may become territorial with other sand sifters. Generally compatible with community reef setups. Feeding: Natural sand sifters that spend hours digging through substrate for small crustaceans, copepods, and amphipods. Supplement with high-quality micro pellets, flake food, or frozen mysis shrimp 2–3 times per week to ensure complete nutrition. Lighting & Flow: No special lighting needs—standard reef lighting works fine. Prefer gentle to moderate flow. Avoid high-velocity currents that can stress them or disturb their sand-sifting behavior. Substrate: Live sand is essential. They require a deep sand bed (3–4+ inches) rich in microfauna and beneficial organisms. A thriving copepod and amphipod population in your sand will keep them naturally fed and active. Water Parameters: Maintain stable salinity (1.023–1.026), pH (8.1–8.4), and temperature (72–78°F). They’re hardy but prefer consistent, clean water conditions. Tank Mates: Compatible with peaceful reef fish and most non-aggressive species. Safe with corals. Avoid keeping with aggressive predators or fish that hunt small benthic creatures. Behavior: Sleeper Gobies are somewhat shy and nocturnal, so they may hide initially. Once acclimated, they’ll become more active and spend increasing time sifting the sand bed, especially during lower-light periods.