Diamond Back Goby – Sand Sifter

Compact, colorful, and endlessly entertaining, this Diamond Back Goby is a reef tank favorite. Named for the striking diamond or reticulated pattern across its back, this small goby displays vibrant colors ranging from blue to yellow with bold geometric markings. Beyond its good looks, it’s a hardworking sand sifter that helps keep your substrate clean and healthy while adding constant activity and personality to your tank.

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: Diamond Back Gobies do well in 30-gallon tanks or larger, though they’re small enough (2–3 inches) to fit in nano setups. They need plenty of open sand bed to sift and explore. Temperament: Peaceful and reef-safe, these gobies are generally non-aggressive toward other fish and corals. They may be territorial with other gobies, so keep them as solitary pairs or singles unless your tank is large enough to provide separate territories. Feeding: They’re natural sand sifters and will spend hours digging through substrate looking for small crustaceans, copepods, and amphipods. Supplement with high-quality flake food, micro pellets, or frozen mysis shrimp 2–3 times per week to ensure they get adequate nutrition. Lighting & Flow: No special lighting requirements—they’ll do fine under standard reef lighting. Gentle to moderate flow is ideal; they prefer areas where they can sift the sand without constant water blasts. Substrate: Live sand is essential. They need a deep sand bed (3+ inches) rich in microfauna. A vibrant pod population in your sand bed will keep them naturally fed and happy. Water Parameters: Maintain stable salinity (1.023–1.026), pH (8.1–8.4), and temperature (72–78°F). They’re hardy fish but prefer consistent, clean water conditions. Tank Mates: Compatible with most peaceful reef fish. Avoid pairing with aggressive predators or fish that hunt small benthic creatures.