While hobbyists have a wide variety of nano fish to choose from when planning a nano, or pico tank, the Spikefin Goby’s behavior should be kept in mind and even prioritized. In their native habitat, they’ve adopted a cryptic lifestyle as a primary form of defense due to their minute size in comparison to the majority of other reef-dwelling fishes.
Unlike many small gobies, this species has no symbiotic relationship with shrimp and does not burrow in the sand for protection. Greissinger Gobies are generally found in areas surrounded by various corals with copious amounts of rubble covering the sandbed where they can spend much of their time hidden within the tight crevices of rocks, corals, or among the rubble below, where they feel safe being out of sight of predators and difficult to corner in the event they are spotted.
In captive environments, such as home aquariums, they tend to seek the same type of shelter, regardless of whether they may be housed with aggressive or docile tankmates. As many hobbyists prefer pristine sandbeds for aesthetics instead of rubble, the gobies commonly seek tight crevices found in the rockwork or other well-hidden areas where they sense the same degree of safety as in their native habitat.
Therefore, it isn’t unusual to rarely catch a glimpse of them during the day, particularly when housed in large tanks with many hidden areas or if they feel as if they’re being watched. Because of this, smaller aquariums are generally better suited if the aquarist desires to view them during the day (which is quite a joy to behold). When maintained in a properly sized tank, it’s far more likely to have an opportunity to view them as they venture out of hiding while foraging for microfaunal invertebrates to prey on while they move about the sandbed or scoot themselves onto small rocks.
As a benthic (bottom-dwelling) species, they primarily search for food by scuttling around the sand and between corals and rocks instead of swimming, stopping periodically to eloquently flick their spikey, radiant orange fins in all directions. Though they maintain their shy demeanor and will quickly dart back into hiding if startled, the display of this peaceful, yet distinctive hunting style is starkly different from that of other nano fish and one cannot help but appreciate this unique “hunting dance”.
Though this is simply their natural behavior, it would almost appear as though the goby is attempting to charm its prey and lure it closer by putting on an intriguing show!