The head and sleek body of the Neon Goby, also known as the Neon Blue Goby, are dark blue with a striking horizontal light-blue stripe on each side beginning above the eye and running the entire length of the body. The Neon Goby is a very hardy fish, and because its small size, is a great addition to a small reef tank.
Species Profile::There are a number of marine organisms that make almost all of their living by cleaning parasites off of other fish. This includes a number of shrimp that pick larval isopods off piscine neighbors and a group of wrasses that service hundreds of clients a day. Then there are the cleaner gobies, the most active cleaners along the coasts of the Americas. The cleaner goby most often encountered by aquarium hobbyists is the Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops). This diminutive fish is an even better cleaner species for the home aquarium than its labrid counterpart, the Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). It tends to be hardier and is not as annoying to other fish as Labroides dimidiatus (the latter species tends to be more aggressive in its cleaning technique). Its list of clients is long and can include small Damsels to the large and imposing greater Barracuda. When a fish is ready to be cleaned, the Neon Goby will leap on to its patron and begin looking for the crustacean parasites to harvest. This may mean entering the mouth or the gills of its client. When the larger fish is ready to move on, the simply shakes off the gobies. The neon goby has been known to clean more than 100 client fish per hour!