The Diamond Watchman Goby (Valenciennea puellaris), also commonly referred to as the Pretty Prawn, Maiden Goby or Orange Spotted Sleeper Goby, is a bottom dwelling saltwater fish native to the Indo-Pacific waters and the Great Barrier reef. With vibrant orange dots and dashes along its body, iridescent cyan markings on its jaw, and yellow eyes, the Diamond Goby is a striking addition to any saltwater aquarium.
The Diamond Goby is a popular choice for hobbyists due to its ability to sift and clean sand. Diamond Gobies will grow up to 6 inches long and should be kept in at least 50 gallons of water, with a live sand bed. The Diamond Goby spends most of its time near sandy bottoms where it sifts through sand looking for copepods and other microfauna food sources. This means you will only want to add a Diamond Goby to your collection when a tank has become established.
Diamond Gobies use their powerful mouths to sift through the sand bed for food and will create a burrow in the sand bed where they can retreat to at night or at signs of danger. This will create small piles of sand and will help keep the substrate well oxygenated. They will eat a carnivorous diet that include a variety of live and frozen brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and live black worms.
They are peaceful and can be kept with other peaceful and reef safe fish. On the other hand, Diamond Gobies can be territorial and will fight with its own kind unless they are a mated pair. When introducing a pair, it is wise to have one goby that is larger than the other, as these fish will change sexes once dominance in the pairing has been established.
It's recommended that you keep them in tanks with sugar fine sand and to avoid the larger particle sands because the thought is that they can damage their mouths. They are also known for jumping, so a tightly fitting lid is necessary for the tank these gobies are kept in.