The Neon Blue Goby is a fish that has the function of cleaning other fishes in the wild. This little goby removes small parasites from the other fish and perhaps that keeps them from being eaten by larger fish. The larger fish recognize the service they provide and usually leave them alone. They have black bodies with an electric neon blue stripes running the length of their body.
The Neon Goby can get aggressive with other gobies in smaller tanks but you may get away with keeping multiples in larger tanks, especially mated pairs. If you do have a mated pair and good water conditions you may be able to breed them in your tank. Both parents will guard the nest and protect the eggs from the other fish in the aquarium. It may be a good idea to separate the parents and eggs into their own tank if this happens. Because they are relatively easy to bred, many places are now offering tank raised gobies for sale.

In the home aquarium it is unlikely that these gobies will get the sustenance they need from cleaning their tank mates and they will need to be fed. They should accept most carnivore (meaty) marine fish foods and may even be conditioned to go after flakes.

As mentioned previously, Neon Gobies will develop their own territory in the tank. Having live rock and/or live sand in your aquarium will help make them comfortable and it will provide them with hiding places and maybe even food sources.

Many of the Neon Gobies are coming from aqua-culture facilities and saltwater fish disease may not be an issue with this fish. However, take the proper pre-cautions and use a quarantine tank before introducing them into your main tank. You never know how many tanks your fish has passed through before you buy it!

 

Nemateleotris decora is also known by various common names such as the Purple Firefish, Decorated Firefish and even the Fire Goby. The colors on this fish are simply amazing. They have a white or yellow body that fades to black towards a multi-colored caudal fin, and a purple face along with red/orange fins lined in streaks of black. This fish likes to hover in the water column just outside it's hang out or over the sandy substrate. While hovering they flick their dorsal and pectoral fins in unison, perhaps for stability. It is considered a very good if not great beginner's fish because they are very hardy, should eat most fish foods offered, and should remain disease free if kept in optimal conditions. Just because they are listed as a "hardy" fish, doesn't mean that they can't or won't come down with a disease. Quarantine ALL new arrivals.
This firefish only gets to be about 3.5 to 4 inches when fully grown and can be kept in saltwater nano tanks as small as 10 gallons. Obviously, with a small tank you need to be extra diligent with your water quality. Behavior wise, they should do well with most species of similar size and temperament. If you're planning on keeping them in multiples, you may have issues. Some say it can be done (in very large setups) others say you should only keep one per tank. According to Scott Michael, "they (N. decora) are the most aggressive of the firefishes, it should be housed singly or in male-female pairs". Determining gender is very difficult if at all possible. Be on the safe side and only stock one per tank. Also, given their size, you don't want to keep them in tanks with Triggers, Lionfish, etc.

You should also know that they are accomplished tank jumpers. Having an open top tank may not work out for you with this species. A fitted aquarium hood with limited escape points is a necessity. Live rock or other suitable items that can provide shelter for the Purple Firefish are also needed. These hiding places may help them acclimate quicker and lessen the chances of tank jumping.

Feeding them shouldn't be much of a problem. This firefish should accept fresh or frozen (thawed) marine fish foods, live foods (brine shrimp, mysids) and even flake foods. If you're having difficulty getting them to eat, check your water parameters and try a variety of foods until they start eating. You may notice a behavior that looks like they are biting at the water. This is how they eat, picking at swimming zooplankton in the water column.

The Yellow Watchman Goby is an interesting specimen that forms a very cool symbiotic relationship with the pistol shrimp. The goby watches out for predatory fishes and warns the shrimp. The shrimp has limited eye sight and needs the goby to alert them of predators while the goby uses the shrimp's hole as shelter. They both benefit.
The Yellow Watchman Goby should do fine in most setups but may get eaten by larger, more aggressive tank mates. They do like to hide alot and live rock should help make them feel secure. Some have reported that this fish has jumped from the tank so a good tight fitting aquarium hood with no escape points is needed.

You may be able to keep mated pairs but it is not advisable to keep more than a mated pair of Yellow Watchman Gobies in smaller tanks. They may fight over territory with other goby species.

They are not very picky when it comes to fish food and should accept most foods that you give them. Try to give them a varied diet of live, frozen, freeze-dried and vitamin-enriched flake foods. Make sure they are getting their share around feeding time.

They seem to be very resistant to most saltwater fish disease but you still need to take the proper pre-cautions and use a quarantine tank before introducing them into your main tank. After they've been in quarantine for two weeks or so and you notice no signs of illness, slowly acclima