Recently I’ve been on a bit of a goby kick. They are an incredibly diverese group of fish that are all too often ignored by aquarists. Coryphopterus lipernes, shown below, is a hardy reef aquarium fish that is rarely given any attention at all. This monochromatic candycane-goby duo resides at Old Town Aquarium in Chicago. Coryphopterus [...]
Recently I’ve been on a bit of a goby kick. They are an incredibly diverese group of fish that are all too often ignored by aquarists. Coryphopterus lipernes, shown below, is a hardy reef aquarium fish that is rarely given any attention at all.
This monochromatic candycane-goby duo resides at Old Town Aquarium in Chicago.
Coryphopterus lipernes is an Atlantic species that hails from the Florida Keys and Caribbean south to Central America. Commonly called the Peppermint or Bluenose Goby, this small fish reaches just under 3cm and can be seen in the wild in near continuous contact with corals such as Montastraea sp.. During the day time, the clear and yellow body, blue eyed fish blends in well with the massive corals that it calls home. At night the fish changes to a gray color and seeks refuge underneath or on the coral.
Like Trimma cana the Bluenose Goby is sexually dimorphic, with males showing an elongated first dorsal. Additionally, males exhibit an extended pelvic fin that extends to the anal fin. C. lipernes is also a protogynous hermaphrodite. Meaning the fish begins life as a female, but can change to male as the gonads possess the ability to change from ovaries to testes. This metamorphosis from female to male is not absolute, but is based on internal and external factors.
This does allow the eventual pairing of nearly any two C. lipernes. However if dealing with an initially same sex pair, aggression can be had prior to the metamorphosis.
When purchasing your fish look for those that are well aware of its surroundings–including you looking through the glass! These fish are extremely alert and observant. A somnolent goby is one to avoid. Like T. cana, feedings of 2 to 4 times a day are required to keep this small fish healthy. Similarly, goby-proof your aquarium by eliminating any danger zones such as large openings in overflows or pump intakes.
