Valenciennea wardii

(Playfair, 1867)

Ward’s Sleeper Goby, Tiger Sleeper Goby

Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Widespread.

Size: 6 inches (15 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow sandy and silty areas in protected lagoons and coastal bays and usually found at depths between 15 - 65 feet (5 - 20 m) where it lives in burrows and feeds by sifting mouthfuls of sand to capture small invertebrates and organic matter.

General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade, and having a whitish body with several light brown vertical bars and a black spot edged in white on the dorsal fin, and a curved blue bar below the eyes.

Best maintained in well-established fish-only or reef aquariums wide-open fine-grained (1 - 2 mm) sandy areas along with some small rubble. These fishes are burrow dwellers, and will normally seek protection under low overhanging rocks or actually burrow underneath rock to form a secure home.

Should not be housed with aggressive or fin-nipping fishes, such as groupers, dottybacks, triggerfishes or angelfishes.

They are a sand sifter, picking up large mouthfuls of sand and expelling it through the gill covers, sifting out anything edible.

As to diet, should be fed a diet of finely chopped fresh or frozen meaty foods, e.g., krill, marine fish flesh, mysis shrimp, shrimp, scallops, squid, clams and algae containing foods and be fed four times daily.

They also take a wide variety of flake foods. Small sinking enriched shrimp meal pellets are an excellent way of keeping them well fed.

If difficult to get feeding, try live adult fortified brine shrimp and black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus).

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Gobioidei

Family: Gobiidae

Genus: Valenciennea

FYI: May jump out of uncovered aquariums.

Even though they mate for life in the wild, pairs can form in the closed system. Should be maintained in pairs if at all possible.

Some seem to waste away no matter how well fed, which could be a sign of intestinal worms.

Can be very secretive when first introduced into the aquarium.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 - 27°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5