Purple Dartfish Goby - Medium

These rainbow like fish like to hover around just above the sand but are also fond of jumping out of the tank so watch out.

It's extremely difficult to identify the gender of these fish so care must be taken by only having one in a tank to avoid aggression. Some say that they can be safely housed in multiples either in a male/female pair or a very large tank.

Purple dart fish have been marked as one of the least vulnerable for over collection from the Indo-Pacific region and have also been found as far as Samoa and the Ryukyu Islands.

It's not easy to breed these fish in captivity due to the juveniles going through a platonic phase but if you're lucky a pair may build a nest and take turns guarding it.

Tank Recommendations for Purple Dart Fish

The smallest tank size required for this species is 40 litres and rocks to form some sort of crevice or hiding place should be included to make the dart fish feel safe and secure.

As mentioned before this particular type of goby are shockingly good "tank jumpers" which means an open-top aquarium is out of the question. A tank hood should be fitted with minimal exit points to ensure you purple dart fish doesn't end up on the carpet.

Suitable Tank Buddies

Purple dart fish can be kept with almost every other species of fish apart from other dart fish. Due to their size larger predatory fish can prey on them so be aware,

Usually Compatible

Damsels, blennies and clown fish would be awesome tank buddies as they are similarly sized to the purple dart fish. These species also do great with live coral.

Sometime Compatible

Only ever keep multiples of this species in either an extremely large tank or in a confirmed male/female pair. Otherwise they should be the only fish of the species in the tank. Caution should be taken if keeping predatory fish such as rays, trigger fish and wrasee.

Rarely Compatible

Larger predatory salt water species such as groupers, sharks, snappers and even frog fish are no-goes when keeping a dart fish. These species will actively hunt species as small as the dart fish so extreme caution must be taken.

Feeding Your Purple Dart Fish

This species is carnivorous and feeds on zooplankton and copepods in the wild. They will feed well on a variety of food in captivity. Foods such as frozen marine food(thawed), flakes and even live foods such as brine shrimp will make a dart fish happy. If you notice lack of eating just keep trying a variety of foods until it begins.