• Colorful fish with a vibrant tail against a dark background
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Little Shop of Coral

The Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica)

The Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica)

$40.00 CAD
$40.00 CAD
Sale Sold out
Size

Elegant, peaceful, and instantly recognizable, the Fire Goby (also called Firefish) adds a bright splash of color and graceful movement to reef and nano reef tanks. With its white body fading into a vivid red to orange tail and tall dorsal fin, it loves to hover in the water column near a bolt-hole, then retreat quickly when startled. A perfect choice for calmer community setups.

Why we love it

  • Stunning white-to-red gradient coloration that pops under reef lighting

  • Peaceful and reef safe, ideal for community and nano reefs

  • Unique hovering behavior adds gentle movement to the tank

  • Generally hardy once settled and eating well

Care & Compatibility

Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Safe: Yes
Diet: Carnivore (planktivore)
Adult Size: ~3"
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons recommended (30g+ ideal for stability)

Feeding

Fire Gobies are usually great eaters once comfortable:

  • Frozen mysis and brine shrimp

  • Finely chopped seafood and quality frozen blends

  • Small pellets and flakes once established
    Feed small amounts daily and make sure it is not being outcompeted.

Tank & Setup Notes

  • Provide rockwork with caves and overhangs so it has a safe retreat

  • Moderate flow is ideal, with calmer areas to hover

  • A secure lid is strongly recommended since Fire Gobies are known jumpers

Compatibility Tips

  • Best with peaceful tank mates like clownfish, small wrasses, gobies, and reef-safe inverts

  • Avoid aggressive fish that may chase or stress it

  • In smaller tanks, keep singly unless you have a confirmed bonded pair

Acclimation & Health

Slow acclimation is recommended. This species settles fastest in stable tanks with plenty of hiding spots and consistent feeding during the first few weeks.

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LIGHT

LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.

MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height. 

HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.

FLOW

LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.

MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.

HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.

SKILL

ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.

While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.

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