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Blue Gudgeon Dartfish

Ptereleotris heteroptera

Family: Ptereleotridae · Dartfish & Firefish

Also known as: Blacktail Dartfish, Blue Hana Goby, Spottail Dartfish

Max Size

Min Tank

30 gal

Lifespan

4-6 years

Origin

Indo-Pacific, Red Sea

Diet

Planktivore

Swims

Middle

About

The Blue Gudgeon Dartfish is a graceful, elongated fish with a translucent pale blue body that seems to glow under aquarium lighting. Its slender, streamlined shape and translucent coloration give it an ethereal quality as it hovers in the water column, gently undulating in the current. The species typically reaches about 5 inches in length, with a subtle dark marking near the base of the tail that helps distinguish it from similar Ptereleotris species. Its delicate appearance belies a surprisingly hardy constitution.

In the wild, Ptereleotris heteroptera is found across an enormous range spanning the entire Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii. It inhabits sandy slopes and rubble areas adjacent to coral reefs, typically at depths of 10 to 40 meters, where it hovers in small groups above the substrate picking zooplankton from the water column. When alarmed, it darts headfirst into burrows in the sand or rubble, a behavior that gives the dartfish family their common name. Pairs and small groups often share burrows, making them one of the more social members of their family.

The Blue Gudgeon Dartfish is an excellent choice for peaceful community reef aquariums. Its gentle temperament, reef-safe nature, and attractive hovering behavior make it a wonderful mid-water addition to tanks dominated by bottom-dwelling gobies and top-swimming chromis. A tight-fitting lid is essential, as dartfish are notorious jumpers that will leap through even small gaps when startled. Provide a deep sand bed and rockwork for burrowing, and keep them in pairs or small groups for the most natural behavior.

Feeding & Diet

Planktivore

Blue Gudgeon Dartfish are planktivores that feed primarily on zooplankton in the wild. In the aquarium, they eagerly accept frozen mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, cyclops, and other small meaty foods. They can also be trained to accept high-quality marine pellets and flakes, though frozen foods should form the core of their diet. Feed small amounts multiple times daily to mimic their natural continuous feeding behavior.

Compatibility

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The Blue Gudgeon Dartfish is extremely peaceful and makes an ideal community fish. It coexists well with other peaceful species such as clownfish, chromis, gobies, blennies, and other dartfish. Avoid housing with aggressive or territorial fish that may bully or stress them, as stressed dartfish will refuse to emerge from hiding and may attempt to jump. Multiple Blue Gudgeon Dartfish can be kept together in suitably sized tanks. Completely reef-safe with all corals and invertebrates.

Check Compatibility

Breeding

Difficult

Blue Gudgeon Dartfish form monogamous pairs in the wild. They are substrate spawners that deposit eggs inside their shared burrow. The male guards the eggs until hatching. Little is documented about successful captive breeding, and larval rearing is presumed to be challenging given the tiny size of the pelagic larvae. Establishing bonded pairs is relatively straightforward as the species is not strongly sexually dimorphic.