Violet Goby

The violet goby has a long, slender, eel-like body. Its dorsal and anal fins run almost the entire length of the body. The teeth are very sharp; however these are used for scraping algae off rocks, not fighting. When kept in good condition, dragon gobies develop an attractive, iridescent, silvery-blue metallic color with a gold blotch pattern. Violet gobies seen in pet stores are generally 3 to 5 inches (7.6–12.7 cm) long. In the wild, violet gobies can grow to 24 inches (61 cm) long. However, in captivity they seldom grow past 15 inches (38 cm). Males tend to have long, pointed genital papilla, while that of the females are shorter, blunt, and yellow in color.

Violet gobies usually inhabit brackish swamps, streams, and estuaries with a muddy substrate. They have very small eyes, and as such are primarily scavengers.

Despite its fierce looks, large mouth, and many teeth, the violet goby is a predator-scavenger. If well fed, it usually will not bother smaller fish. Any small, peaceful, brackish water-tolerant fish can coexist with violet gobies, so examples include mollies, guppies, swordtails, platies, bumblebee gobies and glassfishes. The violet goby is only kept with peaceful fish, as it has poor eyesight and may be bullied by more boisterous fish. However, if two violet gobies exist in a tank too small, one will eventually claim the entire area their own territory and fiercely defend it.