How related are they?
Same family, Gobiidae (Gobies): close cousins
They split at the subfamily level: the Firefish Goby belongs to Ptereleotrinae (dartfishes), the Yellow Watchman Goby to Gobiinae (True gobies).
Find the Firefish Goby on the tree · Find the Yellow Watchman Goby on the tree
Family lines, side by side
Highlighted rows are groups both animals belong to. The marked row is where their lines go separate ways.
| Rank | Firefish Goby | Yellow Watchman Goby |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia Animals | |
| Phylum | Chordata Chordates | |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata Vertebrates | |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata jawed vertebrates | |
| Parvphylum | Osteichthyes bony fishes | |
| Gigaclass | Actinopterygii ray-finned fishes | |
| Superclass | Actinopteri | |
| Class | Teleostei Teleost fishes | |
| Order | Gobiiformes Gobies and kin | |
| Suborder | Gobioidei gobies and sleepers | |
| Family | Gobiidae Gobies | |
| Subfamily split | Ptereleotrinae dartfishes | Gobiinae True gobies |
| Genus | Nemateleotris Firefishes | Cryptocentrus Watchman gobies |
| Species | Nemateleotris magnifica Firefish Goby | Cryptocentrus cinctus Yellow Watchman Goby |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Firefish Goby | Yellow Watchman Goby |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fish · Firefish | Fish · Goby |
| Care level | Easy | Easy |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Diet | Carnivore | Carnivore |
| Favorite foods | Frozen mysis shrimp, Vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, Frozen copepods or Calanus | Frozen mysis shrimp, Frozen brine shrimp (vitamin-enriched), Frozen Calanus copepods |
| Max size | 3 in (7.6 cm) | 4 in (10 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 30 gal | 30 gal |
| Temperature | 72–78 °F | 72–80 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.020–1.025 | 1.020–1.026 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 0–20 ppm | 0–20 ppm |
| Lifespan | Not scientifically documented. Hobby sources suggest roughly 3 years for Nemateleotris firefish, and losses are usually from jumping or bullying rather than old age. | No scientific data. Hobby sources report up to about 10 years in aquariums with good care. |
| Breeding | Very hard | Hard |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |