How related are they?
Same family, Gobiidae (Gobies): close cousins
They split at the subfamily level: the Yellow Watchman Goby belongs to Gobiinae (True gobies), the Firefish Goby to Ptereleotrinae (dartfishes).
Find the Yellow Watchman Goby on the tree · Find the Firefish 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 | Yellow Watchman Goby | Firefish 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 | Gobiinae True gobies | Ptereleotrinae dartfishes |
| Genus | Cryptocentrus Watchman gobies | Nemateleotris Firefishes |
| Species | Cryptocentrus cinctus Yellow Watchman Goby | Nemateleotris magnifica Firefish Goby |
Care, side by side
| Fact | Yellow Watchman Goby | Firefish Goby |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Fish · Goby | Fish · Firefish |
| Care level | Easy | Easy |
| Reef safe | Yes | Yes |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Diet | Carnivore | Carnivore |
| Favorite foods | Frozen mysis shrimp, Frozen brine shrimp (vitamin-enriched), Frozen Calanus copepods | Frozen mysis shrimp, Vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, Frozen copepods or Calanus |
| Max size | 4 in (10 cm) | 3 in (7.6 cm) |
| Minimum tank | 30 gal | 30 gal |
| Temperature | 72–80 °F | 72–78 °F |
| Salinity (SG) | 1.020–1.026 | 1.020–1.025 |
| pH | 8.1–8.4 | 8.1–8.4 |
| Nitrate | 0–20 ppm | 0–20 ppm |
| Lifespan | No scientific data. Hobby sources report up to about 10 years in aquariums with good care. | Not scientifically documented. Hobby sources suggest roughly 3 years for Nemateleotris firefish, and losses are usually from jumping or bullying rather than old age. |
| Breeding | Hard | Very hard |
| Conservation (IUCN) | Least Concern | Least Concern |