Golden-head sleeper goby

Valenciennea strigata, the golden-head sleeper goby, is a marine goby in the family Gobiidae, native to reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific. It has a pale white to bluish body with a bright yellow head and a neon-blue stripe below the eye, and a slender, elongated shape. It is a peaceful fish that spends the day sifting mouthfuls of sand for tiny invertebrates, constantly rearranging the substrate. It is best kept singly or as a bonded pair, and coexists calmly with other reef fish. It requires a mature aquarium with a deep, fine sand bed rich in microfauna, plus a tight lid, as it is prone to jumping when startled. It is reef-safe and functions as a natural sand-sifter, but needs frequent feedings of mysis, brine shrimp, and other small meaty foods since it can exhaust the sand's food supply. Stable, established systems suit it best.