Scissortail Dartfish (Ptereleotris evides)

The Scissortail Dartfish or Ptereleotris evides is one of the easiest saltwater fish to care for in an aquarium setting. This fish only requires an aquarium of about 35 gallons with the following water conditions, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4 and sg 1.020-1.025. They are carnivores that require a meaty diet including brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and other meaty preparations.  Pellet food and flake food is acceptable as well.  

Scissortail Dartfish are sometimes referred to as Scissortail Goby, Black Fin Dart Goby and the Black Fin Dartfish depending in the pet store. This fish can easily be identified by its elongated body and large dorsal and anal fins. Their coloration is often light blue with a white head and darker tail.  They get their name from their black tails, which are shaped just like scissors.  They are not particularly large, only growing to about 5-1/2" maximum.  They are often found in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea in and around reefs.  This fish is from the family Microdesmidae which are referred to as Dartfish.      

One thing to note about this species of Goby is that they like to burrow on the bottom of the tank and therefore should be provided with a few inches of bottom sand. They are also known to jump right out of tank, so be sure to have a nice tight lid on your aquarium. This fish is only considered to be aggressive towards its own kind. A mated pair though will always play nice together.  You can check out a Scissortail Dartfish in the video below along with a Tang.