The Fire in The Fish tank
Nemateleotris magnifica is more commonly known as “Firefish.” However, as you set out to do research on this gorgeous little fish, you should lean heavily on the scientific name for it, as there are many venomous fish throughout the world who are also called “Firefish,” though for very different reasons. This small fish has a red tail section and pale white/yellow head that shine and shimmer like fire, but they are totally peaceful and harmless. The other Firefish are so named because of how they feel when you step on one, or mishandle them.
Our Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) is a small fish, never getting much bigger than 3 inches long. They are common in shallow tropical seas from the East coast of Africa to the central Pacific. They generally live above rubble or sand adjacent to reefs where they hover in groups, nearly motionless in current, harvesting all the little meaty critters (zooplankton) that come floating past. When startled, they will dart back to a hole in the rocks, or into the burrow they have dug in the sand. This behavior has given rise to another common name for them, “Dartfish.” They can lock themselves into these burrows with a spine on their dorsal fin, not unlike Triggerfish.
Firefish are popular aquarium fish because they are gorgeous, hardy and the definition of peaceful, though they can be quarrelsome with other Firefish in certain situations. They don't require a large amount of space, and a single specimen or pair could be kept in an aquarium as small as twenty gallons, though a better size would be forty. Groups of them can be kept in larger aquariums, as long as there is ample food and hiding spaces for them to utilize. The wild eating habits of Firefish make them very easy to feed in captivity as they come pre-pregrammed to eating little meaty bits in the current. The only challenges here is that the bites need to be small, meals should be frequent, and because these little darters are shy, very aggressive eaters will scare the Firefish into hiding when they should be feeding.
Nemateleotris magnifica should be offered enough sand for them to burrow in and enough rockwork to give them ample places to hide. It seems counter intuitive, but the more rocks a display has, the more you will see the Firefish, as they will feel more secure. Their natural instinct is to dart away into hiding when danger is perceived, and this happens so quickly that if you blink you will miss it. They can swim alarmingly fast. Occasionally, this happens in the wrong direction, and as such, if your aquarium does not have a tight fitting lid, they WILL jump out at some point, do not make the mistake of having an open top tank with them.
In house, we feed Firefish a mix of small thawed meaty foods like mysis, and finely chopped seafood. They will quickly learn to eat very small pellet foods as well as long as those foods can be suspended in current. The parameters needed to keep them happy long term are easy, stable water conditions and lots of flow. In general, they prefer lower light scenarios, and will be more skittish in brightly lit tanks, but they will acclimate to these conditions in short order.
Nemateleotris magnifica are the are the picture of reef safe and are very hardy. Their swimming style is something very unique in reef keeping, as is their brilliant coloration. This is a fish worthy of having a display for, all by themselves, but they will also do very well with just about any fish that doesn't want to eat or harass them. If your display could use one of aquarias best and brightest fish, then have your LFS contact us to get one you a pair of sustainably sourced Firefish today!