Decorated Sand Goby

The Decorated Sand Goby (Istigobius decoratus), also known as the Decorated Goby or Ornate Sand Goby, is one of the most underrated working fish in the saltwater hobby. Pearl-white to tan body decorated with intricate dotted patterns and subtle blue, yellow, and brown markings — understated elegance combined with a constantly busy work ethic.

Decorated Sand Gobies are exceptional sand sifters. They constantly scoop mouthfuls of substrate, filtering through it for tiny detritus, leftover food, and microfauna, then expelling clean sand from their gills. This natural behavior keeps your sand bed bright, aerated, and free of dead spots — better than almost any other fish or invertebrate sand sifter available.

Hardy, peaceful, reef-safe, and beginner-friendly. They typically pair well with other peaceful fish and can even be kept as a mated pair in larger systems. A working clean-up fish that also happens to be beautiful.

Care notes: Requires a sand substrate at least 1-2 inches deep to display natural sifting behavior. A mature tank with established microfauna is ideal, though they readily accept frozen mysis, brine, and pellet foods. A tight-fitting lid is essential — like most gobies, they can jump.

At Ocean To You, every fish is quarantined and observed before sale. We don't sell sick fish.