Spawning Desert Gobies - Pictures

By Clint Norwood
 
I originally half buried the PVC cave, not knowing how the pair preferred their cave. The male cleaned the sand out of the cave before spawning took place.
 
Hours before the spawning the male had been doing a spawning dance of hopping around the female with his fins held rigidly errect and his colors flashing.
 
I was thinking that spawning might be emminent but the female had been doing a very good job of appearing completely uninterested.
 
The pair will wriggle and move around pretty violently for a while as the female lays about 5 to 10 eggs, at that point she would become completely motionless for a period of about 30 to 45 seconds, then the process would begin again.
 
Neither parent would leave the cave duriing the whole spawning process.
 
At the end of the spawning the female left the cave looking very much thinner.
 
Pictures and article © Clint Norwood