An Introduction to Gobies for the Nano Reef
Sunday, December 27th, 2009Genus Gobiodon and Paragobiodon – Coral or Clown Gobies.
Commensal species usually associated with Acropora species in the wild.
Will happily perch in or on many corals in captivity although probably best to include some branching SPS corals for a more natural approach.
These species are reported to produces toxic mucus as a defence against predatory fishes.
Sex change species, so best to introduce small, young fish to avoid problems of mixing adults where the sex may already be fixed. Pairs off readily.
Harmless to most other species but aggression can occur amongst fishes of the same species and of similar species. Aggression seems to be a product of territorial requirements so this will depend on tank size.
Pairs may strip flesh from SPS corals when spawning to provide a site for the their eggs – not a problem for healthy corals. Good candidates for captive breeding programs.
May help protect SPS species from parasites such as the “Red Acro Bug”
As far as common names go, “coral” and “clown” seem to be interchangeable.
Where a species has 2 common names listed, the first mentioned is the Fish Base Common Name, which I consider to take precedence over aquarium common names given their inconsistency, country to country.
Some of the more common aquarium species:
Gobiodon atrangulatus – Clown Goby.
3.5cm TL
Gobiodon citrinus – Poison goby (Citron Clown Goby).
The giant of the genus at 5.6 cm TL. Has been raised in captivity.
Gobiodon histrio – Broad-barred goby (Green Coral Goby).
3.5 cm TL
Gobiodon okinawae – Okinawa goby (Yellow Clown Goby).
3.5 cm TL. Occurs in aggregations of 5-15 individuals in the wild.
Gobiodon spp. – A number of other species of similar size but varying attractiveness are also available in the trade.
Gobiodon – 20 species described.
| Species. | Common Name | Distribution | Max. Length (cm) |
| Gobiodon acicularis | Needlespine coral goby | Western Central Pacific | 3.9 |
| Gobiodon albofasciatus | Whitelined coral goby | Western Pacific | 2.5 |
| Gobiodon atrangulatus | Western Pacific | 3.5 | |
| Gobiodon axillaries | Western Pacific (unverified) | ||
| Gobiodon brochus | Western Central Pacific | 2.55 | |
| Gobiodon ceramensis | Western Central Pacific | ||
| Gobiodon citrinus | Poison goby | Indo-West Pacific | 6.6 |
| Gobiodon fulvus | Indo-West Pacific | ||
| Gobiodon heterospilos | Western Pacific | ||
| Gobiodon histrio | Broad-barred goby | Indo-West Pacific | 3.5 |
| Gobiodon micropus | Indo-Pacific | 3.5 | |
| Gobiodon multilineatus | Western Pacific | 3.5 | |
| Gobiodon oculolineatus | Northwest Pacific | 3.5 | |
| Gobiodon okinawae | Okinawa goby | Western Pacific | 3.5 |
| Gobiodon prolixus | Indo-Pacific | 3.21 | |
| Gobiodon quinquestrigatus | Five-lined coral goby | Pacific Ocean | 4.5 |
| Gobiodon reticulates | Reticulate goby | Western Indian Ocean | 2.1 |
| Gobiodon rivulatus | Rippled coralgoby | Indo-West Pacific | 5 |
| Gobiodon spilophthalmus | White-lined coral goby | Eastern Indian Ocean | 3.6 |
| Gobiodon unicolor | Western Indian Ocean | 2.8 |
Ref. www.fishbase.org.
Genus Paragobiodon
Paragobiodon lacunicolus – Blackfin coral goby (Panda Coral Goby).
3 cms TL. Lives exclusively among the branches of the coral Pocillopora damicornis, sometimes as deep as 20 m.
Paragobiodon melanosomus – Dark coral goby (Black Coral Goby),
3 cms TL. Paired individuals occur in colonies of Seriatopora spp.
Paragobiodon – 5 species described.
| Species. | Common Name | Distribution | Max. Length (cm) |
| Paragobiodon echinocephalus | Redhead goby | Indo-Pacific | 4 |
| Paragobiodon lacunicolus | Blackfin coral goby | Indo-Pacific | 3 |
| Paragobiodon melanosomus | Dark coral goby | Indo-West Pacific | |
| Paragobiodon modestus | Warthead goby | Indo-Pacific | 3.5 |
| Paragobiodon xanthosomus | Emerald coral goby | Indo-Pacific | 4 |
Ref. www.fishbase.org.
Tim Hayes
Midland Reefs
©2009