All fish / Gobiidae

Citron Clown Goby

Gobiodon citrinus

Also known as citron goby, yellow clown goby, lemon clown goby, citrinus goby, poison goby, coral goby, citron coral goby, コバンハゼ, レモンゴビー, 黄金叶虾虎, 柠檬小丑虾虎

This is a small, stocky goby with a bright lemon yellow body and thin blue lines on the head and at the base of the fins. In the wild it lives among the branches of Acropora corals, and reef keepers like it for its colour, its personality and the way it perches in coral heads.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and small frozen or pellet foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, north to Japan, south to Australia

Breeding

Pairs lay eggs on a cleared patch of coral branch and the male guards them until they hatch. Spawning happens fairly often in reef tanks, but the tiny larvae are planktonic and hard to rear, so captive breeding is uncommon.

Good to know

It may nip at or sit on small polyp stony corals and can stress Acropora colonies. Its skin releases a bitter toxic mucus when it is stressed, so keep it away from large predators and do not keep two males in a small tank.