All fish / Gobiidae

Green Clown Goby

Gobiodon histrio

Also known as broad-barred goby, green coral goby, blue-spotted coral goby, clown goby, red-lined clown goby, green clown goby, histrio goby, striped coral goby, アオギハゼ, 绿小丑鰕虎, 黄绿叶鰕虎

This is a small, chunky goby with a bright green body marked by thin red or pink lines and spots on the head. In the wild it lives among the branches of Acropora corals, and it suits nano reef tanks because it is small and full of character.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3.5 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a pair

Diet

Carnivore: copepods, mysis, enriched brine shrimp and finely chopped frozen meaty foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

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

Breeding

Pairs lay eggs on a cleared patch of coral branch and the male guards them until they hatch. Spawning in reef tanks is quite common, but the tiny larvae are hard to rear and need rotifers and copepods.

Good to know

It needs branching small-polyp stony corals such as Acropora and may nip at them a little. Its skin produces a toxic mucus, so it should not be housed with large predators, and keeping several in a small tank can lead to fighting.