All fish / Gobiidae

Yellow Clown Goby

Gobiodon okinawae

Also known as okinawa goby, yellow coral goby, lemon goby, citron goby, yellow goby, clown goby, okinawae goby, コバンハゼ, 冲绳磨塘鳢, 黄珊瑚虾虎

A tiny, chunky goby that is bright yellow all over, often with faint pale markings on the head. It perches among the branches of Acropora and other small-polyp stony corals, and its small size and bold colour make it a favourite for nano reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

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, in a pair or a small group in larger tanks

Diet

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

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: southern Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia to the Great Barrier Reef

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 raising the tiny pelagic larvae is difficult.

Good to know

The species may nip at coral polyps to clear spawning sites, so watch delicate SPS colonies. Its skin mucus is toxic and bitter, so do not handle it carelessly, and keep it away from large predatory fish.