Citron Goby Care Guide
Gobiodon citrinus is a small Indo-West Pacific coral goby with blue eye bars that lives among branching Acropora and produces toxic mucus.
Overview
Gobiodon citrinus, the Citron Goby, is a small marine coral goby of the Indo-West Pacific. FishBase describes a variable body color from yellow to yellowish green or black, with a pair of blue bars through the eye and a blue stripe along the base of the dorsal fin. It is a coral-commensal species associated with broadly branched Acropora corals.
Taxonomy
- Family: Gobiidae
- Genus: Gobiodon
- Scientific name: Gobiodon citrinus
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the Red Sea south to Delagoa Bay, Mozambique, and east to Samoa, north to southern Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef. It lives among colonies of broadly branched corals at depths of usually 2 to 20 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 50 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness: 8-12 dKH
- Maximum size: about 6.6 cm
- Lifespan: 3-6 years
Diet
FishBase notes it feeds on small invertebrates and zooplankton. In the aquarium it accepts small meaty foods such as cyclops, enriched brine shrimp and finely chopped mysis, fed twice daily.
Compatibility
Lives solitary or in pairs and is otherwise peaceful. It suits calm companions such as clownfish, cardinalfish and wrasses; lionfish and other predators should be avoided. The species produces toxic mucus as a defensive mechanism.
Reef compatibility
Reef-safe with the caveat that it perches on branching Acropora and may occasionally nip at small-polyp stony coral polyps. It is otherwise harmless to the reef and depends on branching corals for shelter.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 28 June 2018).