Multi-lined Coral Goby Care Guide
Gobiodon multilineatus is a tiny Western Pacific coral goby that lives among Acropora corals and forms monogamous pairs.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Gobiodon multilineatus, the Multi-lined Coral Goby, is a very small marine coral goby of the Western Pacific. FishBase records it as a subtropical reef-associated species found among Acropora corals, with a monogamous mating system.
Taxonomy
- Family: Gobiidae
- Genus: Gobiodon
- Scientific name: Gobiodon multilineatus
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the Ryukyu Islands and the South China Sea, with a recent record from the Chesterfield Islands. It lives among Acropora colonies at depths of 8 to 66 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 3.5 cm
- Lifespan: 3-6 years
Diet
A carnivore. In the aquarium it accepts small meaty foods such as cyclops, enriched brine shrimp and finely chopped mysis, fed twice daily.
Compatibility
A peaceful species that forms monogamous pairs. It suits calm companions such as clownfish, cardinalfish and wrasses; lionfish and other predators should be avoided.
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).
Breeding Gobiodon multilineatus (Multi-lined Coral Goby)
Overview
Gobiodon multilineatus Wu, 1979 is a coral goby of the Western Pacific, recorded from the Ryukyu Islands, the South China Sea and the Chesterfield Islands. FishBase reports a maximum size of 3.5 cm TL across a depth range of 8-66 m and notes that the species is found among Acropora corals. Its breeding biology is documented at the level of the genus rather than for this species individually.
Sexing
Coral gobies are not reliably sexed by external features, and the genus exhibits bidirectional sex change. Research on Gobiodon describes sex change occurring in the direction needed to assemble a breeding pair, so a pair is best formed by introducing two compatible individuals and letting them resolve into male and female.
Conditioning
FishBase classifies the species' monogamy as both obligate and social. Conditioning relies on a stable reef with a healthy branching coral host and frequent small carnivorous feeds in line with an estimated trophic level of about 3.2; a secure host colony is central to maintaining the pair.
Breeding Setup
Provide a nano or small reef with stable chemistry and a single host colony per pair. The species' knowledge-base parameters are temperature 24-26 degrees C, pH 8.1-8.4 and moderate flow. Keeping one pair per colony avoids the conflict that follows when extra gobies crowd the same host.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
In Gobiodon, the size-matched pair attaches demersal eggs to the coral branch and the male guards them. No species-specific external trigger is on record for Gobiodon multilineatus; spawning depends on a secure, well-fed pair holding a healthy host coral.
Egg & Fry Care
The male tends and aerates the demersal clutch until hatching, and the emerging larvae are planktonic with no further parental care. No proven rearing protocol exists for the larvae of this species, which is the key barrier to captive propagation.
Common Challenges
- Forming a stable monogamous pair given obligate pairing and intolerance of extra conspecifics.
- Sustaining a living branching coral host as both shelter and spawning surface.
- Rearing planktonic larvae, with no documented feeding or settlement method for the species.