Yellow Clown Goby - (No Online Purchases)

The Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae) is a highly popular and adorable little marine fish, renowned for its vibrant solid yellow coloration and charming personality. They are an excellent choice for smaller reef tanks due to their size and generally peaceful nature.

Appearance:

• Coloration: As the name suggests, they are a striking, uniform bright yellow all over their body. Some individuals may have a very subtle whitish patch on their cheeks.
• Body Shape: They have a stocky, somewhat "chubby" body shape with a proportionally large head. Their pelvic fins are fused to form a suction cup, which allows them to perch firmly on corals, rocks, or even the glass.
• Size: One of the smallest marine aquarium fish.

Adult Size:

• Yellow Clown Gobies typically reach a maximum adult size of 1.5 to 2 inches (3.5 to 5 cm) in captivity.

Natural Habitat and Distribution:

• Found widely in the Western Pacific Ocean, from Southern Japan down to the Great Barrier Reef (relevant for Caboolture, Queensland), and across to Indonesia and other parts of Micronesia.
• They typically inhabit shallow, coral-rich reef areas, particularly among the branches of stony corals like Acropora and Pocillopora. They spend most of their time perched within or around these corals, from which they rarely stray.

Aquarium Care (Easy to Moderate Level):

• Minimum Tank Size: Due to their small size and sedentary nature, a minimum of 10 gallons (approximately 38 liters) is suitable for a single Yellow Clown Goby. For a pair or if housing with other small, peaceful fish, a 20-30 gallon (75-113 liters) or larger tank is preferable for stability and space.
• Water Parameters: Maintaining stable marine water conditions is important. They are relatively hardy but prefer consistency.
  • Temperature: 72-82°F (22-28°C)
  • Salinity: 1.020-1.025 specific gravity
  • pH: 8.1-8.4
  • Alkalinity (dKH): 8-12 dKH
  • Ammonia and nitrites must be 0 ppm. Nitrates should be kept below 20 ppm.
• Filtration: Standard aquarium filtration is sufficient. A good protein skimmer is always beneficial for a marine tank.
• Water Flow: Moderate water flow is suitable. They can hold their position even in decent currents thanks to their fused pelvic fins.
• Diet:
  • Carnivorous: In the wild, they feed on small invertebrates, copepods, worms, and some coral polyps.
  • In captivity, they generally adapt well to prepared foods, but being small and somewhat "fussy" eaters, ensure food is small enough for their mouths.
    • Small meaty frozen foods: Vitamin-enriched mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, cyclop-eeze.
    • Finely chopped quality seafood (e.g., clam).
    • High-quality marine pellets and flakes (some individuals may accept these).
  • Feed 2-3 times daily in small amounts. Ensure food reaches them, as they are not aggressive feeders and can be outcompeted by faster, larger tank mates.
• Temperament:
  • Peaceful: Yellow Clown Gobies are very peaceful towards most other fish species. They are excellent for community tanks and nano reefs.
  • Territorial (towards conspecifics): They can be territorial towards other Gobiodon species, especially in smaller tanks. It's generally best to keep a single specimen or a known mated pair. If introducing a pair, two juveniles often pair up, as they are hermaphroditic (can change sex as needed; the larger becomes female, the smaller male).
  • They use their body slime as a mild defence mechanism against predators.
• Reef Compatibility: Reef safe with caution. While generally considered reef safe, there's a caveat.
  • They are known to perch on and occasionally nip at the polyps of stony corals, particularly SPS corals like Acropora.
  • If they spawn (which they can do in captivity, laying eggs on the underside of coral branches), the female will clear a small patch of coral tissue for the eggs, causing temporary recession.
  • For the most part, this nipping is minor and usually does not cause significant damage to healthy, established corals, especially if the goby is well-fed. Many reef keepers successfully house them.
• Tank Setup:
  • Provide plenty of live rock with caves and crevices for hiding and establishing perching spots.
  • If keeping SPS corals, especially Acropora, they will love to perch within the branches.
  • A tight-fitting lid is essential as gobies are known to jump when startled.
• Disease Susceptibility: Generally hardy. Good water quality and a proper diet will keep them healthy.
• Acclimation: Slow and careful drip acclimation is always recommended.
• Quarantine: Recommended for new arrivals to observe for health issues and ensure they are eating well.

The Yellow Clown Goby is a delightful and cheerful addition to almost any peaceful marine aquarium. Its vibrant colour, small size, and entertaining perching behaviour make it a favourite, especially for nano reef enthusiasts, provided the slight risk of coral nipping is understood.