Are you looking for a unique and beautiful community tank fish? Maybe the peacock Gudgeon is the fish for you! Peacock Gudgeons are also called Peacock Goby’s, but they aren’t actual Goby’s.

Peacock Gudgeon overview

The Peacock Gudgeon is a colourful and peaceful fish, that you don’t see that often in the tanks of other hobbyist.

English name: Peacock Gudgeon / Peacock Goby

Scientific name: Tateurndina ocellicauda

Distribution: Papua New Guinea

Habitat:

It inhabits lowland streams, ponds and rivers to the East of the island. It’s most commonly found in rainforests, where it swims in loose shoals.

Size: 3″ (7.5cm).

Aquarium size

The Peacock Goby is a good option for nano tanks, because the minimal tank size for a couple is 45cm x 30cm x 30cm (18″ x 12″ x 12″). They prefer to have a lot of hiding spots and like to have some vegetation floating at the surface, this make them feel more secure. It is also a good idea to have a darker substration. So good news for the ADA Amazonia fans.

Just like any other fish, it’s important to have good filtration and clean water. They don’t like a strong flow though, so keep this in mind. I use a Oase Filtrosmart 100 thermo for my Peacock goby’s with the flow turned down. Read my review of the Oase Filtrosmart here! https://aquariumkid.com/2020/01/16/oase-filtrosmart-100-thermo-review/

Water conditions

Like I said before, it’s important to have good filtration, besides a good filtration system there are some other important things to be aware of.

PH: 6.5-7.5

Water Hardness: 5-10°H

Water temperature: 22-26°C (72-79°F)

Peacock Goby diet

Peacock Goby’s are not picky eaters, so flake or dried food will do. They do prefer live or frozen food like Bloodworms and Daphnia though, so it is a good idea to mix their diet up from time to time. Giving life food also makes them more active.

Reproduction

Male Peacock’s tend to be more colourful, particularly when it’s time to spawn. Males are also a little bit larger than females.

Peacock Goby’s are not super hard to breed. It is essential to have the right water conditions. They tend to lay their eggs in ‘caves’, so it’s important to mimic a cave for them to lay their eggs. A plastic tube will provide. I also recommend to add some plants next to the cave to add some extra cover.

The best way to find a breeding pair, is to buy a small group 6-9 and let them breed naturally.