I got a yellow clown goby not to long ago, and i just wanted to make a thread about these guys. Also anyone is welcome to share pics or stories of these guys. Also this thread can be used for some questions and answers.

Basic Care

Clown Gobies are curious little fish great for beginners. They are in the Gobiidae family, but dont usually stay near the bottom of the tank or in the sand bed like most gobies. They are perching fish, and will perch on a variety or corals. They use their suction-cup like fins to hang on to corals, rocks, or the glass. They prefer a tank with a lot of areas they can perch on. They are peaceful to most fish except to their own kind. it is not reccomended to put 2 in the same aquarium, but it is possible.

Diet

Their Diet should include the usual for healthy fish, frozen mysis, blood worms or brine. However, sometimes the food is too big and they require small pieces of food like Cyclop-eeze. Some have been seen eating pods. A down side is that they will pick at SPS polyps. This is a habit that is very difficult to get them out of. If you catch yours eating some SPS polyps, just flick them away. Some usually starve in tanks if they are used to feeding on SPS only, and arent accustomed to basic aquarium foods. However, they are really easy to get eating prepared foods.

An ill-fed clown goby, taken by mkriegal. It soon started eating prepared foods after this pic.

Breeding

Breeding clown gobies is very rare in aquariums, but once in a while they will lay eggs in acro stalks and protect them there. Eventually the eggs will hatch the the fry will swim off. Thats the time to collect them if you want to raise them, and my guess is to feed them rotifers until they are big enough to eat brine shrimp

The Species

Yellow Clown Goby


Pic by Lalani

Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Green Clown Goby


Pic by pismo_reefer

Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Green, Orange, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae


Brown or Rusty Clown Goby


http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+156&pcatid=156

User Pics Wanted, PM


Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Black, Red, Tan
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Citron Clown Goby


http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1926+161&pcatid=161

User Pic Wanted, PM

Minimum Tank Size: 5 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size: 2"
Color Form: Blue, Tan, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Black Clown Goby


Pic by pismo_reefer
Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Black
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Panda (Clown) Goby


http://liveaquaria.com/product/detailed_image.cfm?pCatId=2230

User Pic Wanted, PM

Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Black, White, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Red Clown Goby


http://www.aquacon.com/blennies_saltwaterfish.html
User Picture Wanted, Please PM

Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Red
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Black and White


https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=2139&cid=18
User Picture Wanted, Please PM

Minimum Tank Size: 2 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Black, White
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae

Painted Clown Goby


Pic by noirsphynx


Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Max. Size: 1½"
Color Form: Yellow, Red, Green
Diet: Carnivore
Family: Gobiidae


Videos

Yellow Clown Goby on Monti Cap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4zPH_Oxd40
Yellow Clown Goby Swimming/Perching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMbhcXkf9A8...feature=related
Yellow Clown Goby Eating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB8bnVPRaWU...feature=related
Green Clown Goby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyv2QRnTBvs
Yellow Clown Goby with Xenia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTZJOUL040I



Helpful Article

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/hcs3/index.php

Where to Buy
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquariu...s.cfm?c=15+2124
http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productlist...id=1&cid=18
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/infoL3...34/category.web

If you wish for me to add anything, please feel free to PM me!!

boo!

wow. nice thread! i used to have a YCG, but now its MIA

i do love them though!

Hey clownfish! havent seen you in a while!! hows the pico going?

and thanks!!

Great thread. I'll post pics of my gcb later.

Thanks!!

Nanobuds is COOL !

lol thanks a lot man!!

that is perfect for a sig quote.

All Hail Nanobuds!!!

lol ... nice thread! Although I don't have any YCG in my tank ... it would probably get lost.

Hai David!

yeah, it would get lost in your tank lol. However, i doubt it will ever starve

HAHAHA yeah. I had to switch computers to find some pics. And very cool thread.

A nice article on clown gobies:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/hcs3/index.php

Here is my YCG.

Mine went carpet surfing. >.<

little piglet did?

Yup, he was a lil crispy.

Awesome thread, I'll post pics of my lil guy soon. I love clown gobies, they are great.

I was going to pick one of these up today, but it was swimming sideways and up and down vertically.

Is that normal for these fish?

i see mine do this up and down the glass, looking a spot to perch on the glass. it it swims like that in open water, then i dont think that is good. when the swim they dart from place to place, occasionally hovering.





Thanks!

more pics of my YCG:





srry for the dirty glass... forgot to clean that part before taking pics :/

No worries, not the first we seen dirty glass. That pic with the ric is cool. I had a ric in a spot for the YCG to perch and the hermitt knocked it off, and now its stickin to a rock,finally...

ha ha cool.
thanks

Hi all. I'm setting up my BC14 again (tore it down when I set up my 75 gallon) and it's cycling now. Was wondering if I could keep 2 of these guys in a BC14 - the only other fish would be a False Perc?

Or - would one of these guys get along with a yellow watchman? they have both at the LFS and I like them both.

sorry if I shouldn't post this question here, i'm new to these forums. Thanks.

You'll have to forgive picture quality. I got a new camera and I'm still learning how to take pictures of moving objects. If they'd only pose for the camera, then it would make things a whole lot easier.

its fine to post here! Only get 2 clown gobies if they are already paired up, or they will fight. Yellow clowns gobies are peaceful to other fish and will to fine with the perc and watchman.



umm... This is a clown goby thread... Not a clown thread...

lol

hope you don't mind me asking questions in here about the clown gobies. Is it all clown goby types that have the habit of chewing on sps polyps or just the yellow clown type? I have a birdsnest and monti cap in my 3 gallon, and if I ever do add a fish later on it'll definately be a clown goby, just want to know what I'm in for if I do add one.

Thanks!

OK - thanks for the info Nanobuds. Can't wait 'till the tank is ready so I can post my own pics!

No, it isn't just the yellow clown goby (gobiodon okinawae). In the wild, many of them live in SPS colonies, feed on the polyps, and even make nests on the branches. You may get an individual that doesn't eat your sps, but it is unlikely.

Heres mine:



I got him a week ago. He is eating frozen food, which is good because I heard they were picky.

Is it correct that two clown gobies (of different colors) would not do well together in a 29Gal tank?

Here are two pictures of mine

yes it is



nice goby!!

vids and panda goby added

Random shots of Lemonade!

ha ha hes cool

Never thought I'd say this
but
Good job nanobuds!

My YCG jumped a few days ago

oh no... that sucks

thanks though...

QUOTE (GiantBen @ May 9 2009, 08:55 PM) *
Is it correct that two clown gobies (of different colors) would not do well together in a 29Gal tank? "





I have a YCG, GCG, and BCG (w/ red face, hes different lol) all in the same 10g, and there is no fighting of any kind. It was quite funny actually upon adding the latest additions, which are the GCG and the black one. I add them both after acclimating for a bit, and the YCG, Carl, has been in the tank for quite some time, first fish in it ever, and he checks both them out upon their entering. So like, the green goby goes to a rock in the middle and is just chilling, getting used to things, and Carl being the very caring goby that he is swims and perches right beside him, and begins scooting closer and closer, little by little, until he is basically cuddling haha. So naturally, the gcg moved , but still it was neat.

I realize I could be the exception and not the rule, but I have no issues of my different gobies together in the same tank.

Its fairly new, but i havent seen the YCG bite at it, but it has a hiding spot on it for sure and stays there in the dark.




and before the Monti, it liked sittin on a ric.

Some pics of mine:

hanging out on a goni frag


perching on some blue devils


eating a bloodworm...yeah I added the bubbles.

I'll post pics of mine tonight.. hes beginning to fatten up some.


ddelallata: what is he/she perched on? I don't know much about SPS

Getting a green clown goby this week for the work pico! Can't wait!

awesome!!!

keep the pics coming!!



ha ha i lol'd

Here are pictures of my former YCG. He did great in my 24g, but didn't make it long when I transferred everything to my current 75g.





(Can click on the pictures for larger sizes)

aww that sucks... well he looked happy in those pics!!

Here is mine in my new pico... he's still a little shy...



And extra large clickable



Also, I had a problem with him not eating flake.. took half a clove of garlic and put it in a shotglass of rinsed frozen brine, that got him eating and hes starting to nibble on flake. Also, everyone loves live brine shrimp, fresh from the hatchery!

sweet!

well, my little guy has been bad lately. he has been munching on 2 montiporas, and they arent looking too happy. so i ordered a 3 gallon pico, and in he will go with 3 sexy shrimp and 3 bumblebee shrimp.

I love these little fish. I've had no luck with the unfortunately as my first one went carpet surfacing and the second one never started eating...

heres a pic of one of em before it died...