1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful but shy; males are mildly territorial.
346 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful but shy; males are mildly territorial. Keep in pairs or small groups with peaceful tankmates.
Frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp, small live foods and sinking pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Mature males are more colourful, a little larger and develop a forehead (nuchal) hump; females have a yellow belly. In young fish most females have a dark bar along the edge of the anal fin, which most males lack.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner (male guards) · Easy
Cave spawner: the female lays eggs on the cave roof, then the male alone guards and fans them until they hatch.
A pair or small group.
A 60 L tank with caves, flowerpots or bamboo tubes.
Warm water and live food.
About 30 eggs per spawning, attached to the cave roof by threads; FishBase gives hatching in about 6 days.
Feed infusoria, then baby brine shrimp.
A small, colourful sleeper from Papua New Guinea's rainforest streams, named for the eye-spot on its tail (ocellicauda). Not a true goby. One of the smallest and prettiest of its family and a good planted-community fish; listed Vulnerable by IUCN.
John Treadwell Nichols described this sleeper goby in 1955. Its blue-violet body, red spots and eye-spot on the tail made it a popular aquarium fish once captive breeding began. Males guard eggs laid in caves.
First described by John Treadwell Nichols in 1955. Named for 'ocellicauda' means 'eye-spotted tail'.
15 facts checked with sources
Valid name. Catalog of Fishes habitat: freshwater only. Despite the trade name 'peacock goby', it is a sleeper/gudgeon (Eleotridae), not a true goby.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Tateurndina ocellicauda · FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeonLegacy had no family field.
FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeon · Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)FishBase 7.5 cm TL (total length); Seriously Fish lists 75 mm and labels it SL, but it is the same figure and likely the same TL record. Legacy 7 cm is close.
FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeon · Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)Seriously Fish matches; FishBase gives only an upper limit of 7.0.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby) · FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeonLegacy had no hardness; value is new. Seriously Fish says it prefers soft, slightly acidic water.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby) · FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeon45 x 30 x 30 cm = 40,500 cm³ = ~41 L. Legacy 60 L is more generous than the sourced minimum.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)Squabbles among themselves are mostly displaying and flaring.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)Lives near the bottom, hovering just above it, and spawns in caves.
FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeonSeriously Fish difficulty rating Easy.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)Legacy had no range field; 'about' says Papua New Guinea, which agrees.
FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeon · Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)Legacy cues agree; 'slimmer' is not stated in sources.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)FishBase (Allen 1991) supports the legacy count and hatch time. Seriously Fish gives a much shorter 24-48 h, which conflicts; fry free-swim 2-4 days later per Seriously Fish.
FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeon · Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby)Legacy claims agree. Seriously Fish adds they are good jumpers, so a tight lid is needed.
Seriously Fish: Tateurndina ocellicauda (Peacock Goby) · FishBase: Tateurndina ocellicauda, Peacock gudgeon