Poison Goby (Gobiodon citrinus)

Poison Goby Gobiodon citrinus
Name	Poison Goby
Name Lat.	Gobiodon citrinus
Synonym	Gobius citrinus
Family	Gobies
Family lat.	Gobiidae
Order	Gobies
Order lat.	Gobiiformes
Origin	Indo-West Pacific
Habitat	Coral reefs
Diet	Planktivore
pH	8.1-8.4
Hardness	8-10 °KH
Behavior	Peaceful
Keeping	Pair with stony corals
Reef Compatible	Yes
Care Level	Easy
Life Span	5-8 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	6 cm
Temperature	22-28 °C
Salinity	33-36 ‰
Aquarium	~ 200 l
US Units
Size	2.4"
Temperature	72-82 °F
Salinity	1.020-1.025 sg
Aquarium	~ 50 gal

Distribution and habitat

Gobiodon citrinus are distributed from the Red Sea and tropical Indian Ocean to the Great Barrier Reef and Samoa in the Western Pacific. They live in the coral reefs of lagoons and reef slopes protected from strong surf, where they usually stay in pairs or in larger colonies in the branches of stony corals.

Maintenance

The aquarium should have a reef structure with living stones that act as a biological filter and stony corals (Acropora spp.) that serve as hiding places, resting places and retreats. Only calcareous, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand of various grain sizes may be used as substrate.

To ensure water quality, filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swells and bottom currents. Lighting must correspond to the species-appropriate day-night rhythm of the animals

Salinity: 33-36 ‰	pH value: 8.1-8.4
Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH	Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l
phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l	nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l

For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to constantly good water quality.

Diet

In nature they feed mainly on zooplankton. The feed change usually succeeds without problems. The food supply should consist of a combination of live and frozen food, such as small mysis, artemia, bosmids and cyclops, with chopped shrimp and crab meat or a commercially available, vitamin-enriched, frozen food mix for planktivores. High-quality flake and granulated food is also often accepted after an acclimation period

It is recommended to feed small portions several times a day. Regular and varied feeding promotes health and increases resistance.

Behaviour and compatibility

They live in the branches of stony corals (Acropora spp.) and can be kept singly or in pairs if the stony coral population is sufficient. To avoid territorial disputes, they should be introduced into the aquarium at the same time. Socialization with other peaceful fish is well possible.

Sex dimorphism

They are probably simultaneous hermaphrodites (simultaneous hermaphrodites) whose role distribution is determined by the respective dominance status. The larger, dominant animal always has male status

Reproduction and breeding

They form monogamous breeding pairs. Before laying eggs, the female removes the polyp tissue from the coral on a small area. Then she lays the eggs on the bare coral skeleton and the male guards the clutch. The tissue of the coral grows back under good conditions

Important

They wait on the branch ends of their living corals for passing plankton and retreat between the coral branches in case of danger. Weak corals cannot permanently survive the harassment as well as the damage during nest building

If different species are kept together, care must be taken to ensure that the fish match each other in terms of water quality and temperature requirements, as well as their social behavior, and that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. Newly introduced fish must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Lucie Schiemer; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: BAENSCH & DEBELIUS (1997): Meerwasseratlas, Bd. 1, Mergus Verlag ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF