Banded gudgeon

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep this sleeper goby singly or as a single pair, not in a group, since adults hold territory and squabble with their own kind. It sits on the bottom near wood or a cave and darts out to grab food that passes. It is calm toward fish it cannot swallow, but it will eat anything small enough to fit in its mouth, so choose tankmates carefully and keep nothing tiny with it. Feed meaty foods such as bloodworm, small earthworms, brine shrimp, and sinking carnivore pellets; many individuals prefer live or frozen food over dried. A tank of about 112 liters with a soft bottom and plenty of cover suits one well.

In the wild

In the wild it lives in clear, slow streams and pools of southern New Guinea, holding station among roots, stones, and leaf litter. Recreate that with a soft sand or fine gravel bottom, driftwood, rockwork, and shaded spots it can retreat into. It is comfortable in warm water from about 22 to 28 C with near neutral to slightly alkaline chemistry, roughly pH 6.5 to 7.8. Steady filtration and regular water changes keep it in good condition.

Good to know

Mogurnda cingulata belongs to the sleeper goby family Eleotridae and is one of several banded, spotted gudgeons from New Guinea, reaching about 12 centimeters. It is a substrate spawner with real parental care: the male cleans a hard surface, the female lays a batch of sticky eggs on it, and the male then fans and guards the clutch until it hatches a few days later. That habit makes it a rewarding if predatory project fish, and its breeding is rated medium in difficulty.

Did you know

Despite the sleepy family name, these are alert, aware fish. A settled banded gudgeon soon learns to link its keeper with feeding and will come to the front glass to watch the room, behaving more like a small cichlid than a goby.

Common questions

Related species

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