TankBud

Blue-spot goby cichlid

Spathodus erythrodon

Also known as Burundi goby cichlid, Red-tooth goby cichlid

FreshwaterFish

Blue-spot goby cichlid (Spathodus erythrodon)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
7.8–9.0
Adult size
3.3 in
8.5 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Lake Tanganyika, northern surf zone

Overview

The blue-spot goby cichlid is a goby-like cichlid from Lake Tanganyika that hops and clings across rock rather than swimming freely. It suits experienced keepers with a hard-water tank and strong flow.

Did you know

Goby cichlids have a much reduced swim bladder, so they cannot hover in open water and hop along the bottom instead. That loss is an advantage in the surge zone, where a fish with normal buoyancy would be tossed off the rocks by the waves.

Caring for the blue-spot goby cichlid

Keep blue-spot goby cichlids as a bonded pair, or as a small group in a larger tank so a pair can form. Give them at least 29 gal (110 L), with a floor of rounded cobble and stones. Use powerheads for strong flow and good surface agitation, and bright light to grow algae.

Keep the water hard and alkaline at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C), with a pH of 7.8 to 9.0. Its diet is largely algae and tiny invertebrates, so feed a low-protein, vegetable-based menu. Offer spirulina flake and the odd frozen cyclops. Avoid rich meaty foods, which trigger bloat.

The blue-spot goby cichlid is mild mannered but territorial in a small space, so give it its own rockwork. Pick calm tank mates with the same need for hard water and high oxygen.

Breeding is hard. It is a biparental mouthbrooder, and the female carries the eggs for around two weeks. She then passes the young to the male, who broods them until they are free swimming.

Good to know

Spathodus erythrodon is one of the goby cichlids, in the family Cichlidae. Its stout body, high-set eyes and underslung mouth for grazing rock are adaptations to turbulent shallows.

In the wild

Spathodus erythrodon lives in the top meter or two of Lake Tanganyika's northern shoreline, where waves break over rock and cobble. The water there is very hard, alkaline and rich in oxygen.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The blue-spot goby cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a blue-spot goby cichlid need?

A blue-spot goby cichlid needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a blue-spot goby cichlid need?

A blue-spot goby cichlid is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 7.8–9.0.

What does a blue-spot goby cichlid eat?

A blue-spot goby cichlid eats mostly algae and tiny invertebrates. Feed it a low-protein, vegetable-based menu such as spirulina flake, with the odd frozen cyclops, and skip rich meaty foods.

How big does a blue-spot goby cichlid get?

An adult blue-spot goby cichlid reaches about 3.3 in (8.5 cm).

How does a blue-spot goby cichlid breed?

A blue-spot goby cichlid is a biparental mouthbrooder. The female carries the eggs for around two weeks, then passes the young to the male until they swim free. Breeding it is hard.

Related species