Blue-spot goby cichlid

Spathodus erythrodon

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

FreshwaterFish

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
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Tanganyika, northern surf zone
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is a goby-like Tanganyikan cichlid that lives on the bottom of the wave-washed shallows, hopping and clinging across rock rather than swimming freely. Keep it as a bonded pair, or a small group in a larger tank so a pair can form, over a floor of rounded cobble with strong flow. It is mild-mannered but territorial in a small space, so give it its own rockwork and pick calm tankmates that share its hard-water, high-oxygen needs. Its diet is largely algae and tiny invertebrates, so feed a low-protein, vegetable-based menu such as spirulina flake and the odd frozen cyclops, and avoid rich meaty foods that trigger bloat. A tank of around 110 liters or more with brisk water movement suits it.

In the wild

Spathodus erythrodon lives in the top meter or two of Lake Tanganyika's northern shoreline, in the surge zone where waves break over rock and cobble. That water is very hard, alkaline, and oxygen-rich. Recreate it with a bed of rounded stones, strong flow from powerheads, good surface agitation, and bright light to grow algae, holding 24 to 27 C and a pH of 7.8 to 9.0.

Good to know

Spathodus erythrodon belongs to the cichlid family and reaches about 8.5 centimeters. It is one of the goby cichlids, adapted to turbulent shallows with a stout body, high-set eyes, and an underslung mouth for grazing rock. Breeding is hard: it is a biparental mouthbrooder, the female carrying the eggs for around two weeks and then passing the young to the male, who broods them until they are free-swimming.

Did you know

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

Tank mates

Blue-spot goby cichlid is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.