Peacock gudgeon

Tateurndina ocellicauda

Also known as Peacock goby

FreshwaterFish

Peacock gudgeon (Tateurndina ocellicauda) — Dirk Godlinski · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F; 22–26°C
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 3 in; 7.5 cm
Minimum tank: 20 gal; 75 L

Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Cave spawner · Hard
Rarity: Very rare
Family: Eleotridae
Origin: New Guinea

Overview

The peacock gudgeon is a small, gentle, colorful sleeper goby that hovers in the middle of a planted tank rather than hugging the floor. It suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

The peacock gudgeon's species name, ocellicauda, means eye-tailed. It refers to the dark, eye-like spot near the base of the tail. That false eye may help draw a predator's attention away from the real head.

Caring for the peacock gudgeon

A tank of at least 20 gal (75 L) comfortably holds a group of peacock gudgeons. Plant it densely, and add driftwood, leaf litter, shaded spots and small caves or pipes. That cover helps them feel secure enough to show their colors.

Keep the water soft, warm and calm, at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Use gentle filtration rather than strong current. Clean, stable water and small, regular water changes keep it at its best.

The peacock gudgeon prefers small foods and can be shy of dry flake. Offer frozen and live bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp, with fine micro pellets as a supplement.

Keep a group of five or more, where males stake out little cave territories and display to each other without real harm. The peacock gudgeon is calm, so it matches well with other peaceful nano fish. Dwarf shrimp too large to be eaten are a good match as well.

Males grow larger than females and develop a raised nuchal hump on the forehead. The peacock gudgeon is a cave spawner, and the female attaches fifty to a hundred eggs to the roof of a cave. The male drives her out, then fans and guards the clutch until it hatches. Breeding is possible but hard, since the newly hatched fry are tiny and need very small live foods to get started.

Good to know

The peacock gudgeon is a member of Eleotridae, the sleeper gobies. As a sleeper, its pelvic fins are separate rather than joined into the sucker of true gobies. It is also sold as the peacock goby.

In the wild

The peacock gudgeon comes from eastern Papua New Guinea. It lives in slow, shady rainforest streams, pools and creeks with soft, slightly acidic water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The peacock gudgeon is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. 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 peacock gudgeon need?

A peacock gudgeon needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a peacock gudgeon need?

A peacock gudgeon is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a peacock gudgeon eat?

A peacock gudgeon prefers small foods and can be shy of dry flake. Feed it frozen and live bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp, plus fine micro pellets.

How big does a peacock gudgeon get?

An adult peacock gudgeon reaches about 3 in (7.5 cm).

How can you tell a male peacock gudgeon from a female?

Males grow larger than females and develop a raised nuchal hump on the forehead.

How does a peacock gudgeon breed?

Peacock gudgeons spawn in caves, where the female attaches fifty to a hundred eggs to the roof. The male drives her out and guards the clutch until it hatches. The tiny fry need very small live foods, so breeding them is hard.