Poreless gudgeon

Care at a glance

Overview

Unlike its giant relatives, the poreless gudgeon is a peaceful dwarf that stays under about 5 centimeters, so it suits a quiet nano bottom rather than a predator tank. It can be kept singly or in a small group, and it mixes with tiny, gentle fish, but it is easily outcompeted at feeding time, so choose calm tankmates and make sure food reaches the floor. Offer small meaty foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and finely chopped frozen items, plus small sinking pellets. A planted tank of around 75 liters with fine substrate, leaf litter, and plenty of low cover keeps it confident.

In the wild

Oxyeleotris nullipora comes from weedy, slow waters of southern New Guinea and the far north of Australia, living in backwaters, small creeks, swamps, and lily lagoons over soft mud among dense plants. Recreate that with a heavily planted tank, soft substrate, leaf litter, and shade, with gentle filtration and little current. It likes warm, soft, slightly acidic to neutral water, about 24 to 28 C and roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5.

Good to know

Oxyeleotris nullipora is a sleeper goby of the family Eleotridae and, at only about 5 centimeters, the dwarf of a genus otherwise known for giants such as the marbled sleeper, which passes 40 centimeters and is farmed for food. Its species name refers to the reduction or loss of the sensory head pores that many relatives carry. In the wild the male guards eggs laid in a crevice, but it is essentially unrecorded as an aquarium breeder.

Did you know

This teacup-sized fish sits in the same genus as the marbled sleeper, a bottom-hugging predator that grows past 40 centimeters and is sold as food across Southeast Asia. Same genus, wildly different tank.

Common questions

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