Purple spotted gudgeon

Care at a glance

Overview

The purple spotted gudgeon is a sturdy, bottom-oriented fish that is best kept singly or as a single compatible pair, since it is territorial with its own kind and will eat smaller fish and shrimp. Toward larger, robust tankmates it is fairly easygoing, so pick companions it cannot swallow and that will not bully it. It hunts meaty prey and largely ignores flake, so feed frozen and live foods such as bloodworms, prawn, earthworms, and small invertebrates. Give it a soft floor, driftwood, rockwork, and caves to claim as territory, along with a secure lid, as it can be a jumper. A tank of 150 liters or larger gives one fish or a pair enough room.

In the wild

The purple spotted gudgeon is widespread across northern and eastern Australia and southern New Guinea, living in rivers, creeks, billabongs, and still floodplain pools, often among rocks, roots, and plants. It suits warm to subtropical conditions, about 20 to 26 °C, and neutral water near pH 6.5 to 7.5. Set up a tank with a sandy floor, plenty of rock and wood to form caves and boundaries, and some planting, with gentle flow and clean, well-oxygenated water. Being adaptable, it copes with a range of hardness as long as extremes are avoided.

Good to know

The purple spotted gudgeon belongs to Eleotridae, the sleeper gobies, and is one of the larger members kept by hobbyists, reaching around 20 cm. Like other sleepers, it has separate pelvic fins rather than the fused sucker of true gobies. It is a substrate spawner: the male cleans a flat rock or log, the female lays a batch of small sticky eggs on it, and the male then fans and guards them until they hatch. Getting a settled pair and raising the fry takes patience, so breeding rates as challenging even though the spawning itself is straightforward.

Did you know

Purple spotted gudgeons are named for the rows of small red and purple spots scattered over the head and body, which glow more strongly when a male is in breeding condition and guarding his eggs.

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