Shelldwelling clown goby

Mugilogobius adeia

Also known as Matano shell goby

FreshwaterFish

Shelldwelling clown goby (Mugilogobius adeia) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 1.8 in (4.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Matano, Sulawesi
Family: Oxudercidae

Overview

This is a tiny bottom-dwelling goby from a single Sulawesi lake, and it does best in a hard, alkaline setup built around empty snail shells. It is a social fish that appreciates its own kind, so keep a small group and give each one a cluster of narrow shells or caves to claim as a home base. Temperament is mostly peaceful, so choose calm tankmates that share its warm hardwater needs and will not outcompete it at the floor; it may eat very small shrimp or fry, so pick shrimp with care. Feed small meaty foods such as frozen bloodworm, baby brine shrimp, and fine sinking items. A tank of around 54 liters suits a small group.

In the wild

Mugilogobius adeia is found only in Lake Matano, an ancient, exceptionally clear lake on Sulawesi, where it shelters among the empty shells of Tylomelania snails. The lake water is warm and alkaline, so aim for 24 to 28 degrees Celsius and a pH of 7.5 to 8.5, kept stable and hard. Recreate the habitat with a sand floor, scattered rock, and clusters of snail or escargot shells that give the fish tight caves to occupy and spawn in.

Good to know

This is a member of Oxudercidae, the goby family, and it stays small at about 4.5 centimeters. It is a shell specialist: rather than digging, it uses the empty gastropod shells that litter parts of the lake bed as shelter and spawning sites. Unlike Lake Tanganyika's shell-dwelling cichlids it is not an obligate cave spawner and will also lay eggs on open surfaces, but there is no record of the species being raised to maturity in captivity, since the larvae are very small and hard to feed.

Did you know

Lake Tanganyika is famous for cichlids that breed inside snail shells, and this goby is Sulawesi's independent answer to the same idea, moving into Tylomelania shells on the far side of the world.

Tank mates

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