Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobiodon citrinus)
The Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobiodon citrinus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Citron Clown Goby, Clown Goby, Citron Goby, Poison Goby, or Yellow Coral Goby is native to the Indian Ocean.
In the Indo-West Pacific, their range extends from the Red Sea south to Delagoa Bay, Mozambique on the coast of Africa and east to Samoa, north to southern Japan, and south to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Gobiodon citrinus are common among the coral reefs of Sri Lanka and the Coral Sea.
The Citrinis Clown Goby is a reef dwelling species that inhabits the coral rich areas of the lagoons and outer reefs of their range where they live among the branches of stony corals at depths from 3 to over 65 feet.
Gobiodon citrinus are frequently observed sitting alone or in pairs among the branches of Acropora corals and are believed to have a loose symbiotic relationship with them by controlling detrimental pests like Acropora eating flatworms, which can adversely affect the health of the corals. In the wild, they lay their eggs on the undersides of Acropora coral branches which causes some tissue recession on the corals.
Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobiodon citrinus)
The Citrinis Clown Goby is a peaceful species that has a variable body color from bright yellow, to yellowish green, to an almost black dark brown with two vertical blue lines through the eyes and another two behind the head at the gills, and a horizontal blue line that runs along the base of the dorsal fin. They have a small dark spot on the upper pectoral base. Males and females are indistinguishable and produce a toxic mucus.
The Citrinis Clown Goby is a hardy species that can adapt to a variety of tank conditions however they are best housed in a mature reef or FOWLR aquarium of at least 20 gallon capacity, with a sandy or fine gravel substrate, plenty of aged live rock for them to hide and graze upon and stable water conditions.
Although the Citrinis Clown Goby is considered reef safe, they may nip at the polyps or bases of Acropora sp. and potentially other SPS corals. In a large reef aquarium heavily stocked with colonies of polyp corals and other soft corals, the Citrinis Clown Goby usually presents no problem as they enjoy swimming and hiding amongst the polyps.
Gobiodon citrinus are rarely aggressive towards other fish species but will fight with its on kind in smaller tanks. They trive when housed with other peaceful species or in small groups in large established reef aquariums.
Citrinus Clown Gobies readily spawn in an aquarium environment when kept in a pair or in small groups. The female lays her eggs in a crevice or on the underside of a coral branch where the male guards them until they hatch out. Because of their small size and specific feeding requirements, the tiny planktonic larvae are extremely difficult to raise into adulthood.
In their natural habitat, Citrinus Clown Gobies feed on mucous polyps of Acropora sp., flatworms, small invertebrates, and zooplankton. In a mature aquarium environment with plenty of live rock, they will eagerly consume a variety of live and frozen foods including brine shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp, chopped table shrimp, and commercially prepared frozen carnivore foods.
The Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobiodon citrinus) is available to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as wild caught specimens from a variety of online retailers, wholesalers, and transhippers at the following approximate purchase sizes: Small: 1/4″ to 3/4″; Medium: 3/4″ to 1-1/4″ ; Large: 1-1/4″ to 2″. Prices for medium size Sri Lanka specimens range from $43.99 to $ 69.99.
Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobiodon citrinus)
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Aquarium Type: Reef or FOLR
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful to Midly Aggressive
Aquarium Hardiness: Hardy
Water Conditions: 74-79° F, dKH 8 – 12°, pH 8.1–8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max size: 2.6″
Color Form: Blue, Tan, Yellow
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: Reef Safe
Origin: Western Pacific, Indian Ocean
Family: Gobiidae
Lifespan: 5-7 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Intermediate
