Peacock Goby Compatibility

[Corleone]

I saw a goby at a LFS yesterday. It's quite a drive, so I only go there if I happen to be passing through the town, but I noticed what I thought was a peacock goby. I asked the guy on staff and he told me it came in labeled as a killifish and has been getting moved around tanks for a few months. He has a rounded head with a bit of a hump on it, so I'm pretty sure he's a male.

Anyway, I've seen mixed opinions on these guys in community tanks, and wanted to know if they were generally suitable or not. I was thinking of putting some pictures of them on my PDA and heading back there for a more positive ID after work.

 

[Colin_T]

If it's a peacock gudgeon from New Guinea then they grow to about 1 inch and are very peaceful. They often starve in a community tank but if they are housed with small peaceful fish they do really well. They are pretty hardy and tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. The males get the lumpy forehead, which is caused by fat build up and is used during the leaner time when food isn't as commonly available.

 

[Corleone]

He's definitely over an inch - a bit over two, I think. I've seen both 1 and 2.5 inches quoted as their size - are there two species with the same common name, or do they normally not get this large? I have him in a 10 gallon alone for now. His coloring is just like the peacock gobies in my books and online.

Either way, I really like him. I might not put him in my main community, just move him to my empty 20 and tailor tankmates around him instead.

 

[Colin_T]

they normally only get to an inch in length. If it is over 2 inches then it could be something else. That is the problem when using common names for fish. Different places use the same common name to describe different species. The fish I am talking about is called Tateurndina ocellicauda
there is a pic of it here

http/db.angfa.org.au/album.php?dir=fish&page=432

It also depends on who is measuring the fish. Some people include the tail and others don't. And like most fishermen, it was this (................................) big, honest it was

 

[Corleone]

2" was counting the tail. 1.5-1.75 without. I'm pretty bad at estimating, but he's about the size of my smaller danios, so he can't be far shy of two inches.

From that gallery, he looks most like the male in this picture, though his reds don't stand out as brightly.

 

[Colin_T]

if it is about the size of a zebra danio then that is pretty close to the correct size. Old fish will be a bit bigger than 1 inch so maybe the one you have is a year or two old.
I think the colour in the picture is a little enhanced although they do colour up well when they are happy. Most of the ones I have had don't show as much red either.

 

[Corleone]

Yep, about zebra danio size. He's probably close to a year old at least, he's apparently been bounced around tanks at the LFS since November or December while they figured out what he was and what he cost. At least I'm confident I know what I have now.

He'll be on his own for a few weeks, but I'm debating weather to try him in my main community or skip to plan B. He's eating blackworm quite well, and I've had good results getting that to fish that tend to lose out at feeding time in the past.