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Tag: yellow

  • Citrinis Clown Goby – Complete Care Guide

    Citrinis Clown Goby – Complete Care Guide

    The Citron Goby, sometimes called the Citrinis Clown Goby, or Citrin Goby, is a beautiful yellow and blue saltwater fish. They’re small fish that will only grow to about 2 inches. They are generally very peaceful and should not bother other fish in the aquarium, but they may fight amongst themselves. Citrin Gobies will often sit motionless on rocks, glass, and sand beds for minutes to hours. This article will go deeper into this Clown Goby’s aquarium requirements, dietary needs, tank mates, and more.

    Aquarium Requirements

    Due to their small size, a Citrin Goby can be kept in a 10-gallon aquarium, but I would recommend at least a 20-gallon aquarium. Unlike many species of goby, this one does not sift sand but instead hangs out on rockwork, coral, glass, and other hard surfaces. A lot of live rock of varying sizes is recommended for keeping these fish. Sometimes it is hard to find at your local fish store, so consider checking some out Live Rock on Amazon. I also recommend purchasing a well-fitted lid for your aquarium because Clown Gobies can jump out.

    Water Paramaters

    Most animals kept in captivity, do best when you mimic their natural habitat in their enclosure. The same stands for the Clown Goby. Providing them with proper water parameters will help them live a long and happy life. Their water parameters are similar to most saltwater fish, which are listed below.

    • Water Temperature: 72°-78° F
    • dKH: 8 – 12
    • pH: 8.1 – 8.4
    • Salinity: 1.020 – 1.025 sg

    Consider getting a High Range pH and KH test kit to test for pH & dKH. Keeping your temperature between 72° and 78° can be accomplished with a heater. Take a look at my guide which showcases some great aquarium heaters. Lastly, I would pick up a Refractometer from Amazon to keep an eye on your salinity levels. If calibrated correctly, refractometers are much more accurate compared to a hydrometer which loses accuracy due to salt buildup on the dial. Check out Different Salinity Reading Tools For Saltwater Fish Tanks to get an idea of other salinity testing devices available.

    Is The Citrin Goby Reef Safe?

    For the most part, the Citrin Goby is reef safe. However, stony coral can be in danger of this fish when it is breeding. This goby species lay its eggs on the underside of branches of SPS coral. This can cause the tissue of the SPS coral to recede. Their favorite to do this with is Acropora, but many species of stony coral are not safe. They should be fine with soft coral and most invertebrates.

    Food & Diet

    This species of fish is carnivorous. Their diet should match what they consume in the wild. It is best to feed Citrin Gobies Brine Shrimp, Mysis Shrimp, and other types of protein-rich foods. My personal preference is thawed frozen fish food, but freeze-dried food can work as well. Also, I recommend providing Clown Gobies with high-quality flake food such as the New Life Spectrum All Purpose Flakes, and protein-rich pellet food like the New Life Spectrum Marine Formula, to provide a variety and cover more nutritional bases.

    Tank Mates

    The Citrin Goby will do well with most friendly saltwater fish species. I would recommend them with Dwarf Angels, Tangs, Foxfaces, Clownfish, Rabbitfish, Basslets, Blennies, Chromis, and much more. I would be weary of keeping them with large fish, and fish with large mouths, like Anglers, Groupers, Eels, and others. They can make lunch out of this fish very easily. Also, Citrin Gobies are often peaceful, but other fish may be territorial around rockwork. Be aware that they may get picked on when entering other fish’s territory.

    In appropriately sized aquariums (minimum 40 gallons), small groups of Clown Gobies can be kept together. If you’re keeping the same species, I would recommend 2 or 4 individuals so they can pair off. I do not recommend odd numbers because one of the groups will likely get bullied, stressed, and even killed. Keep in mind that if you keep more than one in your aquarium, there’s a chance that they will breed and wreak havoc on your SPS coral.

    Breeding

    If you have a breeding pair of Clown Gobies in your aquarium, they may spawn on their own without any human intervention. However, getting the eggs to successfully hatch and grow into adulthood will be the bigger challenge. Especially when many other opportunistic fish are waiting to eat the eggs. I do not personally have experience breeding this species, but here is a forum post on Marine Breeding Initiative that archives the process someone took to get eggs to hatch.

    Final Notes

    Citrinis Clown Gobies are unique-looking fish with an interesting personality. It’s incredibly fun watching them perch on rocks and corals waiting for food to come their way. Their leisurely and peaceful personalities make them excellent candidates for community saltwater fish tanks. However, be cautious because they may mess with your Acroporas and other SPS corals. If you’re not sold on the Citrinis Clown Goby, check out other species of saltwater fish for your aquarium.

  • Bicolor Dottyback – Complete Care Guide

    Bicolor Dottyback Facts

    The Bicolor Dottyback (Pictichromis paccagnellae) is a beautiful saltwater fish that is half yellow and half purple. The vibrant coloration of this dottyback species makes it an excellent candidate for an aquarium. Try not to misidentify this fish with the Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto). They both have a similar shape and a fairly similar color pattern.

    Sometimes called the Bicolor Pseudochromis, this fish is fairly easy to care for but can be territorial once it establishes its territory. This article will go into more depth on aquarium requirements, diet, tank mates, and breeding of the Bicolor Dottyback.

    Aquarium Requirements

    The Bicolor Dottyback fish will grow to around 3 inches when it reaches full size. It does best in fish tanks that are 30 gallons or larger. A larger fish tank with plenty of live rock is recommended due to its territorial personality. They aren’t outright aggressive but they are more than happy to defend their territory against larger fish.

    This species of fish will also benefit from having a well-fitted lid covering the aquarium because they could potentially jump out. It’s heartbreaking losing a fish, especially one that’s expensive as a saltwater fish, so it’s best to take the precaution and cover it (if possible).

    Water Parameters

    The following are water parameters needed to help keep the Bicolor Pseudochromis happy:

    • Water Temperature: 72°-78° F
    • dKH: 8 – 12
    • pH: 8.1 – 8.4
    • Salinity: 1.020 – 1.025 sg

    Although I cannot guarantee the fish’s survival strictly based on water parameters, keeping your parameters stable and within range will help provide a better chance of success when introducing your fish into the aquarium.

    Is The Bicolor Dottyback Reef Safe?

    Bicolor Psuedochromis are reef safe. They should not harm and coral and the only types of invertebrates they may target are ornamental shrimp. Clams, hermit crabs, snails, and many other types of invertebrates should do perfectly fine with your dottyback.

    Food & Diet

    This species of fish is carnivorous. They will require a healthy mixture of protein-rich food such as Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, Krill, and others that can be found at your local fish store or online. Also, the Bicolor Dottyback may hunt bristleworms that are crawling around your fish tank. They should readily take pellet food such as New Life Spectrum Marine Formula and flake food. I enjoy using the Marine Formula because it has 36% Crude Protein and some of its main ingredients include: Antarctic Krill, Giant Squid, Seaweed, and Kelp.

    Tank Mates

    After providing a proper environment for your Bicolor Dottyback, it should do well with an assortment of fish such as Dwarf Angelfish, Anthias, Blennies, Chromis, Clownfish, Tangs, Foxfaces, and much more. They are relatively well adapted to living with different fish species. I would take caution and avoid keeping your Pseudochromis with fish that can easily eat it. Fish such as Groupers, Lionfish, Puffers, and other predatory fish are bad tank mates.

    Breeding

    Due to their aggression and territorial behavior, the Bicolor Pseudochromis is not a good candidate for breeding in an aquarium.

    Final Notes

    If you’re looking for a flash of color in your reef tank or fish-only saltwater aquarium, really consider picking up a Bicolor Dottyback. They have very cool behaviors and interesting personalities after you look passed their aggression. If the Bicolor Dottyback isn’t catching your eye, take a look at other dottyback fish here.

    Image by Großkopf, J. on wikiMedia

  • Yellow Tangs For an Aquarium

    Yellow Tangs For an Aquarium

    Yellow tangs are a fairly common fish in the saltwater hobby. They fall under the category of surgeonfish due to their very sharp scalpel-like appendage right before their tail. They use this to fight other tangs or in self-defense against predators. Their vibrant yellow coloring makes them pop in any home aquarium. They’re very intelligent fish with a large assortment of personalities.

    As herbivorous fish, yellow tangs spend their day grazing algae and seaweed in the wild. In the aquarium, there is normally not enough algae growing to sustain their grazing diet. As owners, it is necessary to feed and give the tang enough grazing material (algae sheets) to help keep it full and happy. This fish will happily feed on meaty foods as well but the bulk of its diet should be herbivorous. They can grow up to roughly 8″ and are very active swimmers. It is not recommended to keep them in an aquarium smaller than 100 gallons, and it is preferred to keep only one in an aquarium unless they are introduced together. They do become territorial and will fight other tangs. Their aggression will not only be between themselves and other yellow tangs but other tangs too. They will fight other fish that are very similar in shape and color to themselves. It is especially not recommended to mix yellow tangs with purple tangs or sailfin tangs due to their similarities in shape.

    These gorgeous fish should only be added to an aquarium once it is well established. They should not be one of the first fish introduced into the aquarium. They are very prone to getting diseases such as marine ich so having a stable and well-established aquarium will help prevent them from getting infections.

    Yellow tangs are reef safe and they should not bother coral. If algae are present in the aquarium, they may graze on the algae growing around the coral. Unfortunately, they will be more than happy to mow down any macro algae put into the aquarium so keep that in mind.

    Yellow tangs are very wonderful fish to have in a home aquarium. They’re vibrant and stand out very well from the background and are always the center of attention for visitors. They’re highly intelligent and a pleasure to observe. The one in my aquarium always acts tough but runs into the rocks once my hand is in the aquarium for coral spot feeding. Learn about more saltwater fish by checking out other articles and care guides by following this link.