Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae)

The Yellow Clown Goby (Gobiodon okinawae) is a thumbnail-sized wedge of pure canary yellow that spends its whole life perched on coral, watching the tank. It maxes out around an inch and a half, needs almost no swimming room, and has more personality per cubic inch than anything else in a nano reef. Rather than cruise the water column it hops from branch to branch and settles, propped on its pectoral fins, which is exactly the behaviour that makes it such a photogenic little fish. Browse the rest of our saltwater fish.

It is peaceful, hardy once eating, and one of the very few reef fish genuinely suited to a 10 gallon tank. It is also a natural in a group: add several at once and they will divide up the rockwork rather than fight.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 10 gallons and up. This is a true nano fish. Branching coral or rockwork to perch on matters far more than swimming space.
• Diet: carnivore, and small. Frozen mysis, enriched brine, copepods, and finely crushed pellet. Feed at least twice a day, since a fish this size has no reserves. New arrivals sometimes need live or frozen food before they take dry.
• Temperament: peaceful with everything except its own kind in a small tank. One per nano, or a group of three or more added together in a larger system so no single fish gets singled out.
• Coral caution: clown gobies love to perch on SPS, and they will occasionally nip Acropora polyps or lay eggs on a branch, causing tissue recession where they sit. Harmless in a soft coral or LPS tank, worth knowing in an SPS-heavy one.
• Water: 72 to 78°F, salinity 1.020 to 1.025, pH 8.1 to 8.4. Standard reef parameters.
• Lid required: small gobies jump, and a nano tank has a short distance to the rim. Cover the tank.
• Toxic mucus: clown gobies secrete a bitter skin toxin that makes predators spit them out. It is a defence, not a hazard to you or the tank, and it is why larger fish tend to leave them alone.

Specifications

Compatibility

Ideal for a peaceful nano or mixed reef: clownfish, firefish, cardinalfish, other small gobies, blennies, and dottybacks like our Orchid Dottyback. It ignores inverts entirely, so shrimp, snails, and crabs are all fine.

Avoid anything with a mouth big enough to try: hawkfish, larger wrasses, groupers, lionfish, and triggers. The skin toxin discourages most predators, but it is not worth testing with a fish this small. Also give a Citron Clown Goby its own perch if you keep both, since same-genus gobies squabble over territory in tight quarters.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• SFBB Frozen Mysis Shrimp, the staple for small carnivorous reef fish
• Live Tigriopus Copepods to tempt a new arrival that is not eating yet
• Piscine Energetics 1 mm Saltwater Pellets for a dry daily food
• Browse the full saltwater selection

FAQ

When will these be available?
They are on order and heading our way. Everything we bring in goes through quarantine before it hits the sales floor, so the listing will switch to in stock once they are cleared. Ask in store for the latest timing.

Will it damage my SPS corals?
Sometimes. Clown gobies perch on Acropora and can cause small patches of tissue recession where they sit or lay eggs. It is cosmetic rather than fatal, but if you run a high-end SPS tank it is a real consideration. In soft coral and LPS tanks there is no issue.

Can I keep more than one?
Yes, in a larger tank, added at the same time. Three or more spread the aggression out. In a 10 gallon, keep one.

It is not eating. What do I do?
Start with live copepods or frozen mysis rather than pellet. Most clown gobies switch to prepared food within a week once they settle. Feed small amounts twice daily; a fish this size cannot go long without.

Is it good for a 10 gallon nano?
It is one of the best options there is. Tiny, peaceful, stationary, and full of character.