Clown Goby - Citrinis

The Citrinis Clown Goby, also known as the Citron or Citrin Goby, is common within the reefs of Sri Lanka and the Coral Sea. They are usually found among soft and hard coral colonies. They are a small yellow fish with blue vertical lines around the eyes and gills, and a blue horizontal line along the dorsal fin. Their body color can vary between dark brown and pale yellow. They are a peaceful fish that makes a wonderful addition to a reef aquarium containing colonies of polyp coral and other soft corals, as they enjoy swimming and hiding amongst the polyps.

The Citrinis Clown Goby feeds on the mucous polyps of Acropora sp. in the wild and is considered reef safe but will nip at the polyps or bases of Acropora sp. and possibly other SPS corals. If the SPS dominated aquarium is not heavily stocked with very mature colonies these fish may severely damage Acropora sp. in these displays.

It requires a 10 gallon or larger aquarium and prefers branched corals, often resting on them for hours at a time. It will rarely become aggressive towards other fish, but will fight with its own kind in smaller tanks. It is best if it is kept with other docile species.

It is common for clown gobies to spawn in an aquarium. Caution should be exercised if the aquarium contains Acropora sp. or similar SPS corals. They will lay their eggs on the underside of the coral's branch, which will cause tissue recession in that area of the coral.

The Citrinis Clown Goby's diet should consist of a variety of brine shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp, table shrimp, and frozen food preparations for carnivores.