Peacock Gudgeon Care Guide: Breeding, Lifespan, Tank Mates

Are you looking for a brightly colored fish that is non-aggressive at the same time? If so, Peacock Gudgeon fish is a more interesting pick today.

The type of fish we are talking about is Peacock Gudgeon, and it can be a perfect choice for a community aquarium. Popularly known as the Peacock Eye Gudgeon or Peacock Goby, they have the scientific name Tateurndina Ocellicauda. This article will give you detailed information if you want to keep Peacock Gudgeon in your aquarium.

1. Peacock Gudgeon Behavior
2. Natural Habitat of Peacock Gudgeon
3. The lifespan of the Peacock Gudgeon
4. Diet and Food
5. Peacock Gudgeon Breeding
6. Tank Size Requirements
7. Suitable Peacock Gudgeon Tank Mates
8. Peacock Gudgeon Diseases

Peacock Gudgeon Complete Care Guide

1) Peacock Gudgeon Behavior:

The Peacock Gudgeon can be stored in small groups without much danger. Since fish are peaceful by nature, they generally live happily in the available area and with other small, delicate fish. The peacock goby prefers to fight without any problems. Watching them in a group can be even more fun than just being a couple.         

2) Peacock Gudgeon Habitat:

Peacock gobies are a beautiful species of fish that is not a carp goby. They belong to the Eleotridae family and do not have a fused pectoral fin than the king carp ear. These fish are the smallest of their species and are perfect for an aquarium full of plants.      

Peacocks prefer slow, shallow waters or maybe the lentic waters of streams, rivers, and ponds found in the southeastern island of Papua Guinea and lowland streams, rivers, and ponds in the is the island. They are often seen in the rainforest pond, and they like to swim in shallow water.         

Like a brightly colored freshwater carp fish, the body of a peacock goby has a bluish glow with silver and pink stripes and black and yellow spots all over its body and on the fins. The body of the fish also contains a fuzzy black spot. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins have a light blue tint with red spots.      

3) Lifespan of Peacock Gudgeon:

On average, a healthy Gudgeon peacock can live up to 4-5 years under favorable conditions.

4) Peacock Gudgeon Diet and Food:

The main disadvantage of this fish is that it consumes only live food. They tend to ignore dry food, but you can get them to feed them small pellets if you try. Although you give them smaller frozen foods like cyclops, Coretta, and bloodworms, the fish usually don’t seem happy with these.

It is impractical to feed the fish with frozen brine shrimp. Usually, this fish prefers to devour its mouth with food, but indeed not its prey. You can give them dry food. Peacock Gudgeon may choose small, frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworms, and brine shrimp. When fed this type of diet, the fish will show better coloring and be put in a spawning state. Therefore, the diet would act as a catalyst and help them reproduce quickly.

If you prefer to feed your fish artificial food, prefer foods such as Hikari micro pellets, API fish food pellets, Zoo med spirulina, and Fluval insect bites. However, make sure that your fish do not die from diseases transmitted by infections caused by low-quality food. That being said, this type of fish food is the best and will even keep your aquarium clean.

5) Peacock Gudgeon Breeding

For the Peacock Gudgeon to breed successfully, you need to keep it in groups of 6-8 people. As these fish prefer to mate naturally, you can feed them various live prey to stimulate lovers. One of the best ways to promote the reproductive process is to change the water in the tank. The water temperature should be kept at 26 degrees Celsius and the water’s corresponding pH at 7 degrees Celsius.          

When females carry eggs, the abdomen usually turns yellow or orange. Before mating, the male usually performs a characteristic dance around the females, exposing their fins. The female is naturally attracted to the nesting site.      

Spawning takes place in a cavity or under large leaves. Coconut, bamboo, or the root hole can create a cavity that will aid the spawning process. You can also use PVC pipes for this purpose. When the female lays eggs, the male immediately fertilizes them. The fries thus prepared have a specific size and grow slowly. Males accompany the young until the yolk is absorbed so that they can swim freely.                    

Make sure that the eggs are not in contact with air for a long time. They must remain submerged at all times. Start the breeding tank before introducing the roast. You can put the microfauna in the tray because it will serve as food for the little ones. Remember that after spawning, you need to remove all the fish from the container.            

Ideal Aquarium Requirements For Peacock Gudgeon

Although the fish is small, it needs an aquarium with at least 40 liters of water. Unlike other freshwater aquarium fish, these fish don’t need a lot of space because they aren’t good swimmers. However, you will need to provide a larger aquarium if you want to keep it with other roommates.

Considering the safety aspect, you can add a darker substrate to the fish. You must have a nesting area with a large PVC pipe or a hollow bamboo display. However, ensure that the nesting site is hollow and remains embedded in the substrate, but not horizontally. When the fish is comfortable, it will automatically display and show its beautiful and vivid color.

Do not expose your fish to too much current, as Peacock Gudgeon is not a very fast swimmer and therefore cannot hold out for long. With constant current flow, it will also wear out on its own. You should choose the standard filtration type with good water quality. Better to shut off the water flow by pointing the outlet of the filter toward the tank window. And if you want to maintain optimum water quality, you need to regularly change the water by 20%. 

1) Tank Size

Peacock Gudgeons thrive in a tank with a capacity of at least 40 liters. They are peaceful by nature and omnivorous by habit. You should try to maintain a water temperature of 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit and a water pH of 6-7. The fish can grow up to 3 inches long under healthy conditions. Peacock Gudgeon is usually native to New Zealand and Australia, while the biotype can also be found in New Guinea.

Peacock Gudgeon Aquarium Setup:

Peacock studs are one of the most sought-after fish by aquarium enthusiasts. These not-so-fast swimmers tend to forage for food at the bottom of the aquarium. They are colorful and peaceful, which is why they are preferred as an aquarium variety.

• You must first understand where these fish come from to provide them with similar habitat. You also need to maintain a pH level for the water for it to thrive. You can put rocks and sand at the bottom of the aquarium where they will swim.
• You need a tank with at least 60 gallons of water to settle. Do not grow the fish vertically, as these fish tend to swim horizontally.
• Avoid using gravel on the bottom of the fish, as there is a risk that the fish will cut the fins’ edges. You can place the rocks at the bottom of the bed to form caves, as peacocks like to hide.
• The size of the tank should be sufficient to accommodate four women and one man. You will need to plant sturdy plants for the fish to play with. If you want to have more fish in the same tank, it involves the territories gudgeons peacock. Therefore, it is advisable to drink at least 100 gallons of water to allow the fish to swim freely.
• The aquarium temperature should ideally be maintained between 76 and 82 degrees, where the water’s pH is 7.8 to 8.6. It is recommended to maintain a uniform temperature as fluctuations are never good for the fish’s welfare.

For fish farmers, breeding the Peacock Gudgeon is a very critical issue. However, if you meet certain conditions, the process becomes more manageable. Follow the water sterilization procedure and always feed fish good food from reliable sources so that your peacock jaws are healthy and beautiful with life. Keeping fish can be a real treat if you follow the required instructions, as this will ensure that your fish will stay disease-free.         

2) Peacock Gudgeon Tank Mates

Ideal tank mates for Gudgeon peacocks could be other species from different countries, especially those from Papua New Guinea. The species could be Popondettasp, Tetra, Rasboras, Corydoras cats, and other fish Cold. If you want to keep other territorial species, such as dwarf cichlids, you will need to keep them in a larger tank with more water capacity.   

Mature males are generally more colorful than female, especially when spawning. They develop a characteristic, pronounced bump on the neck and are slightly larger than females. Females have a yellow color near the abdomen, which males lack. As long as they are young, their anal fin makes a difference. Females also have a darker bar that runs along the outer edge of their fin. However, males do not have this type of stingray. 

Peacock Gudgeon Diseases (Symptoms & Treatment)

These fish’ various diseases are mainly caused by fungi and parasites, which are discussed in this section. The most common fish diseases are white spot disease, marine white spot disease, anchor worms, gill or skin worms, anchor worms, head hole disease, velvet, sea, dropsy, and tuberculosis. They even suffer from a prevalent condition called Ich or Ick.

When removing aquarium decorations from one place to another, you need to be careful. The white spot disease, usually caused by Ichthyophthiriusmultifilis, is the essential white spot on the body and fins. Heavy breathing is another symptom, and then you will find an infected fish rubbing its skin against the aquarium wall.

Marine white spot disease is caused by a parasite called a cryptocaryon. Symptoms caused by the parasite are similar to those in freshwater i. Saltwater species can become immune to Cryptocaryon and last up to 6 months.

Fluids on the skin and gills are caused by a parasitic flatworm known as a trematode. They are known as leeches because, like plaice, they have a flattened body shape. A healthy fish can resist a small random attack, but a sizeable random attack can be fatal to your Peacock Gudgeon.

The reason is that gill accidents can cause similar damage and injury. Skin and gill fluke can also be the leading cause of hyperplasia of the skin and gills’ epithelial layer. When the skin and gills are damaged, the fish are more prone to be attacked by trematodes.

Sometimes lead fish are attacked by anchor worms. Under such conditions, you need to change the water, as saltwater has minimal impact on anchor worms. Keep in mind that you should never try to forcefully pull the worms, as the worm can stay on the head and develop a new body.

A hole in the head of a fish is a disease caused by hexameters. It is a flagellar protozoan found in the intestinal tract of fish species. If the quality of the aquarium water decreases, it is transferred to other fish through the feces. Usually, sore forms on the fish’s eyes and can even turn into a more massive hole. Larger fish, which are common in cichlids, are more prone to this disease.

Symptoms That Indicate the Fish is Likely to Get Sick:

When your fish are in the aquarium, they may lack movement or slow down a bit. During feeding, they also swell in the lower layers of the aquarium. The fish will lose the usual white or black spot and present signs of decay of fins, cotton stains, marks, and even plucked fins cotton. No visible worms can be obstructed, and there is no gas. The next mess is that your fish will lose their appetite.

Deterioration of the Aquatic Environment:

To maintain a healthy atmosphere for your Peacock Gudgeon, you must maintain a healthy atmosphere. You can do the following:

• Do not overfeed the fish. This is so that the fish receive an excess of food that settles at the bottom of the pond, thus deteriorating the pond water’s environment.
• If a fish dies, immediately remove the shell from the tank to ensure a healthy environment for the rest of the fish.
• Prepare a net raft cage so that organic material can be removed regularly and the water stays clean.

Resistance Mechanism of Peacock Gudgeons:

• You must maintain a specific density of fish in a pond or rearing pond. If the tank is overfilled, the fish will collide with each other, causing difficult wounds to heal.
• Do not feed fish waste that does not provide a balanced diet. These generally reduce the resistance mechanism in fish and make them vulnerable to pathogenic infections.
• Try to use dry pellets to feed your fish, which are hygienic, dry, nutritious, and low in bacteria.      

Reduce Aquarium Pathogens With Peacock Gudgeon:

Here are some practical ways to control and reduce pathogens in the aquarium:

• Among the various methods used to prevent aquariums’ infection with pathogens, some pathogens can be eliminated by freezing.
• You can disinfect with an electric steam gun for about 5 minutes.
• You can soak the water in formaldehyde in a ratio of 1: 4000 for about 1 hour, then rinse the water thoroughly.
• Soak in bleach for three hours at a ratio of 1: 2000, then neutralize the water with baking soda.
• Disinfect fertilized eggs from French fries since fertilized eggs have a better chance of carrying pathogens. However, fertilized eggs can be treated with a sterilant or potassium permanganate before storage.
• You should buy high-quality certified quality French fries, which will minimize the risk of infection with pathogens.