Clown Gobies SPS Safe?

[happyclam]

I was thinking about putting a couple of these guys in my mixed SPS/LPS/Soft reef tank. I have heard some stories that these gobies nip the corals so much that they to not open up during the day. Is this true?

 

[lilchris]

I don't think they nip at them. They do lay eggs on them and they like to perch on them. They will do that so much to stress them out. I have one that I don't want to put in my main tank for the same reason.

 

[stunreefer]

IME, no they're not "safe."

With SPS, as lilchris menionted they pester them. Not only do they perch on them, but my pair would pick at them non-stop, not necessarily at one species but they'd share the love :mad2:. It didn't appear they were eating the polyps themselves (no polyps ever went missing, just retracted), but the slime off the acros. I can only guess they eat the food out of it that the coral catches.

I ended up getting them out, and PE returned to full force on my acros. If you have a large reef with large colonies I dont think one or a pair would be as bad...they'd have much more to pester.

 

[kilmca]

I have (2) Yellow and (2) Green Clown Gobies. They like to perch on corals and they will cause them not to open. NOT REEF SAFE from my experience. I removed the (2) Yellow ones and the corals they would perch on improved greatly. The Green ones perch on a coral that is not affected by them so I have not removed them yet. As long as they keep to that coral they'll stay.

HTH

 

[wilcalil]

They stay all the time resting in acros. THe acros close their polyps then. It then random the acros.

 

[Chibils]

Stomach contents of Gobidon cinctus.