Peacock Gudgeon

Peacock Gudgeon | A Jewel-Like Fish From the Pacific Islands

The Peacock Gudgeon (Tateurndina ocellicauda) is one of the most strikingly beautiful and underappreciated fish in the freshwater aquarium hobby. Native to the slow-moving, densely vegetated streams and pools of Papua New Guinea and surrounding Pacific Islands, this compact, jewel-like fish is prized for its extraordinary colouration — a vivid blue-grey body peppered with iridescent blue and red spots, bold red and yellow fin accents, and a distinctive black spot at the base of the tail that gives the species its Latin name. Males develop a characteristic nuchal hump on the forehead as they mature, adding a further point of distinction between the sexes.

Despite technically being a goby, the Peacock Gudgeon behaves more like a dwarf cichlid in the aquarium — establishing small territories, displaying fascinating spawning and parental behaviour, and interacting with its environment in an alert, intelligent way that makes it endlessly engaging to observe. It is one of those rare fish that genuinely rewards patient, attentive keeping.

Peacock Gudgeon Care Guide

Care at a Glance

• Scientific name: Tateurndina ocellicauda
• Also known as: Peacock Gudgeon, Peacock Goby, Eyespot Gudgeon
• Origin: Papua New Guinea and surrounding Pacific Islands
• Adult size: up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) — males slightly larger with a pronounced forehead hump
• Minimum tank size: 20 gallons — longer tanks preferred
• Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
• pH: 6.0–7.8
• Hardness: soft to moderately hard water
• Best kept in pairs or small groups with more females than males
• Lifespan: 4–5 years with good care

Peacock Gudgeon Tank Setup

A well-planted aquarium with gentle filtration, plenty of hiding spots, and subdued lighting suits Peacock Gudgeons perfectly. Dense planting along the sides and background, driftwood, smooth rocks, and caves or ceramic tubes provide both shelter and potential spawning sites. Java Moss and similar fine-leaved plants are particularly appreciated. A sponge filter is ideal — it keeps flow gentle, poses no risk to fry, and provides additional biofilm grazing surfaces. Males will establish small territories and display to one another, so provide sufficient visual barriers in tanks with multiple males.

Feeding Your Peacock Gudgeons

Carnivorous predators with a healthy appetite. They readily accept high quality pellets and flake foods, but truly thrive with regular supplements of frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworm, and micro worms. A varied, protein-rich diet brings out the full intensity of their iridescent colouration and encourages spawning behaviour.

Breeding Peacock Gudgeons

One of the most rewarding aspects of keeping Peacock Gudgeons is their willingness to breed in the home aquarium. The male selects a cave, ceramic tube, or sheltered spawning site and entices the female to deposit eggs inside. He then guards and tends the eggs exclusively until they hatch — a fascinating behaviour to observe. Fry are small but relatively straightforward to raise on baby brine shrimp and micro worms in a dedicated grow-out tank.

Peacock Gudgeon Tank Mates

Tank mate selection requires some thought with Peacock Gudgeons — they are carnivorous predators that will eat anything small enough to fit in their mouth, including shrimp and small fish.

• Medium-sized peaceful community fish such as tetras, barbs, and danios of similar or larger size
• Peaceful gouramis and similarly sized community fish
• Larger corydoras and peaceful bottom dwellers
• Avoid shrimp of any size — they will be eaten
• Avoid small fish such as nano tetras, chili rasboras, small danios, and juvenile fish — these will be viewed as prey
• Avoid large or aggressive fish that will intimidate or bully them
• Avoid fin-nipping species