Clown Goby Tank Mates

Clown Goby is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 5 freshwater species that pair well with a clown goby — plus the 1 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 10, 2026 • Full Clown Goby care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a clown goby

  • Neon Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Firefish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Ocellaris Clownfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Percula Clownfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Yellow Watchman Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 9 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
With caution

Clown Goby tank mates that can work with care

  • Banggai Cardinalfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Blenny ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blue Damselfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blue Tang ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 30 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clarkii Clownfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Cleaner Wrasse ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Peaceful · 11 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Coral Beauty Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.

+ 20 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a clown goby

  • Melanurus Wrasse ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 12 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Size gap is too large (12 vs 4 cm): Melanurus Wrasse will treat Clown Goby as food.
Interactive tool

Check any fish against a clown goby

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a clown goby, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Clown Goby?

We compare each fish against your clown goby on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.

  • Firefish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Neon Goby✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Ocellaris Clownfish✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Percula Clownfish✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Yellow Watchman Goby✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 9 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Banggai Cardinalfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Angelfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Blenny⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blue Damselfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clarkii Clownfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Cleaner Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 11 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Coral Beauty Angelfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Domino Damselfish⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Expect Domino Damselfish to harass Clown Goby at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Flame Angelfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Green Chromis⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Green Chromis in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Lawnmower Blenny⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 13 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Mandarin Dragonet⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Royal Gramma⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Six Line Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Six Line Wrasse may hunt Clown Goby, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Tomato Clownfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Yellow Coris Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Melanurus Wrasse⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (12 vs 4 cm): Melanurus Wrasse will treat Clown Goby as food.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.

Compatibility is computed from each species' care data — a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Individual temperament varies, so always introduce new fish slowly and watch them.

Setting up a clown goby community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 75 L+ tank with a gentle filter, a reliable heater and plenty of cover — broken sight lines and hiding spots let mid-water and bottom dwellers keep out of each other's way. Cycle it fully and stock gradually.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — buying through these links costs you nothing extra.

How to choose

How to choose the right tank mates for a clown goby

As a peaceful species, clown goby is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It ranges across the whole water column, so tank mates that keep to one level help reduce friction.

Clown Goby grows to about 4 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 2 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 24–27 °C (75–81 °F), pH 8–8.4 and 8–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Clown Goby doesn't need its own kind to feel secure; think twice before keeping more than one if it is territorial. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can a clown goby live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 5 compatible freshwater species for clown goby. Pick calm, similarly-sized fish that share its water needs and add them to a mature, well-planted tank.

What is the best tank mate for a clown goby?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Neon Goby, Firefish, Ocellaris Clownfish. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a clown goby?

Avoid Melanurus Wrasse and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do clown goby tank mates need?

Start from Clown Goby's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 75 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Clown Goby care guide