How to Breed Peacock Gudgeons: Cave Spawners With Colour

The Peacock Gudgeon, Tateurndina ocellicauda, is one of the few truly spectacular cave-spawning fish small enough for a 30-litre breeding tank. With the iridescent blue flanks of a much larger fish compressed into a 7 cm body, it is justifiably popular among Singapore nano enthusiasts. This breed Peacock Gudgeon guide from Gensou Aquascaping at 5 Everton Park, Singapore walks through the complete process — from selecting a breeding pair to raising the jewel-bright juveniles that make the effort worthwhile.

Species Background and What Makes Breeding Feasible

Tateurndina ocellicauda originates from slow, warm lowland streams in Papua New Guinea — conditions that align well with Singapore’s ambient temperatures. No chiller is required, which immediately makes this a more accessible breeding project than cold-water species. The male guards the nest after spawning, providing observable parental behaviour that takes much of the guesswork out of egg development.

Telling Males From Females

Males are larger, reaching 7 cm, with a more pronounced hump behind the head in mature specimens and deeper blue colouration across the flanks. Females stay around 5 cm and display a distinctive yellow belly patch that intensifies when they are ripe with eggs — this is your clearest signal that conditioning is working. Both sexes develop the characteristic ocellated caudal spot (the “eye” that gives the species its common name), but the male’s is generally crisper.

Conditioning and Preparation

Feed adults twice daily on varied live and frozen foods: daphnia, cyclops, and small bloodworm are excellent choices. After two to three weeks, reduce feeding to once daily and perform a 25% water change with slightly cooler, softer water — dropping pH to around 6.8–7.0 and temperature by 1–2°C can help trigger spawning readiness. Singapore’s PUB tap water at GH 2–4 is actually a good match for this species with minimal adjustment beyond dechlorination.

Providing the Right Cave Structure

Peacock Gudgeons are obligate cave spawners — they will not place eggs in open water. Provide a cave with a small entrance: commercial terracotta caves, halved coconut shells, or sections of PVC pipe (4–5 cm diameter) all work. The male will claim and defend one site. Keep competing caves available to give the female somewhere to retreat when not being courted, and to observe male preference, which tells you which cave is most likely to see action.

Spawning and Egg Guarding

Once the female enters the chosen cave, spawning occurs inside — you will not see it directly, only the male’s subsequent guarding behaviour at the cave entrance. A clutch typically numbers 50–150 eggs, laid in a single layer on the cave ceiling or walls. The male fans the eggs continuously to oxygenate them and removes any infertile eggs. Leave him in place; removing him at this stage usually leads to egg fungus and total clutch loss. Remove the female — the male will chase her aggressively.

Hatching and Fry Care

Eggs hatch in five to seven days. The male will continue to guard the wriggling larvae until they become free-swimming, usually around day ten from spawning. At this point you can remove the male. Free-swimming fry are 4–5 mm and can accept freshly hatched brine shrimp nauplii immediately — no infusoria stage needed, which makes rearing significantly simpler than with many nano fish. Feed three times daily in small amounts, maintaining excellent water quality with gentle sponge filtration.

Growing Out Juveniles

Growth is moderate. Expect fry to reach 2 cm by week four and begin showing the adult blue colouration at six to eight weeks. By week ten, juveniles are sexually distinguishable and ready to move to a community tank or a grow-out setup. Peacock Gudgeons sell reliably in Singapore on Carousell and in local fish shops — a healthy juvenile fetches $8–$15, making a successful spawn of 80 fry a meaningful return on your breeding effort.

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