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Species verified
Species guide
Australian native Australia: native

Purple-spotted gudgeon

Mogurnda adspersa

Adult needs, habitat, social behaviour and care sources for this fish.

At a glance

Adult size
13 cm
Minimum tank
120 L
Swim zone
Bottom
Temperament
Aggressive
Group size
Can be kept singly
Native pH / temp
7–8 · 20–28 °C

Welfare notes

  • A predator. Will eat any tank mate small enough to fit in its mouth.
  • Territorial and aggressive. Needs careful tank-mate selection and often more space than the minimum suggests.
  • Native habitat: flowing_stream.
  • Australian native - not imported. Southern populations are conservation-sensitive; keep captive-bred stock and check your state's rules.

Where this care information comes from

Confidence: unreviewed · not reviewed yet

We have not linked a care source to this profile yet. Check another reputable source before adding this fish to your tank.

Australia reference notes

Import rules and the rules for keeping a fish are not always the same.

Federal import
Import status not yet verified
Keeping this species
Check state or territory rules
Evidence confidence
Incomplete. Check the current rules before relying on this.
Last reviewed
Not recorded

We still need to add a source for this jurisdiction.

These notes only cover Australia and may not apply where you live. Rules can also change, so check with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before buying, moving or collecting fish.

How FishTankr checks this fish

This fish affects tank mates, swimming room and water. The cycle can limit the score. Waste load and biotope match stay separate.

Species compatibility

When FishTankr checks this fish against its tank mates, it considers that it may eat smaller tank mates, which creates a critical conflict and limits the overall score; its aggressive temperament can put peaceful community fish at risk.

Waste load (beta)

Each Purple-spotted gudgeon adds about 3.7 to our early-stage waste estimate. We only use this to show a broad beta band. It does not set a safe fish limit, and a faster pump cannot improve it.

Space to swim

This fish needs at least 120 L for adult swimming and territory. It is an active swimmer, so tank length matters as much as volume.

Biotope match

This fish comes from Australian native (flowing_stream), where the pH is typically 7–8 and the temperature 20–28 °C. The optional biotope match looks for fish, water and décor from the same region.

Regional reference

This fish is native to Australia. Rules for collecting, importing and keeping it vary by region, so check your local guidance before buying.

Where to buy

We do not track shop stock. Pick your location and we will run a live search for Purple-spotted gudgeon on each independent shop's own website.

Where are you?
Search for

Search links go straight to each shop's own site, so you always see their current stock, not our copy of it. Delivery details show the date we last checked them on the shop's site.

Individual fish vary. Check each species’ needs and local regulations before you buy.