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FAQs on Violet Gobies Disease

Related Articles: Violet/Dragon Gobies, Fresh to Brackish Gobioid Fishes,

Dragonfish question... hlth... sys... fdg. 7/17/2008
Hey guys! I love your site, and I normally google stuff on your site when I have a question, but my computer's not loading the search page, so I decided to email. Sorry if the answer's on your site somewhere...I just can't find it.
<Oh?>
x.x
<No idea what this means.>
I used to have a Dragonfish (Violet Goby) about a year or two ago, and she was a really amazing fish. But she developed some sort of tumor in her stomach and died suddenly. I was pretty devastated.
<Unlikely a tumour, which is a pretty rare problem with wild-caught fish. Was she maintained in brackish water? The common mistake people make with Gobioides is to keep it in freshwater. Short term that's fine, but long term it places such a stress on the internal chemistry of the fish it invariably succumbs. So swelling of the abdomen was most likely organ failure of some sort. At least, if the thing was in freshwater. Gobioides need to be kept in fairly brackish water to do well, certainly not less than SG 1.005, and ideally around 1.010.>
I just got a new one a few days ago, and I had a feeding question...When I had Shasta, I had to feed her a very specific way. She would come up gulping at the surface at about 8:00 at night and I would wait until the exact second her mouth was at the top, then I would drop bloodworms into her mouth. Needless to say, I didn't go on vacation much...
<Making things far too complicated. Gobioides has three feeding modes. One is plankton gulping, which is where the live brine shrimps and daphnia come in. The second is sand sifting, which is shoveling mouthfuls of sand through the gill rakers, where food is extracted. Frozen bloodworms are ideal for this. Finally there is algae rasping, which is what their sharp little teeth are for. In the wild they scrape algae from rocks and things, but in the aquarium standard algae wafers work just fine. You need at least a mix of algae and invertebrates for a healthy fish. A lack of algae could mean a lack of fibre, and constipation can cause damage to the internal organs, and this can cause abdominal swelling... so again, another common cause for a dead Gobioides. Do also note that these fish don't do well in tanks with gravel. Must be sand so they can feed normally.>
xP
<What does this mean?>
I was just wondering if that was actually normal for dragonfish to eat like that.
<Yes.>
I've only had one, so I don't know what to expect. I just got my little (actually HUGE, since he's 10 inches long!) guy yesterday, so I don't know what to expect from him. Do they all eat like that?
<They eat in three different ways.>
Because I heard that they were filter feeders...and Shasta NEVER sat around gulping like Zumi (the new dragon) does...
<Depends what you're offering them.>
Thanks in advance for your reply! And I'm terribly sorry if this question's already been answered...maybe there's something wrong with my computer, because normally the google search page works fine...
Have a nice day!
Ashley
<Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/violetgobyfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/Dragon_Gobies/Dragon%20Gobies.htm
Much written about them here at WWM to get you started.
Hope this helps, Neale.>

Goby with Mouth fungus 10/6/05
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
Good morning Crew - your site has been an incredible resource to me for a loooong time. Thank you all so much!!
<You're very welcome!>
On to the terrible situation: I recently purchased a Violet Goby (Dragon goby). He (or she) is roughly 6 inches long and appeared healthy in the freshwater tank in which he was being kept for 3 weeks at the LFS. I assumed that this fish was acclimated to freshwater from his stay at the store and when I brought him home I put him in my cycled freshwater QT tank.
<Still though, it needs to be kept in brackish water.>
Well, it's only been 3 days and his health has immediately dropped. His physical symptoms are a bleeding, white-rimmed mouth, faded color, and he is not eating. It's terrible to behold and I'm in absolute horror. I immediately contacted the fish store to see if could possibly return him to "safety" but they are closed for a week.
Here are my QT tank parameters:
capacity is 10 gallons
PH is right around 7.8
Alkalinity is stable
Zero nitrite and ammonia
Temp. ranges from 74-78
I have fluorescent light on 10 hours per day
water hardness is high
Nitrate is between 20 and 40 ppm (on the high side)
I treat the water with AquaSafe, a small amount of Stress Coat, and a very small amount of aquarium salt.
Only tankmate is a small algae-eater (my QT janitor) The nitrates couldn't be causing this fish detrimental distress,
right? The only thing I can think of is the gravel is larger grade stuff and he could have injured himself sifting for food. It almost appears that he has mouth fungus, but as I have never seen anything quite like this, I am hesitant to treat. However, I do have "Maroxy" in my fishy supply cabinet if this is the case. I have attached pictures of the Goby's mouth. Please be warned that they are disturbing. What is your advice at this point? I feel terrible and at fault - it breaks my heart to see this fish in distress and pain, but my hands are tied until I know what the cause is. I am changing a small amount of the water every 4 hours to lower nitrates.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/Meechity/goby2.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/Meechity/goby1.jpg
Thank you very much for your time, and I'm sorry to have bad news like this to dampen your day :o(
<It looks to me, that the goby has damaged it's mouth foraging through some extremely rough or dirty gravel. These fish are filter feeders that scoop up sand into their mouth & filter out food particles. The Maroxy should help but I'd also add Melafix & Pimafix. In addition, get marine salt & a hydrometer & raise the specific gravity of it's tank to 1.005. It will take around 2 cups of salt (pre-dissolved) to reach this salinity. The algae eater will not appreciate salt. I doubt the fish will start to eat again until it's mouth is feeling better. Make sure whatever foods you feed it reach the bottom of the tank, so the fish can find it (they are practically blind). Generally, they do not eat flakes. Mine loves blackworms, plankton, brine shrimp (as a treat only) & algae wafers. Good luck, I hope he heals up quickly~ ~PP>

Sick dragon goby (Paisley)
I hope you can help me. We started our tank at the end of December. We have had our goby ever since, he has done really well until yesterday when I noticed he had a white "film" on his back. I have tried looking up diseases but can not find anything. Needless to say, he was dead this morning and was even whiter. Can you please help me figure out what it could have been. Thank you, Sherrie
<It sounds as if your fish might have Columnaris. This is a bacterial infection that spreads across the skin of the fish. It can be extremely hard to get rid of unless caught early. With use of a quarantine tank I treat with Maracyn and it usually helps the fish return to health. It can spread to other fish, so keep an eye on them. If any of it's tankmates should start to have this move them to a separate tank and start treatments. Good luck. -Magnus>

Regrowing Fins, Violet Goby 9/25/06
Hello!
<Hi Cari, Pufferpunk here>
I have had my 2 F8 puffers and Violet Goby for nearly a year now. They have survived the tribulations (with the help of this website) that I experienced as a new-to-brackish owner. Until very recently, I've kept the trio in a 10 gal, pH fairly stable at 8, 0 ammonia, Nitrate under 30, SG about 1.01 (via hydrometer).
<From what I can tell so far, that tank is seriously overstocked, as the puffers require at least 10g ea (15g better) & the goby at least 30g.>
Violet Goby purchased at PetSmart (*groan*, sold as fresh water, of course). Was originally about 5 inches, seemed very healthy, if not a little skittish, for the first few months. I went through a small amount of trouble getting him(?) to feed, eventually he settled on shrimp pellets & finishing off whatever frozen food the puffers dropped. I have also bought a variety of tubing in an effort to provide a place for him to hide.
Last December, after purchasing a rubber tube, I noticed a steep climb in pH. Thinking the tube could be causing this, I removed it and the goby became very desperate to hide, wedging himself between the filter tubes & the glass, racing around in terror, digging up all the plants, making a general mess. Within a short time, he refused to eat, Stranger--within two weeks he had lost all of his fins completely! Only the tiny nubs of muscle where his pelvic fins should have been remained!
<Ouch!>
Goby made a slow recovery once I purchased new, plastic tubes to serve as caves. Eventually his anal, ventral and pelvic fins regrew (though his pelvic fins seemed 'wrinkled' and slightly malformed, anal and ventral fins show no sign of the incident, no deformities and no ragged edge), his tail is growing back in ragged parts but his dorsal fin shows almost no sign of regrowth. He is eating tremendous amounts, has almost doubled in size, is very active almost a year later from this incident but has not regrown all of his fins. Because he now measures over 8 inches, I switched the trio to a 29 gal just last week and all seem very satisfied with the move.
<Aha! That's what I was waiting to hear! =o)>
I used most of the water and gravel from the 10 gal and water conditions are stable.
<You say "gravel" & earlier, mention "pH fairly stable at 8". You can keep it most stable, by using crushed coral or aragonite as a substrate, instead of gravel.>
Is his diet affecting his fin growth? Does he need some sort of vitamin? He will not touch algae wafers and there was plenty of algae growing in their old tank.
<That's surprising. Mine loves algae wafers & I see him constantly nipping on the algae growth in his tank. Blackworms are also one of his favorites. I soak them in Zoe vitamins while in storage in the fridge.>
I've never observed the F8 puffers nipping at his fins and it seems highly unlikely they could eat his entire anal and ventral fins in the first place. The puffers are very lively, adorable and have never had any fin or health problems at all.
Thank you for reading my letter!
<It may be too late, as the fins were lost quite a while ago but it wouldn't hurt to add Melafix to their water. ~PP>
Cari

Violet Goby... sys., hlth. 1/2/08
Normal environment is a hexagon 55 gallon tank. Had a leak develop and pulled up an emergency 10 gallon. All fish are fine and healthy. Came into the kitchen this morning to prepare breakfast and felt something under my feet. It was my violet goby on the floor! As near as I can tell he went out a small area that allows access to the heater control. Anyway I snatched him up and got him back in the tank. He had some floor dust on him - I touched him long enough to clean that off. He appears fine minus the huge dorsal fin that runs down his back - I cannot see the fin. No idea, no explanation but if it was somehow damaged what are the chances of it growing back? I put some frozen brine into the tank and he ate, everything appears normal but the fin concerns me. I do not see any open "wounds" per say, just a line down his body where the dorsal should be.
<Violet gobies are excellent jumpers; indeed most gobies are, and eel-shaped fish even better, so an eel-shaped Goby is at real risk of leaping out of uncovered tanks! In any case, within reason, fish will recover from the trauma of landing on the floor. Fin membranes will grow back quickly, and spines eventually, though sometimes not to their full extent. Skin grows back quite quickly. The prime risk is Finrot/Fungus, to treat against these as a precaution. Do also remember these are BRACKISH water fish, and are extremely prone to disease when kept in freshwater. So don't keep at less than SG 1.005.>
The other tank has a sealed top and they will be moving back into it today.
This should eliminate the problem reoccurring.
<Very good.>
Thanks
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Violet Goby 1/9/08
It turns out he was ok from that - fin intact - he just had it laid down.
Now, starting last night he swims to the top of the tank and pokes his head out, sinks down and back up again. Pretty much lethargic. Water is almost perfect, about 77 degrees and the rest of the fish are fine. He is still breathing and other than swimming to the top of the tank and drifting back down a few inches there is little or no movement. Ideas?
<You haven't mentioned water chemistry. These fish must be kept in brackish water; when kept in freshwater, they do poorly, and usually sicken and die. So please tell me what the salinity is in the aquarium. I cannot stress this point strongly enough: you should be adding marine salt mix (not tonic salt) to each bucket of water at not less than 9 grammes per litre (i.e., SG 1.005 upwards). In addition, Violet Gobies (Gobioides spp.) must have suitable hiding places as well as soft sand (not gravel) for digging in. Wild fish forage by shoveling mud and silt through their gill rakers. In the aquarium, they will do the same thing with silica sand, removing small food particles easily. But gravel stops them doing this, and ultimately these fish are at serious risk of starving. Violet Gobies are in part algae eaters, so once or twice per week should be given algae wafers or pellets. They will feed on these quite happily as they soften up on the substrate. Otherwise, stick with wormy/plankton foods -- bloodworms, brine shrimps, daphnia, etc. It should be very obvious that Violet Gobies are not "normal" fish that can be dumped in a community tank. On the other hand, they mix wonderfully with brackish water things such as Mollies that leave them alone.>
They are back in the big tank, as an FYI.
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Dragon Goby Health 9/26/07
<Hi Patty, Pufferpunk here>
I have a 3 year hold dragon goby. Over the last 2 months I have watched him eat (hand fed him) and he continues to lose weight.
<What exactly are you feeding him?>
He looks dangerously thin now. Could he have some type of parasite?
<Possibly, They are generally wild-caught fish which can very well come to you with internal parasites.>
He shares a 50 gallon tank with a mud skipper and another goby who seem to be very healthy.
<It would help to know more information, like the specific gravity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates & pH. What is the other goby? It wouldn't hurt to treat him for internal parasites. Try soaking his favorite food (mine loves live blackworms) in an anti-parasitic drug like, Metronidazole (a freshwater fish medication) or Levamisole Hydrochloride (a livestock dewormer.
See: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/hospital/internal-parasites-prevention-and-treatment/ >
Thank you for your help, Patty

Dragon Goby... hlth. 1/28/08
Hello there,
<Hello,>
I bought a dragon goby, Gobioides broussonettii at the end of December, after Christmas.
<Nice fish.>
It's been getting along nicely in my 29gallon tank but my problem, or rather his problem, is that his fins were kinda jagged upon purchase, the biggest tear healed right away but what's left isn't really healing. I've got a very fine sand for substrate with some crushed coral in there underneath, and he lives under the pile of rocks that I have on one side burrowing away most of the daytime. None of the rocks are sharp, and his fins do seem to be healing to some extent. They're clear in the damaged areas from the regeneration, but these spots never seem to regain their colour.
<Likely Finrot or similar bacterial infection; use an antibacterial (e.g., eSHa 2000) or antibiotic (e.g., Maracyn).>
I was wondering if there's anything I could be doing about this, or if I should just let him be, and it will heal over time?
<Bacterial infections sometimes heal by themselves but usually they do not, so its best to treat all wounds with an anti-Finrot medication.>
If his diet is a factor, he's currently being fed algae tablets that I crush up for him after I turn the lights off, I will be buying some brine shrimp
soon enough.
<These fish are quite easy to feed. Live brine shrimp are a great treat, but have little nutritional value. Algae pellets and (wet) frozen bloodworms make a good basic combo.>
Specific gravity is at 1.005
<This is at the low end, but should be adequate, and unlikely the problem.>
-Collin
<Cheers, Neale

Violet Goby HELP! – 1/28/08
I have read, what I am sure is all there is printed to read on the Violet Goby.
<Perhaps, but seemingly not everything on Tetraodon fluviatilis or Tetraodon nigroviridis; these pufferfish are widely reported as *not* good community fish, and wild fish are known to eat fins/scales along with their normal diet of plant material, algae and small invertebrates of various types.>
I foolishly put my young Violet Goby in my tank (55Gl) with my 3 GSP. there is plenty of places to hide and have lived seemingly peaceful for the last two weeks today however, in a course of 12 hours the goby's fins are almost gone.
<"Hiding" is not what Gobioides spp. want to do -- they are burrowers. If at all possible, keep in a tank with a sandy substrate.>
I have moved the Goby to my quarantine tank, it has been cycled and have the same water conditions as my community tank. levels are perfect ammonia nitrite nitrate all 0 PH 8.0.( temp 75. Sal. 1.005 ) They are all fed their own proper diets. my question is can my Goby regrow his fins and live a long healthy life.
<Yes, they will regrow, but you will need to make sure Finrot doesn't set in by treating appropriately.>
or should I just make him comfortable as he slips away?
<Nope.>
any answers would be much appreciated. thank you
Jessica
<Cheers, Neale.>

Fish didn't make the move, Violet Gobies (Gobioides spp.) 1/26/08
Hello, I'm in a crisis.
<Oh?>
I've just moved and have been doing so in shifts. We brought the tank and fish (violet goby, molly, Plecostomus, and 2 angels) the other night, but as I got them here and setup the tank again, I noticed one of my angels did not make it, and then discovered that I had forgotten the box that has all products in it (salt, test strips, water remedies...etc.). So, I made a made dash to the store to purchase these things. I got the tank setup and the fish all seemed fine that night. When I came back the next day, my Violet Goby was not doing well at all. He had what looked like blood in his fins and his tail seems paralyzed at the tip.
<Please understand this first: Violet Gobies (Gobioides spp.) are BRACKISH WATER FISH and their lifespan in completely freshwater tanks is poor. Since you also have a Plec and some Angels, I'm assuming this is a freshwater tank.>
I had once again forgotten the box of supplies, but the neighbors have a pool, so I asked for a testing strip to at least get a rough idea of what was going on in the water. Everything seemed fine to me, but I touched up the conditions a bit.
<The fish has a systemic bacterial infection, likely caused by Aeromonas spp. similar to those that cause Finrot and bacterial septicaemia. These bacteria block the blood vessels in the epidermis and fins, and this is what causes the inflammation. After a while the surrounding tissues die. The bacteria get in when fish are physically damaged or exposed to high levels of ammonia for extended periods. So either rough handling when you were transporting the fish, or else problems with filter in your new aquarium, were the triggering issues. You'll need something like Maracyn to deal with this. In brackish water Violet Gobies are basically hardy, but in freshwater they are already severely stressed, and any little thing can tip them over the edge. That's what happened here.>
Now today, the water is fine, but the blood in its tail is vibrant and in a much bigger spot. I have not found ANY information on this. I need help.
<Define "fine". Unless you're keeping this goby in brackish water at SG 1.005-1.015, then it most certainly is NOT fine.>
I'm not sure what to do for it. If it can pull through, I want to give it the chance, but I don't want it to suffer.
<Comes down to this: If you put the fish in a brackish water aquarium and treat with Maracyn, there's a good chance the fish will recover. At the moment the tissues look inflamed rather than necrotic, so you still have time. Your Mollies will do better in a brackish water tank than otherwise, and up to about SG 1.003 the Plec would adapt as well (and SG 1.003 would certainly be better than nothing). But the Angels will NOT tolerate brackish water. On the other hand, if you can't be bothered to set up a brackish water aquarium and would sooner just kill off a fish that you didn't research properly and is sick because you kept it in the wrong conditions, then nothing I say will change your mind. But in a plain vanilla freshwater aquarium this fish is, basically, doomed.>
It seems o be hanging in there, but I have to check on it, because it will look like it died, but then when I scoop it with the net, it starts flailing about again.

I've attached a picture.
<Yuk.>
I would really appreciate any help you can offer.
~Stephanie
<Done my best! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Fish didn't make the move 1/26/08
Thanks for your quick response, first off.
<Not a problem.>
I use aquarium salt... I guess not the same?
<Nope. Marine salt mix is [a] not overpriced cooking salt, but more importantly [b] raises the carbonate hardness as well as the salinity. These two things are required for brackish water.>
It was doing just fine before the move and I've had others before this one and kept them in the same conditions.
<And how long did they last? Unless they all lived for an average of 10 years and reached their adult size of 40-50 cm, then they didn't do "fine". Most brackish water fish will muddle through in freshwater for a greater or shorter period of time, just like people can live for a while on nothing but McDonalds. But ultimately both scenarios will end the same way: badly. And it's not just me saying these are brackish water fish (though I flatter myself I know a little about the topic). Feel free to visit Fishbase to confirm.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=3856
Note the "Prefer muddy bays and estuaries" statement. In fairness, you don't need a lot of salt to keep them happy, and even 10% seawater salinity (SG 1.003) should help enormously.>
What do I need to do to make it brackish?
<Ask and ye shall receive:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracsystems.htm
There are various useful linked topics from there as well.>
and where can I find Maracyn?
<In the US of A, most anyway aquarium store. In other states, you may need to ask your vet for Erythromycin.>
~Steph~
<Good luck, Neale.>

Re: Fish didn't make the move 1/26/08
Ok, sorry. I found a store but do I need the Maracyn or Maracyn 2?
~Steph~
<I'd start with Maracyn first. Erythromycin is a pretty general purpose medication and should handle the bacteria causing the problem here. If it doesn't, you can always switch to Maracyn Two down the line. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Fish didn't make the move... Dragon Gobies 1/27/08
Thank you so much for your help! I didn't even wait for your reply. I did some more researching and ran to the store.
<Cool.>
I'm pretty frustrated with pet stores in general right now though.
<Can happen. While many stores offer excellent advice, some do not, and if you're unlucky enough to buy an exotic type of fish and receive poor advice at the point of sale, things can get real messy, real fast.>
I went to a PetSmart and got the items I needed and out of curiousity asked if they had Dragon Gobies. The girl pointed out the tank with 2 of them in it. I asked if it was salt water to which she replied, "No, it's freshwater".
<Not good. When you see this, it's heartbreaking to know that in all probability that fish will die a miserable death within six months.>
Then I explained what I am going through and she said, "Well, it seems just fine in there"
<Humph.>
This is a BIG problem. Wal-Mart sold me aquarium salt for my dragons.
<Oh dear. For what it's worth, it's better than nothing, especially if the water is already hard and alkaline. But long term, you want marine salt mix. By my reckoning, 6-9 grammes per litre is required to create SG 1.003-1.005 conditions. The Mollies will thrive, but the catfish less so and the Angelfish definitely not, and should be removed as soon as possible.>
(Oh, and by the way, the other two dragons I had were killed by my husbands puffers. They were literally eaten alive. It wasn't pretty.)

Do these companies know/care?
<Difficult to say. I imagine that few businesses actively want to mislead their customers or abuse animals. But do all companies work equally hard to ensure that customers receive accurate information on the fish they buy? That's a trickier question, and in all honestly I think many stores can definitely do a better job than they are doing now. But this does underline what Bob Fenner and all of us here at WWM say to aquarists: read up on a fish before buying it.>
Obviously, they do not care enough to ensure that their employees are trained to give advice on any matters fish related.
<Certainly seems this way sometimes. But some stores do make an effort, and it's up to us to patronise those stores that do.>
Anyway, thank you again for your help. Hopefully, my little guy will pull through this and I have definitely learned something today :)
<Fingers crossed!>
~Steph~
<Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Dragon Goby - please help! 3-11-08
Hi Guys!
I desperately need help with my new Dragon Goby.
<Ah, before we get started, do make sure you have this fish in a proper brackish water aquarium; their lifespan in freshwater aquaria is poor.>
I was at Pet Smart the other day to buy some small fish for our freshwater tank when I saw their new addition: Dragon Gobies!
<Uh oh.>
So I asked the sales associate (who on previous occasions had proven to be quite knowledgeable when it came to freshwater setups) whether or not this little guy would make a good addition to my tank. He assured me that the Goby should get along famously with his new tank mates and
that the setup I had would be perfect.

So I bought one and took him home.
<Never a good idea BEFORE you've read up on a fish. This is absolutely crucial when we're talking about oddball fish because so many of them have "issues" that need to be accommodated. That's why they're oddballs and not common community fish -- because they're DIFFERENT to regular community fish!>
Our tank is 110 Gallons, fresh/brackish water.
<No such hybrid; that's like being both pregnant and not pregnant at the same time. You either have a freshwater tank or a brackish water tank. Yes, some freshwater fish do well in brackish water (e.g., Guppies) but that doesn't mean that you can set a tank up that is acceptable to both brackish and freshwater fish at the same time.>
We have a cichlid substrate in the bottom, so the PH is a steady 8.0.
<You mean coral sand? Good; that's fine for this fish.>
The filter is well established and our ammonia is nonexistent, as is the Nitrite level. We don't have a heater in the tank, but the temperature never falls below 70F.
<Nope, you need a heater. Doesn't work this way. Gobioides broussonnetii shouldn't be kept below 72F/22C, and most other brackish water fish are from the tropics, and will be stressed when the water temperature stays below 77F/25C for any length of time.>
Everything is natural - slate backdrop, substrate floor, tree roots and live plants... and recently plenty of algae.
<Algae is good: Gobioides broussonnetii is partly an algae-eater, and uses its sharp teeth to scrape green algae from rocks.>
The inhabitants are: 6 African and South American Cichlids in varying sizes from 3-5 inches in size, a small group of Platys and a handful of mini crabs, all of which get along great.
<Most of these cichlids are likely salt-intolerant, so long term this is going to work. The Platies will do fine at SG 1.005, the minimum specific gravity for Gobioides broussonnetii maintenance. Acclimate them slowly though, because they aren't really brackish water fish, merely salt-tolerant by dint of their evolutionary history. Cichlids are a mixed bag: some species occur in brackish and even marine environments, but many get stressed by prolonged exposure to brackish water. 'Malawi Bloat' is a fatal disease associated with the excessive use of sodium chloride in tanks containing Mbuna and other Malawian fish.>
We feed the fish color bites, which they love (all other food winds up decaying - they don't even touch it).
<Long term Gobioides broussonnetii needs a mixed diet with lots of algae; I recommend Plec-type algae wafers. Frozen (not freeze-dried) worm foods such as bloodworms are also important. Live brine shrimp are a favourite. Colour-enhancing fish foods are NOT a staple food, especially for your African cichlids that need green foods to do well. You're dicing with death here, because once cichlids become constipated they become very vulnerable to bacterial infections.>
When we put Leroy (yes, they all have names) into the tank, he seemed quite happy and none of the other fish were bothering him.

He eats the small snails that hang out on the glass and the plants - I've never seen him go after the regular fish food.
<Indeed not.>
However, within a couple of days, he started showing small gashes in his fins.
<Likely Finrot or Fungus, perhaps caused by attacks by the Cichlids; I have seen Mbuna for example shred the fins on Polypterus, a fish of similar size and shape to Gobioides broussonnetii. Moreover, if your Cichlids are not getting a balanced diet (and they're not) they will be opportunistically trying out anything.>
We thought that maybe one of the other fish had started picking on him...but to this day, I've never seen any of the other fish acting aggressively towards him.
<I've never seen a house get broken into by thieves -- but I'm told it happens!>
The Cichlids fight amongst themselves, but seem to regard neither Leryo nor the Platies as competition and completely ignore them.
<Not convinced...>
Leroy's fins have deteriorated badly - they look ragged and in some places have all but disappeared. Yesterday, I saw that he had something that looked like an open wound under his left side fin which is sticking out a bit too.
<Finrot and/or Fungus. In any case you MUST do two things, stat! First, raise the salinity of the aquarium to at least SG 1.005. That is about 25% seawater, 9 grammes of marine salt mix per litre (about 1.2 ounces per US gallon). This will obviously stress/kill the cichlids, so the cichlids or the Goby will have to go. Your choice which. But doing neither will result in the death of one or other type of fish. Secondly, you treat with a combo Finrot/Fungus medication such as Maracyn or eSHa 2000.>
I've already tried running a full treatment of Melafix through the tank, but to no avail (I couldn't get to the filters to take the carbon out - but since it wasn't a necessity, I hope that didn't affect the outcome of the treatment too much).
<Two things here: One, you MUST remove the carbon. This isn't negotiable. Carbon removes medication. Simple as that. You can add as much medication as you want, but if the carbon is in the filter, you'll achieve precisely nothing. Secondly, Melafix doesn't work. It's cheap and "new age" and I suppose that's why people buy it. But it doesn't work very well either.>
Two of our other fish have ragged fins, but not nearly as bad as Leroy's ( plus they're the two that get picked on by the bigger fish, so a bit of wear is to be expected I think).
<Definitely serious. Treat the tank at once.>
Leroy's still swimming around and active, but it's very painful seeing a great fish like him deteriorating and not knowing what to do about it.
<I suspect you know exactly what to do, you've just chosen not to, for reasons that passeth all understanding. This fish is dying because you bought it without thinking whether you could house it properly.>
All his symptoms point to a bacterial infection, but since I couldn't find too much about Dragon Gobies, I decided to do more research and found your site.
<Oh, there's plenty about these fish out there. Articles on this site, my book, the Aqualog book, and most decent aquarium atlases have this fish too.>
Last night, we've started running a treatment of Tetracycline in the tank - complete with filter change and removing of the carbon.
<Thank the gods!>
I'm stopping by the store on my way home to buy the remaining 3 courses for the treatment.
From what I read in your other advise on Dragon Gobies, I'm not sure whether that might be too harsh of a treatment.. but it's the best I could come up with.
<Certainly better than what you've been doing up until now, but let me make this crystal clear: without BRACKISH WATER, this fish has little to no chance of survival in the long term. And adding a "teaspoon of salt per gallon" or whatever doesn't make water brackish; go measure out 1.2 ounces of MARINE SALT MIX (e.g., Instant Ocean or whatever, not "aquarium salt") and you'll see how much you need to add PER GALLON.>
Is there anything I can do to help him heal without compromising the other fish in the tank?
<Nothing. Nix. Nada. Nyet. Non.>
Thank you in advance for your help!
Yours,
Nina
<Good luck, Neale.>

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