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FAQs on Violet Gobies Systems
Related Articles:
There's a Dragon In My Tank! The
bizarre and beautiful Dragon Goby
By Jeni C. Tyrell,
Fresh
to Brackish Gobioid Fishes,
Related FAQs:
Dragon/Violet Gobies 1,
Dragon/Violet Gobies 2, & FAQs on:
Dragon/Violet Gobies Identification,
Dragon/Violet Gobies Behavior,
Dragon/Violet Gobies Compatibility,
Dragon/Violet Gobies Selection,
Dragon/Violet Gobies Feeding,
Dragon/Violet Gobies Disease,
Dragon/Violet Gobies Reproduction, &
Brackish Water Fishes in General,
|
Large (at least sixty gallons),
well-established, brackish... some open decor to hide in... sandy bottom to
burrow in... |
Violet gobies, Sys. 10/21/08
Hi Neal,
I
just moved in with my sister-in-law and she doesn't have room for two fish
tanks; would it be okay if I put my Violet Gobies in a freshwater tank with my
Zebra Danios just for a month? Will they be okay like that and not die? Thanks,
Shawna
<Provided the water is hard and alkaline, Gobioides spp. should be
fine in freshwater for a short period like a month or two. In the longer term
though they do need brackish water, though salinity isn't critical, and they'll
do well at low salinities alongside platies, guppies, rainbowfish, and other
salt-tolerant freshwater fish. Cheers, Neale.>
Violet gobies, moving, sys. 9/23/08
Hi Neale,
<Shawna,>
I'm moving in a couple of days and need to know how to
transport my 2 gobies. It's a 10 hour trip. I also have 2 zebra Danios and 2
Plecos to transport. I don't have much room in the front of the moving truck so
I am limited to things I can do. Do you have any suggestions? I don't want my
fish to die on the way up there. Thanks, Shawna
<Go buy two or three big
buckets with lids: something of the order of 5 gallons. I got mine for a shop
where they sell paint, for painting walls and stuff. I think professionals use
these buckets are used to store large quantities of paint. Anyway, half-fill
with water, put a sensible number of fish in each of them (e.g., two the gobies
and the Danios in one, the two Plecs in the other). Put the lids on. Bundle the
buckets up with towels, heavy overcoats, or most anything that will keep them
insulated. They will be happy like that all day long. Every few hours you might
decide to lift the lid to let some fresh air get in, but otherwise leave the
fish be. Remember, when transporting fish the key things are to stop them
getting chilled and to keep them supplied with oxygen. Beyond that, they're
quite easy to transport, otherwise the whole tropical fish exporting business
wouldn't be viable! Hope this helps, Neale.>
Adapting Violet Goby to Saltwater/Marine tank
9/20/08
OK!!!! First - thanks for your input - truly appreciated.
<Most welcome.>
Its been a month and rather than keep the SW quarantine tank
I really wanted to keep George so here I am. I moved George to the 20 gallon
tank and slowly raised the salinity to 1.005
<OK.>
I put about 3.5 inches
of live Fiji sand in there for his substrate and added about 5 fake plants. I
used a faux coral that houses (hides) his in tank HOB filter along with the
heater and it also comes with an airline and air stone.
<OK; do be careful
with hang-on-the-back filters that there isn't too much of a gap between the
tank and the hood: Gobies generally are notorious escape artists.>
It also
has a small hiding spot underneath it where he hides (about 4" tall, 5" wide and
3" inches deep). I have placed a thin slate rock in front of it to shield him
even more since he is so shy.
<He should become less shy with time. Again,
pretty standard goby behaviour.>
SO far he has been ecstatic over the tank.
He goes crazy at night and has created huge valleys and pits in the sand in
different areas in the tank, is this normal?
<Yep; in the wild these fish
feed in three ways: they plough through the sand extracting worms; they gulp
water to catch plankton; and they rasp algae from rocks with their sharp teeth.
You can have fun with all three. Have you tried adding live brine shrimp to the
tank? Violet Gobies go wild for these. Not much nutrition to be sure, but bags
of fun to watch!>
Also, I watched him at one point inch forward to rest right
on top of the air stone. Is this something I should be concerned about?
<Nope.>
Do I need a protein skimmer in his tank?
<Wouldn't work at SG
1.005 anyway. You need SG 1.010 for skimmers to be worthwhile.>
Lastly - I
have looked into tank mates for him. Should he have tank mates? What are the
best? Can I get another violet goby to keep him company?
<Ah, good question.
Most anything can be kept with Violet Gobies. They're too big to be eaten by
things like Archerfish, but peaceful enough that even Guppies will breed in the
tank happily. So it's really up to you. Some ideas might be Giant Sailfin
Mollies (Poecilia velifera); butterfly-goby Waspfish (Neovespicula
depressifrons); Siamese tigerfish (Datnioides polota); Crazyfish (Butis butis);
Orange Chromides (Etroplus maculatus); and the Silver Scat (Selenotoca
multifasciatus).>
Any other comments suggestions are most certainly
appreciated!
<Do have a browse through the Brackish section here at WWM, and
if that's not enough, both my book from TFH and Frank Schaefer's book from
Aqualog are brim full of ways to expand your brackish water fishkeeping.>
As
always, you guys are the greatest resource out there and I sincerely appreciate
your help!!!!
Thanks - new fish addict....Angie
<Cheers, Neale.>
Violet Gobies, and Loricariid sys.
-08/27/08
Hi my name is Shawna and I have 2 violet gobies and 1 leopard Pleco
that is roughly 4 to 5 inches long. I have the gobies in a 10 gallon brackish
water tank.
<Too small... the Violet Gobies (Gobioides spp.) are territorial and very large.
You can expect them to reach 30-50 cm/12-20 inches under aquarium conditions and
depending on the species involved. They will fight over hiding places. The
Leopard Plec (Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps) gets to about 30-45 cm/12-18 inches.
It is a freshwater fish and cannot be kept in brackish water. The Violet Gobies
will need SG 1.005-1.010, and that is far too saline for these catfish.>
Will my Pleco do good in the tank with them?
<None of these fish will do well in a 10 gallon tank, and you need something 5
times the size just for the two Gobies, let alone the catfish. They can't be
combined either. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/Dragon_Gobies/Dragon%20Gobies.htm
>
Thanks.
<Cheers, Neale>
Re: Violet Gobies 08/27/08
Thank you for your advice.
<Happy to help.>
I went out and bought the marine salt and marine sand. I am going to change out
their tank today and need to know if there is anything special i need to do with
the gobies or what i need to put them in while i am changing out their tank.
<I'd put all the fish in a bucket (with a lid or cover!) while doing major
reconstructive surgery on any aquarium. Just the other day I neglected to do
this, and managed to bury a Pufferfish under a pile of gravel! He was not
terribly happy when rescued a couple of hours later after I wondered why he
wasn't out and about.>
How long before i put them back in and do I need to use a stress coat after i
put them back in or do i need to use it before i put them back in.
<Use Stress Coat if you want, but it doesn't make a huge difference re: Violet
Gobies because they're adapted to living in changeable environments anyway.
Begin by raising the salinity in the aquarium to SG 1.003 (that's about 6 g
marine salt mix per litre of water) and when that's done put the Violet Gobies
in. I'd do that by removing half the (freshwater) water from the bucket, and
then refill the bucket using brackish water from the tank across 10-15 minutes.
They'll adapt to this change in salinity with no problems. Lift the Gobies out
with a net and pop them in their new home. Over the next few weeks or months,
you can adjust the salinity upwards to an ideal of SG 1.005 to 1.010.>
Be happy to know my Pleco is in his own tank and is resting peacefully. Thanks,
Shawna
<All sounds great. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Violet Gobies 08/28/08
Hi Neale,
<Shawna,>
Well the violet gobies are very happy and are moving around a lot more, but when
i took them out of the tank to change it I found out that one of my gobies that
would always hide in the cave and never come out was very fat, a lot fatter that
the other goby (especially just below its head and only in that one spot about
an inch long) I'm afraid its pregnant.
<No, they don't get pregnant. May be fat! Possibly containing eggs, but that
won't cause problems. In fact if you have a pair, the male will guard the eggs
as/when they're laid. As far as I'm aware, this species hasn't been spawned in
captivity. So keep a good eye out for what happens!>
Do you have any pics of what a pregnant violet goby looks like?
<Nope, doesn't happen.>
I've never had a pregnant fish before so im in dire need of assistance in this
area. Does she need special care, can she and the other goby be around the eggs
when she lays them, or do i need to put her in a breeder and then take her out
when she lays them, I have no clue what to do. Please help!
<Nothing need be done. Just make sure each fish has a cave of its own, because
if she does lay eggs, the male will AGGRESSIVELY defend them on his own. Gobies
generally spawn readily in aquaria, but the fry are very small and often
difficult to rear because they have a marine phase of their life cycle so can't
be reared in freshwater tanks. I have no information on Gobioides spp. though.
If I could make a suggestion, there's a Yahoo Group called "goby group" that
includes hobbyists, goby scientists, and fish collectors. Naomi Delventhal, who
wrote the goby chapter in my Brackish-Water Fishes book, is a member. Get in
touch with them and describe what's happening, ideally with photos, and they
might be able to help. Naomi has bred lots of "difficult" gobies in captivity.>
Thanks, Shawna
<Have fun! Neale.>
Adapting Violet Goby to
Saltwater/Marine tank, using WWM 8/18/08
Hello!
<Angela>
First, let me just express my appreciation and gratitude for your site and
helpful articles, they have been VERY helpful! I am pretty new to fish keeping
but I have become completely addicted!
<Ahhh! Welcome to "the club">
Started 5 months ago with a FW 20 g tank. Got it through its cycle with 3
molly's. Had all parameters to 0 (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH at 8.0). Once
cycled I added 3 Day-Glo Danio's, 3 Cherry Barbs and 1 BN albino Pleco (my best
buddy)
Lost 2 of the Day-Glo Danio's within a week, not sure why - just found one
floating one day and never did find the other. Didn't seem like the other fish
were big enough to eat him though. My Pleco was about 3.5 to 4.0 - could he have
eaten him?
<Mmm, very likely ONLY after it was dead, but then ,yes>
About 1 month after getting the 20 gallon my Molly's had a ton of babies. At
that point I decided to transfer all but 2 of the Molly's to a friends 55 gallon
as he had more room.
About 1 month later, my BN Pleco died. I was heartbroken as he was my favorite.
I actually cried most the night. I felt so bad as I was sure it was something I
had done.
Still not sure what happened but I think it was an infection of some sort. He
just came out in the open (which was very unusual for him) and had a red tinge
under his skin. Before I could figure out what to do, the red tinge got worse
and then he died about an hour later. Any ideas as to what happened?
<Mmm, likely environmental... the system being unstable, not completely
cycled...>
I went out in search of a new buddy for the tank and fell in love with a Violet
Goby.
<A brackish water species...>
The LFS didn't note anything other than what to feed him so of course I had no
idea that he needed a BW tank until I did some reading up on him and found your
site!
So about 1 month ago, I transferred all my guys into a larger 40 gallon tall
tank and changed out the sharp black gravel to pea sized river rock for George
(my Goby).
I am currently evaluating my options as I want to do everything possible for him
(really don't want to go through losing a favorite again, that was so hard).
As I understand I have 3 options - please correct me and/or add any comments
opinions etc - the more information the better!
1. Convert my FW to a BW tank. Not so sure I want to do this as I like my FW and
I really love the look of a planted tank. Also, I am concerned my other tank
guys may not do so well in a BW. Currently I have George the Goby, 3 adult
platys, 7 baby platys, 2 adult Molly's, 1 Day-Glo Danio, 1 cardinal Tetra and 3
Cherry Barbs. Your thoughts?
<Need two tanks/systems... one brackish, one fresh>
2. I am in the process of setting up a 45 gallon Marine tank as well as a 20
gallon Marine Quarantine tank. I have heard that George can be adapted to a full
Marine tank salinity of 1.020 - 1.022 or around there - is this true? If so, how
do I go about adapting him to the Marine tank?
<Posted: http://wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm
See the articles, FAQs links re?>
3. Last option would be to find him a BW home somewhere but I would really
rather not do that....
I would really like to adapt him to my 45 Marine tank. I was thinking I could
somehow do this using my 20 gallon marine quarantine tank. Currently I am using
live rock to cycle both tanks and have no fish in them. They both have DSB's of
Fiji Live sand.
Can you please assist?
<You can just read all this (and more that you'll find useful, enjoyable):
http://wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/Dragon_Gobies/Dragon%20Gobies.htm
and the linked files below>
Thanks in advance for any help, advice, comments etc you can provide!
Angie
<Do write us back with specific issues Angie. Bob Fenner>
Transitioning guppies and
violet goby from fresh to brackish water 8/18/08
Dear People:
<Well, I'm a person anyway.>
I recently acquired a violet goby and didn't get accurate information from the
store where I bought it.
<Not uncommon. A lovely fish; hardy and easy to keep, but does grow quite large
(expect 40-50 cm) and will require at least slightly brackish water to do well.>
I have been properly chastised by your site for "impulse" buying fish without
doing the proper research on them. Wanting to keep my goby alive and healthy,
now I am setting up a brackish tank (35 gallon) for my goby and hoping to settle
some fancy guppies that were bequeathed to me in the tank as well. Is this
possible?
<Perfectly possible. I'd suggest a 35 gallon tank is slightly smaller than
optimal given the size of these fish, but providing you have a decent filter and
don't overfeed any of the fish, you should be okay. Violet gobies (Gobioides
broussonnetii will not harm the Guppies unless starving. Violet Gobies are
omnivores, and a mix of algae wafers (the things given to plecs), frozen
bloodworms, and occasional feeds of live brine shrimp suit them well. Violet
Gobies like to dig: use a smooth silica sand substrate ("silver sand", purchased
from a garden centre) or river sand substrate. You'll see them feed by shoveling
sand into their huge mouths. They also filter feed by gulping water, which is
what the live brine shrimp are for -- brine shrimp aren't very nutritious, but
boy, it's fun to watch! Wild fish scrape algae from rocks with their sharp
teeth, and that's what the algae wafers are for. Provide some hollow tubes for
hiding places; plain PVC tubes from a hardware store will do, but obviously
hollow ornaments like replica tree trunks will look nicer. These are fun fish,
and it really is worth getting a handle on their requirements so that you can
enjoy keeping them and playing with them.>
Also, do I need to transition the fish from freshwater to brackish?
<Not really. Fancy Guppies will do best at around SG 1.005, and this is adequate
for your Violet Goby too.>
If so, how do I do that?
<Start by "cloning" a freshwater aquarium filter for the new tank, i.e., take
out 50% of the media from the old aquarium and put into the new aquarium's
filter. Add your Goby and Guppies to the new aquarium. Over the next day or two
check the nitrite stays at zero (it should do). Now, once you're happy
everything is fine and the old filter media survived its "transplant", do a
series of 10-20% water changes every 1-3 days, replacing freshwater in the tank
with brackish water at SG 1.005. After a couple of weeks the tank will be at SG
1.005, and Lo! the fish and the filter will both be adapted safely.>
Thanks for the great site. It is very informative.
<Thanks!>
Sincerely, Vickie
<Most welcome, Neale.
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.>
Violet Goby to Brackish Without Shocking 6/12/08
Hi! I recently rescued from Wal-Mart a lovely dragon goby. He's
acclimated to freshwater but as I want to do the absolute best by this
beautiful creature, I've replaced the gravel with sand and through you
have learned that I need marine salt, a hydrometer, and the specific
gravity for which to aim.
<Precisely so. Violet Gobies, Gobioides spp., are brackish water fish
that do best between SG 1.005 and 1.015.>
My gut feeling is that if I do this conversion to brackish all at once,
it will be terrible on him.
<Don't worry about it. Brackish water fish are adapted to sudden changes
in salinity. They have evolved the systems to accommodate that, and in
many cases seem to benefit from salinity changes. So by all means take
the fish from freshwater and put it into a brackish tank at SG 1.005
straight away. If I was adjusting it to a higher salinity, I'd tend to
put the fish in a bucket half-filled with freshwater, and then add some
strongly brackish water a cup at a time for 30 minutes or so, to give
the fish a bit of time to adjust. Essentially doing what marine
aquarists call "the drip method" of acclimation.>
(or her? how do I tell?)
<Beyond the ken of man! But presumably they know...>
So I'm thinking a gradual conversion is best, but would appreciate some
guidance as to how gradual. How much and over what period of time and
what's the best method?
<With the fish, it hardly matters; your filter bacteria are something
else entirely. You can adjust freshwater filter bacteria to SG 1.003 in
one or two water changes, as you prefer. But after that, only raise the
salinity slowly each week with each water change. For example, I'd do
all my water changes at SG 1.003 for the first month. After that, I'd do
my weekly water changes adding SG 1.004 water for the next month. The
month after that, I'd use SG 1.005 water. After three months you should
have safely adjusted your bacteria without any risk of a filter crash.>
Also, I've read that mollies make good tank mates but I don't think he
was getting enough food when I had him in the mollies' tank. Right now
he lives peacefully with gold and neon tetras and two Cory cats, as well
as two vampire shrimp (I've never actually SEEN those since I put them
in but assume they're still there...) but I know as I transition to
brackish, the Neons will have to go.
<Indeed so. The Corydoras and likely the shrimps will have to go too.
Violet gobies feed on plankton, algae, and worms. The ideal diet is
algae wafers (of the sort given to Plecs); frozen bloodworms; and live
brine shrimp or daphnia. Watching them eat the live food is incredible:
they are like baleen whales, gulping mouthfuls of water as they swim
around the water! The worms and algae will be eaten more leisurely.
Don't force them to compete with too many other bottom feeders. Mollies
are ideal tankmates. You could also keep Guppies or Limia such as Limia
nigrofasciata. Violet gobies will eat fry if they are very hungry, but
otherwise completely ignore other fish. Experienced fishkeepers have
reported guppies breeding like mad in Violet goby tanks.>
The cats and shrimp too, I am guessing. Realistically, who are the best
tankmates for this gentle giant?
<Almost anything not nippy or aggressive. Livebearers, flounders,
Florida Flagfish, "Crazy fish" (Butis butis) would all be ideal. Big,
well fed (tame!) specimens mix well with scats, monos, etc.>
Thank you so much! Tina
<You're welcome, Neale.>
Dragon/Violet Goby 3/01/04
Hi there.
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I ran across your website and it seems you have some folks who are knowledgeable
about brackish water tanks.
<Well, thank you! Hope I can help.>
My husband and I have "inherited" a Violet Goby from his brother-in-law, who had
it and lost interest in it.
<Good thing for the fish, he now lives with someone who cares =o)>
He offered to give us the tank, but insisted we must keep the fish. We are
considering it a "fish rescue" project because the poor creature was being kept
in a (15?) hex with only about 5 inches of extremely dirty water in it, and was
only being fed about once every several weeks.
<Poor fish!>
It is amazing that it is still alive.
<No kidding, tough fish!>
At any rate we have done a little reading, but as we already have the fish and
tank in our possession we don't have a lot of time to do research - we must
begin caring for it now. We realize it will outgrow this small tank. We
already have plans of moving it into a 20 hex once that tank's inhabitants have
moved into their new tank; beyond that we will have to make a further
investment. We would GREATLY appreciate any suggestions you can give to us on
keeping this interesting fish.
<I assume you have already cleaned out the tank & put the fish in fresh
water? Probably a big shock to the fish, since it has actually acclimated to
the poor water conditions & is now in a completely different environment. See:
http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/oldtanksyndrome.shtml Hope he's
ok. Anyway, these are brackish water fish. Aragonite or crushed coral
substrates are used to help maintain a stable alkaline pH of around 8. I
suggest keeping these fish at low-end BW (in a specific gravity, or SG of
1.005-08). You must use marine salt. You will need a hydrometer to measure the
salinity. It takes a cup of salt/5 gal of water to raise the SG .005. If the
goby was in FW originally, then you should start out your tank in FW and raise
the SG .002/week, until you reach the desired SG. This is so you don’t destroy
the good nitrifying bacteria (if there's any left) and shock the fish as you add
salt. SW bacteria are different than FW, so you need time for the SW bacteria
to develop as the FW bacteria dies off slowly. If the tank was completely
cleaned out (I hope you didn't use soap!), then all the "good" bacteria has been
destroyed. The only product that is available that contains live bacteria is
Bio-Spira. I suggest you add it to his tank.>
We would especially like to hear suggestions on a good tank-mate for him.
(her?) One fish I have always been attracted to is the puffer; I know that
there are a few brackish species, such as the figure 8 and the spotted
puffer. Would either of these be appropriate?
<I have a dragon goby. I would recommend at east a 30g for an adult, as they
grow to 18". Mine lives with some F8 puffers, knight gobies & bumblebee
gobies. They all prefer the same SG & basically the same foods (blackworms,
plankton, brine shrimp), except the puffers need more hard shelled foods (like
snails) to keep their teeth trimmed. My gobies all love algae wafers too. I
recommend you keep the goby alone for a while to make sure the tank is
ok. After you upgrade to a larger tank, you could add some other gobies &
puffers. Mollies would work too. I definitely wouldn't recommend a green
spotted puffer. They are extremely aggressive & prefer SW as adults. If you are
going to make the tank BW, then since most BW fish kept at LFS are kept in FW,
you will need to acclimate the new guys slowly. If the store keeps their puffers
in BW (congratulations, you’ve found a store that really cares about their
fish), cycle your tank at whatever SG the puffers are living in at the store. If
you already have an established BW tank and are buying a puffer (or other BW
fish) kept in FW at the store, you need to acclimate it very slowly. Whenever I
change a fish over from FW-BW, BW-SW, or visa-versa, I use a drip system. I put
the fish in a bucket below the tank I will be moving it into, covered by water
from the tank the puffers were living in, about 1" over its head. I tie a knot
in an air hose until it drips enough water into the bucket to raise or lower the
SG in the bucket .001/hour. I know this all seems a lot to new fish owners, but
BW is definitely a little more work than FW.>
Thank you in advance for any help you can give us.
Sincerely yours, Julie and Chris Ford
<Enjoy your dragon! (Doesn't it resemble the creature that pops out of that
guy's chest in the movie, alien?) ~PP>
Dragon Goby 2/29/04
Hey Pufferpunk.
<Hey yourself>
I just really want to thank you - you definitely told me some things I needed to
know. He's in fresh water with a small addition of "aquarium salt" that I use
for my freshwater guppy tanks, so I do need to purchase some different
products. We're making a pet store run tomorrow.
<Like marine salt & a hydrometer.>
So far he seems to be doing well. He's swimming around quite a bit and really
likes the heater - previously there was no heater in his tank and, although I
know they can live in cooler water, I think he appreciates the warmth because he
has been swimming up and attaching himself to the glass right next to the
heater.
<Poor chilly fish. =o{>
We didn't *completely* change the tank out - just added water and a little salt
- cause I didn't want to totally freak his system.
<That's good, just keep doing 20% water changes, while cleaning the gravel every
day, until his tank is clean. don't forget to use water w/the same temp as his
tank & add Dechlor.>
Thanks, again, for the tips. I'm glad to hear the f8 puffers are a good
choice. We've got a huge learning curve here but gratefully there are folks
like you out there! <Awwwww, shucks!>
My brother-in-law means well, but these are people who
should never have pets because every pet they have had since I have known them,
they have either had to give it away, or it died an untimely death. This fish
was on death row. My husband really likes him, so that's good since all our
other pets are "mine."
Julie
<Same in my house. I'm happy you saved him! ~PP>
|
Overcrowding/Tankmates/Violet Goby Care 7/16/06
Hi,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I was wondering if it's okay to have a Pleco, 4 Otocinclus, 3 platys, 4
tiger barbs, 2 blue Gouramis, 1 molly, 1 Bala shark, 3 African frogs, 2
paradise fish, and 10 ghost shrimp in one 30 gallon tank?
<Let's start with some of the larger growing fish:
Blue Gouramis, grow to 4" each.
Bala shark, a schooling fish that grows to 10".
African frogs (you didn't say dwarf, so I'm assuming clawed frogs?), grow
about the size as your fist & will eat anything it can fit in it's mouth.
Paradise fish, grows to 3".
Pleco, grows to 18".
Did you research adult sizes of these fish? I'd at least rehome the Bala
shark & Pleco. You can find a dwarf form of Pleco for that tank, like the
Bristlenose. Be sure to keep a close eye on water parameters with those
remaining fish & don't add any more. Check ammonia, nitrites (should always
be 0) & nitrates (<20). Do weekly water changes of around 50%.>
Three of my tiger barbs fight a lot and have a greenish coloration from
missing scales. Is there anyway to stop them fighting?
<A school of fish usually consists of 6 or more. Less may cause
squabbling.>
I had received a 3-4 inch violet goby in a one gallon tank with dirty water
(I've changed it out and need to get some marine salt) and am not able to
get a new tank until next week. It is cramped and but otherwise healthy. How
fast do violet gobies grow and how long can I keep it in there?
<It will not live long at all in that bowl. I'd keep it in your larger
tank, until you can get it it's own brackish tank. The molly can go with
it. It will grow to 18" & eventually need at least a 30g tank. See:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/Dragon_Gobies/Dragon%20Gobies.htm
>
I had checked the place where I got my other fish to see if they had violet
gobies and saw they were in the same environment as the tropical fish. The
gobies at the pet store were healthy.
<They can live in FW for a while, but will suffer from a lowered immune
system, usually wind up with reddish tumors on their body & early death.>
The worker there told me to feed it feeder fish but I had put some in, but
it didn't eat until I fed it algae wafers. :) It doesn't seem to be much of
a meat eater either. It leaves fish and shrimp alone. Is it okay to put it
in my thirty gallon tank temporarily since it is bigger then the one gallon?
<Yes, do that for now. They do not eat live fish & can barely see them,
never mind, hunt them down--they have very poor eyesight. sinking pellets,
blackworms or algae wafers, is what they like.>
Thank you for all your help! I learned a lot from this site!
<Glad to help~ ~PP>
Re: overcrowding/ tankmates/violet goby care
7/22/06
Hi again!
Thanks for all your help! The Pleco will be moved with the shark into a 10
gallon tank until I can get hold of a bigger one. The fish had already been
purchased without my knowledge so I didn't get a chance to research on them. I
was on vacation, so I didn't find out about the fish until I got back. A
thousand thanks to you PufferPunk :)
<Glad to help! Be sure to give a good talking to the person that bought fish
without your knowledge. Fish do not make good "presents"! ~PP>
Violet Goby caught in filter! 6/29/06
Hello!
<Hi Neko, Pufferpunk here>
Thanks very much for having the Wet Web Media. It has been a huge help in
helping my aquatic life through strange incidences, problems or generally
getting things set up.
<Glad to hear it!>
I've come across an odd and unexpected problem. My Violet Goby, which I've had
for maybe a year now, had somehow wiggled her way up into the filter. I had
left the screen off it accidentally with the last filter and water change and
didn't find her until the next morning after taking all the plants and decor
out, and even tearing up my house hoping she hadn't leapt from the tank. She was
still very alive, however tired. Which isn't unexpected. But her mouth looks
bloodied up and a bit torn up. What can I do to resolve this? I am so worried
for her. She's so beautiful. She had even laid eggs not long ago. I'm
assuming that's a good sign!
Another problem surrounding her is that she seemed to have responded badly to an
antiparasitic medication I had put in over a month ago, and had started to thin
out. I stopped feeding her when her stomach bloated (which I can now contribute
to her laying eggs), but since I had no idea she was a she at the time, I
assumed she was constipated or had swim bladder. So I added extra aquarium
salts, and changed the water daily to help flush her system. It seemed to be
working, too. But then her stomach looked to collapse (again, eggs I
figure). Now it seems fine, but she is still really thin. I've been feeding
her soaked freeze dried blood worms until I can get her some nice, frozen blood
worms. Also Tubifex worms in those cubes, soaked and poured into the waterfall
to help push them to the bottom and flakes. I've also dropped in algae wafers
for her to munch on. But with her mouth so badly hurt, I'm afraid she won't eat
or be able to eat. I've done a thorough water change today to get anything out
of there that might cause infection like food wastes, ammonia and fish
waste. I'm also adding something called 'Complete Remedy' which is made for
external parasites, fungi and bacteria. If she seems to respond badly to that,
I intend to do another water change and slowly remove it, then try something
else for her. It's all I have on hand and it's an all around medicine, so I'm
hoping it'll help. I really don't want her to die.
Anything you can recommend would be a huge help. I'm sadly limited on funds
right now, and if you know of any medications or remedies that'll help her
within a limited budget, please let me know.
<As she has responded poorly to meds before, I wouldn't add anything to her
tank, except Melafix and/or Pimafix. They are all-natural & won't harm
scaleless fish or your biological filtration. I would also be sure your fish in
in at least, low-end brackish water. A specific gravity of 1.005 would be
good. Make sure you are using marine salt & measure with a hydrometer. If she
has freshwater fish for tank mates, they will not appreciate this much salt in
their water. (It takes close to a cup of salt/5g to make a SG of 1.005). ~PP>
Thank you for your time and any help! Neko
Escape-Goby 1/22/06
Hi, Pufferpunk here>
As I got out of bed one morning, I made the unfortunate discovery that my violet
goby had escaped the tank and was lying half-dried upon the floor. It was still
alive, so I immediately placed it back into its brackish aquarium. Ever since
then, it keeps its dragon-like fins retracted close to its body and seems a
little red around the gills. Furthermore, I have not seen him/her eat a single
thing. What is the best course of action I could take?
<Are you sure it's still alive? I'd just leave it alone for a while & not try
to feed it. Add Melafix to the water & make sure it's in brackish water. Tape
up any openings in your hood, so this doesn't happen again. ~PP>
- Darel
"There's a Dragon In My Tank!" Gobioides broussonettii - questions,
comments... 2/12/07
Hi All (This one is really for PufferPunk, if possible),
<Hi Cathy, you've got me!>
I wanted to thank you for a very informative web site - I've been doing
a lot of researching for my brackish tank and it seems that all roads
lead to WWM :)
<Most do but there are also a few other good ones...>
My question is about substrate for these awesome fish. "Smaug" is about
4"long, has been in a 29 gallon tank which has been gradually
"brackified" to a SG of 1.005 over 2 weeks' time. I originally had
plain gravel and crushed coral in the tank but have decided that he
should have a sand substrate for a more natural habitat. Long story
short, I put this little one into my 10 gallon "guest tank" with some of
his salty water and put
fine marine sand into the 29G tank (it's still "settling"... I didn't
know how to rinse the sand very well. It's fine sand, how are you
supposed to rinse it?).
<I just rinse in a bucket, while stirring with my hand, till
clear. Pour off the top water & repeat. Never do get all the particles
out... Adding some filter floss to the filter, usually clears the water
up in a day.>
Then someone told me that this fish might eat the sand and get impacted
or sick from it. Is that true?
<Never heard that one--ask the fish in all my SW tanks or the fish in
the ocean. They seem to have no problem with sand.>
Since I have bought this sand and put it in the tank, I'd hate to waste
the investment and effort but I don't feel good about putting him back
in until I have some idea that it will be ok for him. I also have a bag
of calcite (by Seachem), grey coarse sand but it seems kind of jagged
and sharp. These are my options at the moment,
gravel, sand, calcite or any combination of them.
<The sand is fine.>
I do also have some comments about the article "There's a Dragon in my
Tank"- I would have liked to email the author directly but there was no
email in the article.... so hopefully this will reach her.
<It has>
While it is a very informative article and I am so glad for this
resource, some of my experiences with this fish have been different than
what I read in the article. For example, "Lacking the normal fish's
swim bladder, they are poor swimmers and wiggle back and forth like a
snake in the water or scoot along the substrate and rocks on their
lateral fin." Hmmm... Mine swims all over the tank at night, gliding
around and performing graceful aquabatics that put any other fish to
shame. Yeah, kind of snakelike, eelish, but definitely not a poor
swimmer. Perhaps this is a sign of stress? Or because he is young and
small? But to my (albeit untrained) eye, he seems to be having a pretty
good time. He does occasionally go to the surface, then back down but
there is no ammonia or nitrite in the water - I've checked.
<Definitely does not swim like any other "fish" I've seen.>
"This is not a fish for beginner aquarists or even experienced
freshwater aquarists beginning in brackish water."
Why on earth not?
<Mostly because of their difficulty to feed. Many starve to death,
considering their poor eyesight & distaste for flakes.>
Can I just say, this is my first brackish tank. I'm not what you'd call
an experienced aquarist (I've only had a FW community tank for 5 months
before this one). I guess I don't understand what the difficulty is in
keeping this fish. Proper marine salt, properly dissolved, gradually
added to the tank - check. Hydrometer - check.
Regular water changes/good water quality - check. Proper feeding (he
eats everything I've offered - shrimp pellets, brine shrimp, bloodworms,
Hikari Sinking Wafers...). With all due respect, I feel like the
article is "preaching to the choir" - the person who is researching the
proper care of this creature is exactly the kind of person who should
have them. Do people really say, "I feel like starting a brackish
tank. Now, what kind of fish likes slightly salty water?" I think most
of us have certain critters in mind, and go from there.
<Unfortunately, you are not the norm for most beginner
fishkeepers. Even when you go to almost any LFS, they'll tell you "BW
consists of just adding a little aquarium salt to your tank. Sure, you
can keep them in a 10g tank. Oh yeah, they'll eat flakes." Lost of
folks go years without ever doing a water change on their tank--only
topping off. I can go on & on about how poorly fish are kept, even by
some so called "experienced" hobbyists.>
And lastly... "A lot of these are sold because of their odd appearance
and common names. Who wouldn't want a purple dragon? But that is
insufficient reason to buy a fish". IMHO these are perfectly good
reasons to buy a fish. They are fascinating in appearance and behavior
- I know that's why I wanted to get one :) It's just that... nobody
should ever take on any animal without knowing what their needs are and
being prepared to meet them.
<If only everyone thought like you! Then I wouldn't be so busy helping
fix all the mistakes everyone makes, because they didn't do any research
of any kind & bought this really cool purple dragon that their LFS told
them would be fine in their FW community tank, with just a little bit of
salt & flakes for food.>
So kudos and thanks to you all, for helping me be more informed -
mission accomplished, no? :)
<Kudos back to you, for being the kind of fishkeeper that all should
be! ~PP>
Thank you for your time, Cathy
|
Re: "There's a Dragon In My Tank!" 2/12/07
- 02/15/07
[...]
gravel, sand, calcite or any combination of them.
<The sand is fine.>
Sand it is, then. I'm sure he'll be happy to leave the small "guest
tank" and go back to his 29g.
I do also have some comments about the article "There's a Dragon in my
Tank"- I would have liked to email the author directly but there was no
email in the article.... so hopefully this will reach her.
<It has>
I appreciate your patience :)
[...]
<Definitely does not swim like any other "fish" I've seen.>
Nope. But it's the coolest thing I've seen in my tanks since the
molly's last brood of babies :)
"This is not a fish for beginner aquarists or even experienced
freshwater aquarists beginning in brackish water.">
Why on earth not?
<Mostly because of their difficulty to feed. Many starve to death,
considering their poor eyesight & distaste for flakes.>
I can definitely see that. Actually tankmates seem to be the biggest
problem - I tried a few mollies, but the females actually gorged
themselves eating their flake food and then his food (they were sick on
the bottom the next day with tummyaches - but fine now). After I took
out the 2 females, the male started chasing the Dragon around trying to
mate with him (it sounds funnier than it was- but I can't help laughing
when I say it). Maybe
guppies would be nicer. Anyway, for now the little fella will just have
to have the tank to himself. I was thinking about getting a Knight
Goby... maybe a couple of Bumblebees, and make it a brackish goby
tank. Any comments or suggestions on tankmates? I know that 29g is
not a very big tank, I'm still thinking on it.
<<Other gobies should work well.>>
Nobody should ever take on any animal without knowing what their needs
are and being prepared to meet them.
<If only everyone thought like you! Then I wouldn't be so busy helping
fix all the mistakes everyone makes, because they didn't do any research
of any kind & bought this really cool purple dragon that their LFS told
them would be fine in their FW community tank, with just a little bit of
salt & flakes for food.>
Well thank you :) I've been involved with avian rescue for some
years... the stupidity never fails to amaze me, both on the part of the
people who buy parrots and the stores that sell them. By the time our
organization sees them the stories get pretty sad. ("What, you didn't
KNOW that a wild animal in your home will behave like a wild
animal? Millions of years of evolution will be undone just because you
brought this creature indoors?") So I know
where you're coming from. By all means - carry on, carry on - and thank
you again for your time :).
<<Glad you understand my intent.>>
Attached is a photo of Smaug, if you would like to have more "dragon"
photos for the web site, I will send you some more when I take better
ones and the tank is all finished settling in :). Also attached is a
photo of my African grey parrot feeding peanut butter to my dog (just
because it's cute) LOL
<<Very cute--thanks for sharing! ~PP>> |
|
 |
|
Dragon
Goby--Sand 2/15/07
Thank you so much for all your help.
Just so's you know - the sand is perfect, he *LOVES* it :)
<Wonderful, glad to help. ~PP>
|
Old Discussion on Dragon Goby, New Discussion on Glassfish, BW
plt.s 2/22/07
On 2/20/07, crew
<crew@mail.wetwebmedia.com> wrote:
Dragon Gobies Stuck in Aquarium Ornaments 2/20/07
[...]<Actually, that's exactly where my Dragon lives. The fake mangrove
root I have in my BW tank, has an end of one of the roots broken off & he slips
inside it & lives in there. He has no problem turning around inside the
ornament & comes out often, to eat.>
LOL how cool :) I'm such a worry-wart (my girls call him "Mama's little bog
monster.") - just had this vision of the poor little guy getting stuck in
something like that.
< [...]<Sounds like a happy life for your Dragon!>
So far so good! I've bought 2 glassfish (au naturale, no ink thanks) -
Chanda ranga, for the brackish tank They are still in quarantine, but for all
I've read, they should be good tankmates for him. I know that they were eating
flake food in the store but I can't seem to get them to eat anything so far
(have tried flake food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen AND freeze-dried bloodworms,
freeze-dried plankton). I've read varying accounts of glassfish,
some say they are good eaters, others say they need live food. They are
very timid, I'm wondering if they would eat better if there were more of them in
my tank (5 or 6 total)?
<<A school of them would be nice. They may just be adjusting to their new
home.>>
I don't even know where to get live food - I tried to grow my own brine
shrimp for my livebearer fry but I'm filing that one under "failed experiment."
<<I get blackworms from my LFS. Rinsed well in a brine shrimp net & stored
in a shallow container with a little water, in the refrigerator. My dragon's
favorite food!>>
Seems like I read that you have a planted brackish tank?
<Nope, I have a 90g planted discus tank. No surviving plants in my BW
tank. ~PP>
Heheh well that might be us pretty soon too, I have read it's very hard to
keep plants in salty water. What about marine plants though? Do you think any
of them could do well in BW?
<Marine plants won't fair well till a SG of around 1.018. There are many BW
plants that folks have success with, just not worth the trouble for me, since I
already have a FW planted tank I'm happy with. Here's a great thread on BW
plants:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4792&highlight=brackish+plants ~PP>
Thanks again, Cathy
Dragon Gobies Stuck in Aquarium Ornaments 2/20/07
You might want to add to your FAQ about aquarium ornaments (or look into
it--I think others have had the same problem).
<It will be now Cathy, thanks.>
At least with sand, these swamp babies are burrowing fools - I came home
yesterday to find that little Smaug had burrowed underneath a hollow ornament
and was up inside of it. I had been tempted to buy one of those large "mangrove
root" ornaments but glad I didn't, because that was hollow as well (long tubes
of hollowness for "roots"). Probably would never see him again if he crawled up
inside of something like that.
<Actually, that's exactly where my Dragon lives. The fake mangrove root I have
in my BW tank, has an end of one of the roots broken off & he slips inside it &
lives in there. He has no problem turning around inside the ornament & comes
out often, to eat.>
I got a set of those "lock rocks" (I think they're by
Penn-Plax) and made him a cave to put on top of his burrow, surrounded by lots
of live plants (java fern, Anacharis, giant Val.s) - he's burrowed underneath
that as well but at least he can't get stuck in it. I'm trying to stay away
from things like PVC pipe, just for aesthetic purposes, though I know they can
be used.
<They definitely love their caves!>
As for the live plants, my giant Val.s aren't doing so great (the rest are fine
- is it even possible to kill Anacharis? ;)) but he really enjoys hiding in
them/swimming thru them and digs around frequently at the bases, I think he
probably eats bits of plant material there. It seems worthwhile for me to try
to keep live plants with them if possible - we'll see how expensive it gets
though. Will keep you posted if I learn anything interesting or helpful.
<Sounds like a happy life for your Dragon!>
Seems like I read that you have a planted brackish tank?
<Nope, I have a 90g planted discus tank. No surviving plants in my BW
tank. ~PP>
Best Wishes! Cathy
Dragon gobies 5/21/07
I know that there isn't much info on these fish but I know that more
is being discovered.
<There's actually lots about these fishes in the aquarium press. Take a
look at the Aqualog brackish water fishes book, or perhaps my one from
TFH. Goby scientist Naomi Delventhal covered this species in
considerable depth in her chapter on gobies.>
I went to Wal-Mart (yes, bad idea, but I had to rescue them from there)
and bought 1 dragon goby, a 10 gallon tank some rocks and plants.
<10 gallons far too small. A healthy specimen will reach 30 cm or so
within the first year, and up to 50 cm when fully grown.>
Cleaned all and put him in. At the store he was all swimmy but once he
settled in he became secluded (which I know is common) what I'd like to
know about are his uncommon traits. The water is not brackish, yet he
seems to be doing fine.
<These are indeed hardy fish, and will tolerate freshwater conditions
for long periods. BUT NOT FOREVER.>
His tank mates are a snail, a Pleco, 12 swordtails (male and female), a
very docile female crown beta that itself is very social, and some
unknown number of ghost shrimp.
<None of these fishes are really suitable, except maybe the swordtails,
which will do okay in brackish water at SG 1.005. Swordtails don't like
brackish water, but at low salinity it won't harm them.>
Now, I didn't notice him eating before, but noticed he's been living for
a few weeks now and my shrimp population is dwindling...
<When starving, dragon gobies will eat shrimps and small fish. Their
normal and preferred diet is a mixture of infaunal invertebrates (worms
and insect larvae, for example) plus algae. They also filter feed from
the water (live brine shrimp are ideal). It is likely you are not giving
the goby enough food to eat, and since he's hungry, he's eating what he
can. Bear in mind that when properly cared for these are NOT PREDATORY,
and people have kept them with even guppies and not lost any fish.>
So, someone suggested I feed him algae wafers, so I did which he seems
to like. (He does the whole gulp and inhale nibble thing).
<Quite so. The little teeth in his mouth are for scraping algae from
rocks. Try offering some fresh algae, e.g. sushi Nori, and see if he
goes for that.>
My questions being,
One: if my swordfish mate, will he eat the eggs?
<Swordfish don't lay eggs, they produce live babies. If properly cared
for the goby will ignore them, but if hungry he will eat them. But your
swordtails will do that, too.>
Two: even though he is doing ok in freshwater, should I put him in
brackish anyway?
<Yes, he needs a bigger, brackish water tank. At least 30 gallons, and
ideally 55 gallons.>
Three: I know this is asked a lot, but how can I mate the dragons
(hoping for new info)? Do I just buy many and hope for the best?
<Not been done yet, and probably complex. Many of these brackish water
gobies lay eggs in burrows but the baby fish are planktonic, drifting
around in the sea for a couple of months. Anyway, the first step is
getting a group of them. They are territorial. In a big tank people do
keep them in groups, and they are quite fun like that. The fish "fight"
by lining alongside each other, and push one another to see who is the
strongest. Either way, each fish must have a PVC tube burrow of its
own.>
Four: should I put my goby pal on a diet and try to feed him live food
vs. wafers?
<He needs BOTH. They are filter feeders AND algae eaters, so doing just
the one thing is wrong. A mixed diet of frozen bloodworms, live brine
shrimp, and algae pellets is an excellent starting point. Watching them
filter feed the brine shrimp is terrific fun -- they swim in the water,
gulping the brine shrimp into their huge mouths like baleen whales!>
Thank you for your time!
-Dave
<No problems, and good luck.>
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.> |
Violet Goby... sys. mostly...
3/2/08
Hi,
I purchased a "dragon goby" at PetSmart last night and was told he is a
predatory freshwater fish. A quick Google search revealed this was completely
incorrect.
<Indeed. Neither predatory nor a freshwater fish. Brackish water fish that eats
plankton, algae and small worms would be closer to the mark.>
As we were driving home the front suspension of our car broke and apparently
it's a miracle we got home without the car failing, so my husband won't drive
any where. My question is can/should I *temporarily* put him in a tank with
table salt?
<Adding a small amount of salt (ideally rock salt or kosher salt) to the tune of
about 6 grammes per litre would be quite helpful as a stop-gap. If your water is
soft rather than hard, then raising the hardness through the use of a Malawi
salt mix would also help. One recipe follows, but you'll find others online.
Per 5 gallons/20 litres
1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
>
I know this is not the same and not advised but would it be better than
freshwater?
<In the very short term, yes.>
Currently, he doesn't look so good. He's more pink than grayish and has been
swimming somewhat sideways. Thank you,
Kate
<Hope this helps. But please do focus on rehoming in a slightly brackish (SG
1.005) aquarium, perhaps alongside guppies and mollies, knight gobies, etc.
Cheers, Neale.>
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Dragon goby sys. 2/17/08
Hello! I recently got a dragon goby from the local pet store - not knowing
he was brackish - and added him to our freshwater tank. Its a 33 gallon, and
right now we have the following in it; 2 Bala sharks, clown Pleco, dojo loach, 2
black tip sharks, emperor tetra and 3 black skirts. I realise this is going to
be a little crowded as they start to grow up (right now they're all about the
same size and I am assuming age). Our goby seems to be doing fine right now, he
eats plenty and is growing a little, but we know now that he's not going to
prosper in this environment. So my question is, can we change the tank to
brackish without harming the other fish, or do we need to get a brackish tank
specifically for our goby? I know we will have to get a second, larger tank
eventually and separate the fish as they grow, but if our goby is suffering, I'd
like to help him as much as possible before its too late. Thanks for your time,
Kelly
<Hello Kelly. Your Violet Goby/Dragon Goby -- Gobioides broussonnetii -- is
indeed a brackish water fish. While they do occur in freshwater in the wild,
they are rarely far from the sea, and in aquaria seem to last only a year or two
in freshwater conditions. So long term, yes, you will need to rehome him. The
problems when brackish water fish are kept in freshwater conditions vary from
one fish to another, but overall it is a greater sensitivity to disease:
Lymphocystis, Finrot, Fungus and so on. The best thing with Dragon Gobies is to
move them into their own tank. They have quite special needs: sand for digging
(either silica sand, river sand, or coral sand) plus several PVC tubes or
similar for hiding in. They like rocks, because they scrape away algae using
their special teeth. Plastic plants are a great addition, too. Because Dragon
Gobies are completely peaceful, they work superbly well with livebearers such as
Guppies and Mollies that will thrive under the same conditions. Glassfish and
Wrestling Halfbeaks and Orange Chromides could be added safely, too.
Unfortunately, none of your other fish is suitable for such a community with the
exception of what I believe you mean by "Black Tip Shark", what I would call
Sciades seemanni. This is a brackish/marine catfish and is also very peaceful
and an excellent community fish, though predatory. While sold as a freshwater
fish, it is really a brackish/marine fish and doesn't do well in freshwater
tanks. Sciades seemanni is one of my all-time favourite fish, and surely among
the most shark-like fish in the hobby. Do a Google search for Sciades seemanni
just to check we're singing from the same hymn book though. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Dragon goby 2/21/08
Thanks for the quick reply! It looks like we are going to rehome the other
fish into a second tank and use our 33 gallon as the brackish tank. I will keep
the sharks with the goby and probably add another species or two - thanks for
the suggestions. It looks like you are a right about what the black-tip sharks
are really called, which is great because I searched black tips on Google and
nothing that looked like my fish came up! Anyways, thanks again, you were very
helpful!
Kelly
<Hello Kelly. Sounds like you're making the right choices. Do be careful not to
overstock the 33 gallon tank though. Both Dragon Gobies and Shark Catfish get
fairly big (expect at least 20 cm/8" for the catfish, and at least 30 cm/12" for
the goby). While you could well keep them perfectly happy in the 33 gallon tank
for the next year or two, before too long they'll need something a bit bigger (a
55 gallon tank would be ideal, and allow space for some midwater fish like
Archers or Sailfin Mollies). Shark Catfish are among my very favourite fish in
the hobby, and I'm sure you're going to enjoy them. Cheers, Neale.>
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Dragon (Violet Goby), sys.
- 04/14/08
Hello,
OK I have heard and read much about this wonderful fish that I recently lost in
our fish tank. I will try again with another, but before I do, I want to be sure
that I have as much information as possible so that I can assure that the Goby
has a fair shot at a decent life here.
<Indeed.>
First, I keep reading about sand as a definite MUST have in the Brackish tank.
OK<..this is great,. but would somebody please tell what kind of sand (please be
specific) is OK for the tank? I keep hearing that Marine Sand (about the only
one I can seem to find in stores and online) is NOT acceptable. If there is
indeed an acceptable sand for this Goby,...a brand name or specific type would
be most appreciated!!
<Marine sand would be fine though perhaps not the ideal. Smooth silica sand
(also called "silver sand") would be nice, as would smooth river sand. Basically
avoid anything jagged. These fish feed (in part) by plowing through mud,
filtering out small prey; let them do this in the aquarium. They also eat
plankton from midwater and algae scraped from rocks. In the aquarium, feed
bloodworms, algae wafers, and periodically "plankton" in the form of brine
shrimp or daphnia.>
Also,...the salt factor seems to be up for debate as well.
<Only debated by the ignorant; these are estuarine fish, period.>
I've been told Marine Salt is not advisable, yet I've been told Aquarium Salt is
not good either? Can you please clear this up for me? What kind and how much per
gallon of water?
<Marine salt mix, of the type used in marine aquaria. Instant Ocean, Reef
Crystals... whatever is cheap and easily obtainable in your area. Aquarium
"tonic" salt, the stuff used in freshwater tanks, is not acceptable, and neither
is cooking salt. As for the amount, you're aiming for 25-50% salinity of normal
seawater, i.e., 9-18 grammes of salt mix per litre of water at 25 degrees C.
That should result in a specific gravity of SG 1.005 to SG 1.012. The precise
value you aim for doesn't matter, just so long as it is kept reasonably
consistent over time: sudden, dramatic changes in salinity will stress/kill the
filter bacteria.>
Thanks so much,....I love your informative site!
I also wonder if the Australian Desert Goby would be OK in Brackish water too
with the Violet Goby.
<Chlamydogobius eremius is indeed tolerant of brackish water. It can actually do
perfectly well in anything from hard freshwater through to twice the salinity of
seawater. Should be fine with the Gobioides sp., though don't force them to
compete for space or burrows. Set up some small caves for the Chlamydogobius
eremius, and then some sand and larger burrows (PVC tubes are ideal) for the
Gobioides.>
td
<Cheers, Neale.>
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