Brackish 5 Gallon?

[CKutz]

i hope this isn't too stupid of a topic, i haven't seen anyone mention having such a small brackish tank. my reason for asking is because i reallllyyy want bumblebee gobies. The lfs I found them at is very highly rated. I say that because of they have them listed as brachygobius xanthozona. so i'd assume that's what they really are. i note that because I thought i read somewhere that this is the species that can do well in freshwater. but maybe i have that backwards. and also because neale said they are rare in the industry (except that post was a few years old i think).

Because it seems the general consensus is that it is just safest to keep bbgs in brackish water, maybe i'd do that. and since i'm not going to make my 10 gal brackish, or my 30 gal..why not try the 5 since bbgs can fit in there (someone once posted that you could basically have 1 bbg to 1 gallon..i'd say that's probably a little exaggerated..but then they should be fine in a 5 gal). So i would like to try 2 of them in the 5 gal but then what else could i keep? cause the bbgs will be on the bottom all the time it will look rather vacant...but yet the tank is too small for most other fish. i'm not very interested in the typical livebearers...but my gf loves balloon mollies so i thought maybe i could have one of them. is there any other fish for a 5 gal that would do well in a 1.005 SG tank?


\\\\edit:
go figure as soon as i post this the similar topics at the bottom have 5 gallon topics...sounds like it's a no go

 

[sic0198]

They recommend 3 for a 5.5 gallon. Link

 

[ac106]

I have kept BBGs in several tanks. They have a minimal bio-load and don't require a lot of space. I think the perceived need for territories is somewhat overblown. They carve out tiny spaces to defend. Sometimes, its just the side of the tank. In a 5.5 gallon as long as you maintain good water quality, I don't see what you couldnt have 5 BBGs or more depending on the configuration. Part of the fun with these fish is to see them squabble over territory.

 

[CKutz]

Yea..i'd really like to try them out..but i'd like to have at least one other fish in the tank..and finding something for brackish water that is 5 gallons seems pretty difficult.
I might not mind keeping a few of them in the 5 gallon, but it's a hex tank, and it's more tall then wide, so there isn't much room on the bottom. from one panel to the opposite panel is ~ 10"

i've been considering trying them in freshwater..but i don't want them to be "slowly dying" as some people have said. the only reason i continue to consider it is because it is the Xantho... species which i've read does better than most in freshwater.

ac106 is that a bbg in your avatar pic?
he looks unusually pale?

thanks for the replies guys.

////////edit:

What a bout a betta? would they tolerate a 1.005 SG? i read somewhere that many fish will be able to tolerate this level and it will be enough to make bbgs happy. just a thought i guess.

 

[ac106]

They aren't Brachygobius xanthozona, these fish are not commercially traded. They are likely B. nunus B. sabanus or B. doriae


My avatar is a very old photo of my first BBGs. When I bought they did not have yellow coloring but they were not stressed or sick as they grew quickly and I got them to breed. After several months they developed pale yellow coloring but never as deep as others. I never got a definite answer on why, I think it might be a species related issue as these BBGs are much larger then most (almost twice as long) and their markings were more irregular then most.