Bumblebee Gobies

[memnon]

hello

i have seen bumblebee gobies before, i just wanderwed if they needed any special care and what there requirments where

thanks

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

I believe they prefer brackish water, so are not best suited to a general community setup.

 

[memnon]

thanks i did have a feeling they preferred slightly salty water,

 

[jayjay]

they are brackish fish but nmonks managed to keep them in freshwater.

 

[ITJ]

I believe they prefer brackish water, so are not best suited to a general community setup.

TFF's own 'nmonks' confirms that bumblebee gobies prefer brackish, despite surviving in freshwater, in an article in the June issue of Practical Fishkeeping.

 

[memnon]

i have done some research on the web and i also have seen peocock gobies,

Has anyopne kept these? and if so can they be kept in a community tank with corydoras.

cheers

 

[ITJ]

Posted at the same time

 

[AMS]

Bumble Bee Gobies naturally inhabit freshwater (even acidic and soft freshwaters) as well as slightly brackish water. They do, however, only occasionally live in brackish water, primarily making their residence in complete freshwater. In aquaria this is rather different. When captive bumble bee gobies are placed in freshwater (whether acidic or alkaline) they become very disease prone, especially fungus and other serious diseases. I am not saying bumble cant be housed in freshwater, I am saying most become very disease prone and problematic.

Aside form water conditions there are some other problems. The biggest is feeding. They will only accpet small frozen foods, and many will only take small live foods. The foods must be small, or they can not eat. Even when feeding frozen foods they must be moving by water currents. BBG's can not swim as they lack a swim bladder (they hop around) so getting food becomes even more difficult.

Despite their cute size, these fish are very territorial and at times aggressive.


Unless you can provide special conditions for them, BBG's are not for you.

 

[justask]

hello

i have seen bumblebee gobies before, i just wanderwed if they needed any special care and what there requirments where

thanks

hello

i have seen bumblebee gobies before, i just wanderwed if they needed any special care and what there requirments where

thanks

There are several species of Bumble Bee Gobies, some of which are still not yet imported. Generally split into two groups. While they all remain small, one group is classed as dwarf, not growing more than about 1.5cm. Look for Brachygobius mekongensis in the specialist shops, this is a completely freshwater species. Whilst it can be maintained in slightly brackish water, it is a true freshwater species. Not quite as attractive as B.doriae, but still has all the character.

 

[memnon]

thanks for all your replies, they've been a great help

 

[ac106]

The Brackish Water FAQ should be the first place you go:

http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/brackfaqpart1.html

BBG section:

http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/bra...6.html#gobiidae


And these should be helpful too:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...20&hl=bumblebee

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...26&hl=bumblebee

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...38&hl=bumblebee

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=110035&hl=

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=99880&hl=

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=97932&hl=

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=91410&hl=

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=74167&hl=

 

[nmonks]

Well put (and incidentally, welcome to the Forum!). There really isn't "a" bumblebee goby in the hobby, but several, and few of them are easy to identify. The name you see in the book -- Brachygobius xanthozona -- is simply bogus. That species is (I am reliably informed) so incredibly rare few museums have specimens, let alone aquarium shops.

So while, broadly, I would go along with AMS's advice, this is more because as a default slightly brackish seems to do no harm, whereas keeping the common species in freshwater doesn't always work. That said, I have one specimen in a soft, acid aquarium that seems to be doing fine. She's fat, happy, and tame enough to hand feed. She actually comes to the top of the tank and waits for me to drop bloodworms into her mouth.

The flip side is that three of these gobies died. I also lost a few other goby species in this tank within a few months, but for the last 6 months none have died. So while I suspect a bacterial infection was to blame, going from one goby species to the next, I can't rule out improper water chemistry.

To be honest, there's a lack of good data on gobies in aquaria generally. The Aqualog book is a step in the right direction, and Naomi Delventhal's chapter in my brackish book is even better. But beyond that, there's a lot that's conflicting and based on hearsay rather than experience. I prefer to listen to the scientists and the aquarists that have bred them rather than bother with the stuff in most books.

Cheers,

Neale

There are several species of Bumble Bee Gobies, some of which are still not yet imported. Generally split into two groups. While they all remain small, one group is classed as dwarf, not growing more than about 1.5cm. Look for Brachygobius mekongensis in the specialist shops, this is a completely freshwater species. Whilst it can be maintained in slightly brackish water, it is a true freshwater species. Not quite as attractive as B.doriae, but still has all the character.