Did Not Know Where To Put This

[PoPoV]

I just aquired a "dragon fish" From a freind of mine wich was purley a rescue type deal. He looks like a eel sort of. All he does is chill under the rocks in the tank, im starting to get worried couse i havnt seen him eat at all. Anybody know what this little guy is? or have any info on him? He is about 5 in. long.

 

[dthoffsett]

Is this what you have? http/www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/...dragon_fish.htm

 

[nmonks]

That is a terrible, terrible web page. Lots of erroneous information. For one thing, these are brackish water fish, and shouldn't be kept with angelfish, corydoras, and other soft/acidic water tropicals. According to my gobiologist advisor, violet gobies "tolerate fresh water, but are best kept at about 1.005-1.015". The Aqualog brackish book says the same thing, as does Fishbase.

Tonic salt, as that page recommends, is a poor choice for this species; only proper marine salt should be used, and adding it by a tablespoon per 5 gallons is a terrible way to make brackish water. Brackish water should be measured using a hydrometer or refractometer, not guessed at.

Their comment that they sometimes eat small fish is misleading: they will do so only at the absolute brink of starvation, and never if properly cared for. Small invertebrates and algae are the proper diet for this species.

Finally, all dragon gobies should be given sand to dig into. A rock or gravel substrate is a cruel way to keep this fish, with or without PVC tubes to hide in.

Cheers,

Neale

Is this what you have? http/www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/...dragon_fish.htm

 

[dthoffsett]

My apologies for the websites content. I've had no experience with gobies myself, however I was just trying to help identify the fish PopoV was describing. Thank you for pointing out the incorrect information.

 

[nmonks]

Wasn't a criticism of you, dthoffsett, so my apologies if I sounded a bit sharp.

There are a lot of web sites offering information on fishes, and some are better than others. I'm always a bit leery of sites that exist primarily to sell fish: I fear that such sites tend to hide the potential problems so that they can make their fish easier to sell.

Cheers, Neale

 

[dthoffsett]

Neale, I didn't take it as a criticism. That's the disadvantage to the written word, lack of inflection and emotion. Besides, it is important to point out incorrect information for the safety of the fish in question.

Dawn

 

[Ranger]

I just aquired a "dragon fish" From a freind of mine wich was purley a rescue type deal. He looks like a eel sort of. All he does is chill under the rocks in the tank, im starting to get worried couse i havnt seen him eat at all. Anybody know what this little guy is? or have any info on him? He is about 5 in. long.

Gosh... I really do not like those fish . I'm going to jump out on a limb and say ur friend bought this from petsmart which had about 45 of them packed into a 20gal holding tank.

Not that any info that comes from nmonks needs confirmation but I'm gonna do it anyways! As usual, what he posted is CORRECT!

 

[nmonks]

Not that any info that comes from nmonks needs confirmation but I'm gonna do it anyways! As usual, what he posted is CORRECT!

Whilst this comment is lovely to read, please don't think me infallible! In fishkeeping, we're all learning all of the time. There are new species on the market every year, and even the most experienced aquarists here will be ignorant of their needs and healthcare. Besides, we all make mistakes, even with "easy" fish. Checking up on the facts in good books and reliable web sites is always a good idea.

Cheers, Neale