Dragon Goby Help

[mrsmarym]

While picking up some tetras my son fell in love with this strange little fellow.  The gentlemen at the store told me that he didn't know much about him but he was non aggresive and should do fine with in our community tank. 
 
Upon getting home and googling, it seems like he will need brackish water?  And shouldn't be in gravel?  I will be setting a new tank up for him, but what are my best bets to keep him alive?  Is he going to be ok in the tank a few days while I set up a new tank for him? 
 
I have been reading up on setting up a brackish tent, but would love any tips on that too!  This $8 character is reminding me of the $50 tadpole one of the kids brought home

 

[Chad]

You will need more than a few days to set up the new tank since it has to cycle.
 
It's a neat fish, but setting up a brackish tank is going to be more than a $50 tadpole since you have to buy marine salt, a way to measure the salinity such as a hydrometer or a refractometer. It's best to use Reverse Osmosis water as well when dealing with marine or brackish tanks because the salt mix itself is designed to control the pH of the water from a neutral starting point. Using tap can be unpredictable in this regard.
 
Now...onto the really hard part of your new purchase...they get 2' long and will require at least a 4 foot long tank. Also, they are not peaceful but rather semi-aggressive when other fish go too near but they don't generally chase, just defend. They are sand sifters, which is why gravel won't work. They need a fine grain sand so they can sift it.
 
If you are ready for the commitment it requires I say go for it and will help you out but my recommendation is to return him.

 

[mrsmarym]

My son is really psyched about him, and I am willing to put in the work. 
 
Will he be ok in the tank he is in for awhile?  A lot of sites say they are freshwater so I imagine it being ok as a temporary situation.
 
I have another 20 gallon that I was going to set up for now.  My thought was to give his owner a larger tank for christmas, so we can upgrade him as he grows.
 
I will be doing a lot more research as we go, I just want to know how to keep him as healthy as possible while we get everything set up. 

 

[Chad]

They are okay in FW while they are young so fine for long enough to set up a proper brackish tank for him.

 

[mrsmarym]

That makes me feel much better!  I've googled a lot and gotten a LOT of different, often conflicting, information.  Do you think he'd be ok in that tank until Christmas?  Or should we set up the other 20 gallon sooner?  Or do you think we need to get the larger tank sooner?  He's pretty small right now and I haven't been able to find much on how quickly they grow.
 
I have time to do more research and set it up properly.  He is a neat little creature, I think we're going to be very fond of him
 
Sorry to grill you, and thank you so much for your answers!

 

[Chad]

I have found that getting the right sized tank to start with is always the best practice if you can. A 50-55 gallon tank is required to house him in. The nice thing is with a tank that size you can get some other brackish fish as well. The green spotted puffer is compatible with the dragon goby.
 
I think he needs to be in his own tank sooner than Christmas.
 
They are often called the "prehistoric" dragon goby due to their monster-like looks and they are interesting as they sift through the sand for food.
 
No need to apologize...the forum is here to answer questions.

 

[mrsmarym]

His birthday is August, so I guess the majority of his birthday presents are going to be dragon related!  I am sure I'll be back with more questions, thank you so much!!

 

[Chad]

You're welcome. There is a lot to learn about brackish tanks so you have plenty of studying to do.