HERE's a copy of the thingy that was posted on my thread -
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...20goby&st=0
Freshwater bumblebee goby, Brachygobius xanthomelas
"It's entirely likely that all bumblebee gobies are freshwater fish in the wild. Goby expert Naomi Delventhal has written on this issues extensively, including in my brackish water aquarium book. Frank Schaefer at Aqualog has said much the same thing. So the idea that Brachygobius xanthomelas is unusual in being a "true freshwater" species is likely misleading.
I've kept standard bumblebee gobies in freshwater tanks without problems, and my own specimens currently live in a tank with 50% rainwater, 50% tap water, and are doing just fine. They've been there for years now.
So what's the deal? Why are Brachygobius spp. widely pushed as brackish water fish? In part, they may well do better in brackish water conditions in captivity. As I've mentioned with reference to mollies in this month's PFK (December 2008) marine salt mix buffers pH and detoxifies nitrite and nitrate. These benefits may be the critical issues rather than salinity. Certainly, a wide variety of fish do much better in brackish water in aquaria than they do freshwater conditions, despite the fact they are mostly or even entirely freshwater fish in the wild! Figure-8 puffers, green spotted puffers, Ceylon puffers, knight gobies, orange chromides and of course mollies fall into this category.
In the case of bumblebees, another key issue may be feeding. The vast majority of specimens die within months of purchase because they starve. These fish do not compete well with other fish at feeding time. It is entirely possible that over the years aquarists have assumed their gobies died because of water chemistry issues, without realising that starvation was actually the cause.
In any event, bumblebee gobies are good fish for either freshwater or brackish water tanks, provided you observe their requirements for peaceful tankmates and the right types of food. Bloodworms are a favourite, but live daphnia and brine shrimp also go down well. Shrimp eggs can be scraped off whole North Atlantic prawns through winter and especially spring, and these are greedily devoured! In winter they're in the "head" and in spring underneath the legs. Buy a bunch, eat the prawns yourself, and freeze the eggs for your gobies and indeed any other fussy fish in your tank.
Cheers, Neale"
Posted by: Neale Monks - 3 months, 4 weeks ago
Date: Wednesday December 10th, 2008, 5:06 pm
