Butterfly Wasp+knight Goby

[Dorkhedeos]

Do you think this combo would work in a 15-20 gallon tank? I was thinking about putting the wasp in a 15 by itself, but it would seem kinda boring with just 1 fish. Anybody have more info on wasps, i cant really find as much info as i would like to find on them.

 

[jtipton]

That size should work fine for the wasp. Although they can get up to 4" long, they are ambush predators, and do a lot of waiting. They are also not active swimmers, and "hop" along the substrate. It is similar to watching a chicken trying to fly (short bursts of flight). They are also refered to as:

Neovespicula depressifrons
Vespicula depressifrons
Waspfish
Butterfly Goby
Butterfly Grouper
Leaf Goblinfish
Dusky Panther Goby

That should help generate some decent information. "Butterfly Goby" is probably the most common name in the U.S.

 

[nmonks]

These two fish will get along fine. Both are predators, but both only take stuff they can swallow whole.

Neovespicula depressifrons is easy enough to care for. There's some info on my Brackish FAQ. The main thing is finding suitable foods; as with any predator, the best thing is to wean them off live feeder fish and onto safer invertebrate food items. Otherwise hardy and adaptable by all accounts, though these fish have only been on the market for a couple of years or so.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Dorkhedeos]

What salinity should it be at? I am new with brackish, but ive kept sw and freshwater. Im guessing biospira doesnt work with brackish?

Edit: Will live rock work in brackish aquariums? I was just thinking, if i were to get one of these Butterfly wasps, do you think i can crank the salinity to about 1.017-1.019 and maybe have a fumanchu in there or a different dwarf like a fuzzy or a zebra in a 30 gallon?

 

[jtipton]

Biospira will not work, as the bacteria are not of the correct strain. Live rock will also have the same issues as the biospira. The salinity is best kept around 1.010. They really would prefer that range, or a little lower. Long periods of higher salinities would really stress the fish.

 

[nmonks]

Both species can be easily maintained at SG 1.003, at which point freshwater Bio Spira (or indeed filter bacteria from a freshwater tank) will be fine. Once the aquarium is nice and stable, gradually raise the SG to 1.005. That's ample for Knight Gobies, and should be fine for Neovespicula.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Alright thanks guys, guess it gives me another reason to set up another tank for a dwarf lion

 

[DavidJHarrisonEngland]

Hi,
I made a mistake when I 1st got a couple of these as I put them in with fast eaters such as Archers/Scats & Monos-so they didn't survive, these have to be in with fish that wont eat all the food b4 these fish 'drift' to it. In the wild they can get up to about 4 inches but in aquaria there size will be more like 2.5 inches, they have a painfull sting so don't touch them. They ARE Brackish fish. I now have 5 but mine at the moment are very tiny, not even 1 inch so they are in a tank of there own until they grow where I will be putting Knight Goby's-Chromids Bubble Bee Goby's in with them as well as Mudskippers & Anableps.

The 1 thing I'm not sure about is if they are safe with Spotted/Figure 8 Puffers as I don't know if the Puffers will harm the Vespicula depressifrons even though they have a sting. To make sure these get to eat just put enough food in all over the aquarium (not over feeding) & not just in one place, I.e Daphnia or bloodworm or defrost frozen blocks & scatter that all over the tank.

If anyone is sure the Puffers will/wont harm these fish please let me know. I'm assuming the Mudskippers (I have a place for them to get out of the water) & Anableps wont harm these!