Dragon Gobies

[Styx]

I've been thinking of getting a Dragon Gobie, but I don't know much about them. So before I go out and buy one and keep it in a place it will not do well in, what do I need to know? I'd like to make sure I can properly care of this fish if I get one.

How big do they grow? What is the smallest recommended tank size? What health problems do they have? What sort of water should they be kept in? How salty should it be?

I currently only have betta fish, but I hear the gobies like very salty water, so I doubt I could keep one in with my female bettas.

 

[Jezah]

Violet Gobys("dragon goby") are great fishy pets. They are peaceful, and shouldnt bother with any of your other fish AS LONG as it is well fed. They can exist quite happily in a community tank. 80 gallons is the minimum reccomended as they get up to 2 feet, though most stay around 16 inches. As for their brackish type water, I reccomend getting a hydrometer. They are like 3 dollars(US) and make it a heck of alot easier to regulate salinity. If you get a hydrometer, the reading you want for a dragon goby is between 1.002 and 1.022 SG. So just keep adding salt to the tank till the hydrometer reads that. They dont have any extra health problems, just the general run-of-the-mill fishy problems(ICH, internal parasites, velvet ECT). Good luck with your new addition!

EDIT: They also prefer alkaline water. They also like to eat any kind of sinking meaty food.

 

[SirMinion]

Click here

 

[CFC]

They also like to eat any kind of sinking meaty food

Actually they are filter feeders and are best fed with small foods such as freeze dried plankton and fresh hatched daphnia and brine shrimp although very large adult fish may eat the occasional new born livebearer sized fish. I kept my dragon goby with several ghostshrimp which bred and provided food in the form of their planktonic larvea.

Because of their specialised feeding needs they SHOULD NOT be kept in general community tanks where they will easily be out competed for food and starve to death.

Whether or not a dragon goby needs brackish water depends on the species, the most common species Gobioides broussonettii is a true brackish fish and will do best in water with a SG of around 1.010, Gobioides peruanus which is becoming more common in the hobby can survive in both brackish water and alkeline freshwater.

 

[Styx]

Thanks a lot. :3

What do the Gobioides peruanus look like?

 

[Isis_Nebthet]

peruanus from gobiidae
brussonetti from aqualand pets plus. The brackish gobies stripes extend just slightly more. Hopefully that set of pics is good enough

Adrea

 

[Styx]

Hm, still can't tell the differance.

On the peruanus, what are the other differances between them and the other kind of dragon gobi?