Freshwater Gobies?

[onidrase]

to be honest, the only reason I'd ever want a saltwater tank is because I love gobies. I dunno why, I just think they're adorable.

I believe there are some gobies out there that are freshwatered, but I don't know where to find one, or how big they get

the only one I can find is http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+831+2524&pcatid=2524 and it's quite pricey

Anyone know where else I could find one, or other similar species?

 

[helterskelter]

Look out for Australian Desert Gobies Chlamydogobius eremius

Amazing little fish but well worth it, if you can find them.

Or a common one is Rhinogobius sp. these are quite common and very hardy little fish.

 

[nmonks]

There are lots and lots of freshwater gobies!

Numerous Stiphodon species are sold, including some superb "freshwater neon gobies" with brilliant blue or golden colours. These are mostly mountain stream fish that need cool, well-oxygenated conditions like those used for hillstream loaches. They aren't fussy about water chemistry, so provided you can get the tank right, they're not especially difficult to keep.

Then there's the beautiful peacock gudgeon, a spectacular soft water species from New Guinea. Their colours are simply amazing, and they're also easy to spawn, though the fry are very small and tricky to rear.

The Australian desert goby is just about the toughest fish in the hobby, with an ability to tolerate extremes of temperature, oxygenation and salinity. It's very easy to keep, and breeds without any difficult, the fry being simple to rear. It's a short-lived species, so you do need to get a colony of them going, but their colours are pleasant and they're very lively.

If you want something bigger, there's the Mogurnda species we call purple spotted gudgeons. These are medium-sized fish, typically around 12-15 cm long when mature, and tend to be boisterous, even territorial. But they mix well with peaceful cichlids and catfish of similar size, and they have excellent colours as well as very outgoing personalities. Unlike a lot of other gobies they're very omnivorous and will take pellets alongside the usual mix of fresh, frozen and even some green foods.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Wills]

Sorry to hijack this thread but....

Neale - are there any American freshwater Gobies?

Wills

 

[nmonks]

At least one truly freshwater goby from the Americas is traded, a South American species called Awaous flavus, often Awaous strigatus in the literature, and sold as the candy-cane goby or similar. It's a very beautiful species, quite large, at about 10 cm long when mature, but unfortunately rather short lived, living for no more than a year or two. It's therefore best to buy very young specimens. It has been spawned but the fry need marine conditions to develop.

I'm not aware of any North American gobies that are truly freshwater species, though there are countless brackish water species, such as the violet goby and the fat sleeper goby.

On the whole strictly freshwater gobies exist only where other types of freshwater fish are lacking, most commonly oceanic islands, including of course Australia and New Guinea. In most other parts of the world gobies found in rivers are brackish water species, and don't adapt well to permanent maintenance in freshwater aquaria.

Cheers, Neale

Sorry to hijack this thread but....

Neale - are there any American freshwater Gobies?

Wills

 

[Wills]

Ah great!! Thanks Neale I shall keep my eyes peeled for these

Wills

 

[aussieaquatics]

We have lots of awesome Gobies here in Australia, thought i would just rub it in.

 

[nmonks]

Indeed, but no (native) characins, carps or cichlids… so it works both ways!

Cheers, Neale

We have lots of awesome Gobies here in Australia, thought i would just rub it in.