On a recent visit to my local aquatics shop I spotted an unusual fish who seemed to be the only one of his type in the whole shop. I thought this was unusual and the fish itself looked pretty cool so I asked the guys in the shop what it was. I was surprised to find out that none of them knew. I really wanted to take the fish home but was a little unsure if he was going to cause trouble. The guys in the shop assured me that he would be ok as they thought he was some sort of goby very similar to other ones they'd had who were fine. So I bought the mystery fish.
When I put him in my tank he immediately dug himself a burrow deep in the substrate between a rock and a plant pot. He stayed there for a couple of days, only coming out occasionally. Now he's got used to his new surroundings he comes out a lot more, he still likes to stay around the entrance to his den though. He gets on ok with my other fish but he will chase away other bottom dwellers (2x horseface loach and a zipper loach) if they come near his den, so he's obviously a bit territorial.
He likes to suck on the glass, rock and plants in my tank but not nearly as often as my bristlenose cat (for example). I haven't seen him eat any of the food I've put in yet, although that is just flake food (which I wouldn't expect him to eat) and two types of tablets (one with algae and one without), as I don't have any live or frozen food at the moment. I think he is finding things to eat though because he looks happy and healthy and is creating waste.
His most interesting feature is his ability to change colour. The photos I've linked to show him in his normal state. Sorry they aren't the best, but he is very flighty and I only took them on my mobile phone. You can see him guarding the entrance to his den, his favourite activity. He has a frog-like head, dark rings around his body and a dark stripe down the length of his side. He is mostly a dirty grey-green colour, but his underside (which you can just see in photo 1) is much paler and nearly white. This is what he normally looks like but sometimes he will lose all his colour including the all the stripes and will become very pale all over. When this happens his eyes go completely black. By his eyes I mean his entire eye is as black as his pupil is in the photos, as well as the tear-drop it looks like he has under his eyes (you can just see it in the photos). I get the impression he changes into this state when he chases the other loaches away from his den, but I'm not sure this is the only time it happens. I'm afraid I haven't managed to get a photo of him in his changed state because he is only ever briefly that colour.
If anyone has any ideas what he is I would be most interested to hear about them. I'm glad I've got him as he is very interesting to watch, especially the colour changes, and he seems to be getting on fine in my tank. I would like to know more about him though so I can look after him properly and make sure I don't have any problems in the future.
Many thanks.
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
When I put him in my tank he immediately dug himself a burrow deep in the substrate between a rock and a plant pot. He stayed there for a couple of days, only coming out occasionally. Now he's got used to his new surroundings he comes out a lot more, he still likes to stay around the entrance to his den though. He gets on ok with my other fish but he will chase away other bottom dwellers (2x horseface loach and a zipper loach) if they come near his den, so he's obviously a bit territorial.
He likes to suck on the glass, rock and plants in my tank but not nearly as often as my bristlenose cat (for example). I haven't seen him eat any of the food I've put in yet, although that is just flake food (which I wouldn't expect him to eat) and two types of tablets (one with algae and one without), as I don't have any live or frozen food at the moment. I think he is finding things to eat though because he looks happy and healthy and is creating waste.
His most interesting feature is his ability to change colour. The photos I've linked to show him in his normal state. Sorry they aren't the best, but he is very flighty and I only took them on my mobile phone. You can see him guarding the entrance to his den, his favourite activity. He has a frog-like head, dark rings around his body and a dark stripe down the length of his side. He is mostly a dirty grey-green colour, but his underside (which you can just see in photo 1) is much paler and nearly white. This is what he normally looks like but sometimes he will lose all his colour including the all the stripes and will become very pale all over. When this happens his eyes go completely black. By his eyes I mean his entire eye is as black as his pupil is in the photos, as well as the tear-drop it looks like he has under his eyes (you can just see it in the photos). I get the impression he changes into this state when he chases the other loaches away from his den, but I'm not sure this is the only time it happens. I'm afraid I haven't managed to get a photo of him in his changed state because he is only ever briefly that colour.
If anyone has any ideas what he is I would be most interested to hear about them. I'm glad I've got him as he is very interesting to watch, especially the colour changes, and he seems to be getting on fine in my tank. I would like to know more about him though so I can look after him properly and make sure I don't have any problems in the future.
Many thanks.
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
/www.fishforums.net/content/Oddballs...y-Striped-Goby/
