Puffer And Bb Gobies
- Thread starter JMatthew
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Hi, I'll be interested in the answer to this! I have 3 F8's and would love some BBG's with them, but was advised I should have put the BBG's in first as my F8's may now see them as food.
Seeing as a GSP is larger than an a F8 I would think the food issue would be more of a problem.....could end up very expensive fish food!!!!
Also, what is your SG? Can the BBG's take the higher end Brackish that GSP's need [now or eventually].....
Am sure someone far more qualifed than me [won't be hard
....have only been Brackish for a few months!!!] will come along and help you/us out.
Lisa x
Seeing as a GSP is larger than an a F8 I would think the food issue would be more of a problem.....could end up very expensive fish food!!!!
Also, what is your SG? Can the BBG's take the higher end Brackish that GSP's need [now or eventually].....
Am sure someone far more qualifed than me [won't be hard
....have only been Brackish for a few months!!!] will come along and help you/us out.Lisa x
jennybugs
Eternally pruned fingers!
BBGs are more a low end brackish fish from my experience (apart from the freshwater variety) and our GSP will be going to full marine salinity or close to it one day.
With regard to the F8 puffs being in a tank first, the only way to get round that (if at all) would be to take the F8s out and rearrange the tank completely and add the BBGs to the tank. Then add the F8s back and you may find they are ok as they'll think they are in a new environment and that the gobies were there first.
It is a risk that it won't work though so a back up plan may be a good idea
With regard to the F8 puffs being in a tank first, the only way to get round that (if at all) would be to take the F8s out and rearrange the tank completely and add the BBGs to the tank. Then add the F8s back and you may find they are ok as they'll think they are in a new environment and that the gobies were there first.
It is a risk that it won't work though so a back up plan may be a good idea
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
BBGs do perfectly well in either brackish or freshwater, and I dimly recall having heard of at least one species being acclimated to marine conditions under lab conditions. I tried once, in a reef tank, but it wasn't a success (the BBG got eaten by an anemone... yikes!).
Oddly enough, most fish tend to ignore BBGs, but I still wouldn't risk it with GSPs. Even if the GSPs didn't eat them outright, It'd be hard getting enough food down to the gobies. Even with smaller fish, that can be a challenge, as BBGs are amongst the most finicky fish widely kept in the hobby. They make discus look like gluttons! Most BBGs that die in captivity likely do so not because of salinity issues, but because they starve to death.
Adding small fish to tanks with a single, well-established bigger fish usually doesn't work. It's too much like offering live food! In the situations where big fish and little fish coexist, they've often grown up together, so to a degree the bigger fish treats the smaller fish like scenery. Still, this approach often goes wrong, and I wouldn't recommend it.
The best tankmates for GSPs are robust marine fish such as damsels. There are some brackish water damsels, but unfortunately they're hardly ever traded (I've seen one species, once!). Still, if you raise the SG to 1.018, you can keep things like Dascyllus and Abudefduf spp., and these tend to work well with GSPs, given sufficient space. Again, adding a small damsel to a tank with an established GSP wouldn't be wise; best to remove the GSP, move all the rocks about, and then introduce both the GSP and the damsel together.
The old saying that "every puffer is different" does seem to apply to GSPs more than any other species. Quite possibly, it's the sexually mature males that are most aggressive, and it's also important to remember that both GSP species feed, in part, on the fins of other fish (at least in the wild). So there are a bunch of variables here like age, sex, and hunger that may play a role.
Cheers, Neale
Oddly enough, most fish tend to ignore BBGs, but I still wouldn't risk it with GSPs. Even if the GSPs didn't eat them outright, It'd be hard getting enough food down to the gobies. Even with smaller fish, that can be a challenge, as BBGs are amongst the most finicky fish widely kept in the hobby. They make discus look like gluttons! Most BBGs that die in captivity likely do so not because of salinity issues, but because they starve to death.
Adding small fish to tanks with a single, well-established bigger fish usually doesn't work. It's too much like offering live food! In the situations where big fish and little fish coexist, they've often grown up together, so to a degree the bigger fish treats the smaller fish like scenery. Still, this approach often goes wrong, and I wouldn't recommend it.
The best tankmates for GSPs are robust marine fish such as damsels. There are some brackish water damsels, but unfortunately they're hardly ever traded (I've seen one species, once!). Still, if you raise the SG to 1.018, you can keep things like Dascyllus and Abudefduf spp., and these tend to work well with GSPs, given sufficient space. Again, adding a small damsel to a tank with an established GSP wouldn't be wise; best to remove the GSP, move all the rocks about, and then introduce both the GSP and the damsel together.
The old saying that "every puffer is different" does seem to apply to GSPs more than any other species. Quite possibly, it's the sexually mature males that are most aggressive, and it's also important to remember that both GSP species feed, in part, on the fins of other fish (at least in the wild). So there are a bunch of variables here like age, sex, and hunger that may play a role.
Cheers, Neale
Since reading your response it have really begun to strike my interest. Are there any links of specific Damsels you believe would work? I wouldn't want to get the wrong kind an see it parish.
Also - any other possible requirements for accomidating such a fish?
Also - any other possible requirements for accomidating such a fish?
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
If you look on my Brackish FAQ, there's something about the three brackish water damsels.
In terms of the marine species, the genera mentioned above include species that should work well. Obvious choices would include things like domino damsels, humbugs, and sergeant majors. If you Google GSPs and Damselfishes, you should turn up a few experiences.
The thing with puffers is you need to establish first if your specimen is relatively easy going. It's wise to have a Plan B, so that you can separate the GSP from the other fish, should you need to. Damsels also rely on rocky cover, and such a tank would need lots of rockwork, ideally live rock, but at least tufa rock. GSPs can be acclimated to marine conditions once they're about half grown.
Cheers, Neale
In terms of the marine species, the genera mentioned above include species that should work well. Obvious choices would include things like domino damsels, humbugs, and sergeant majors. If you Google GSPs and Damselfishes, you should turn up a few experiences.
The thing with puffers is you need to establish first if your specimen is relatively easy going. It's wise to have a Plan B, so that you can separate the GSP from the other fish, should you need to. Damsels also rely on rocky cover, and such a tank would need lots of rockwork, ideally live rock, but at least tufa rock. GSPs can be acclimated to marine conditions once they're about half grown.
Cheers, Neale
I have had success mixing BBGs with dwarf puffers, but again, you've got to be able to feed them.
My theory has always been that black and yellow we know are "danger colours" in the wild, such as bees and wasps, so they're left alone. That was further affirmed when an archer fish ate a BBG of mine. Because of course, they would eat bees and wasps in the wild...
My theory has always been that black and yellow we know are "danger colours" in the wild, such as bees and wasps, so they're left alone. That was further affirmed when an archer fish ate a BBG of mine. Because of course, they would eat bees and wasps in the wild...
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