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I am going to keep a bumblebee goby in a planted 8gal setup.<br><br>I was wondering what I could keep with the little fella. They seem to have quite a big mouth so I am wondering if there are any small fishes I could keep that he wouldnt try to eat.

I've heard (but have never tried) that dwarf puffers and BB gobies make decent tankmates.

I would personally LOVE to try this setup, as I think both fish are adorable. Especially the puffers... I can't help but grin everytime I pass their tank in the store.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

If your going to do this try and get no more then 2 puffers for an 8 gallon and try to get either a m/f or f/f. Also heavily planted tanks break their line of site which also makes the aggression that much less.

...also, BB Gobies require live food. They will almost never eat flaked food. Good luck!

Frozen bloodworms are fine for the gobies

Unfortunately puffers are unavailable here

I'd like to add that I know about the bumblebee goby's feeding habits as I have been researching this fish in multiple books and web pages. I have noticed that the PH level for this fish varies from source to source but the one safe level I have found is 7.5. I have that level ph water from the tap so Im pretty happy with that.

would gold barbs be ok? how many would I have to add?

Last edited by Troy_Mclure at 17-Mar-2005 19:44

most ppl keep bbg's in brackish water but if kept in fresh water they do fine with tetras -cardinals rummynose etc

Yeah I noticed that. I'll ask the LFS guy if his gobies are raised in fresh or brackish water.

The guy around the corner from me has a bumblebee goby living with a discus fish and a black ghost knife fish. weird tank mates!

http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/compatibility.asp?action=Show+Compatible+Species&salinity=Freshwater&sci=Brachygobius%20xanthozona

Last edited by dude_dude at 17-Mar-2005 19:54

I think that compadibility thing is a bit off. I wouldn't add a bb goby with any chichlids, especially mumbas.

Hmm. Bumblebee Gobies. They're pretty small fish. In fact all of the members of the Genus Brachygobius that I've encountered on my travels are small.

If you have the space, a brackish aquarium featurings Chanda lala Glassfishes and Bumblebees will make a stunning setup. Just be sure to avoid those tortured unfortunates called "Disco Fish" that have been dyed.

Be advised that Bumblebees are fin nippers. Do NOT put them in with Bettas or Angelfishes.

Also, Bumblebees like caves. LOTS of them. Plan your aquarium decor accordingly.

While Bumblebees can be kept in fresh water (which should be hard and alkaline), they do MUCH better if kept in brackish water. 10% to 20% marine strength is usually recommended. However, even just 5% marine water will bring about a noticeable brightening of colour and increased vigour.

Bumblebees can be bred in captivity, but it is difficult. Persuading them to spawn generally requires a LOT of live food, and the fry are tiny and hard to raise. Eggs laid in cave, male assumes brood care of eggs. Female should be removed after spawning if in separate breeding aquarium. Once eggs hatch, remove male.

As has already been stated above, the chances of your Bumblebees eating anything other than live foods are slim. Large helpings of live Daphnia and Brine Shrimp are the order of the day. Remember that these fishes are principally bottom dwellers, and so foods such as mosquito larvae may be next to useless for them, although chances are if you keep Glassfishes, they'll eat the mosquito larvae quite happily. Incidentally, Cyclops is considered by German aquarists to be the food of choice for both Glassfishes and Bumblebees.

Finally, be advised that there are two species of "Bumblebee Goby". These are Brachygobius nunus and Brachygobius xanthozonus. How do you tell them apart? Look at the anal fin. In B. nunus, the black stripe from the body only extends into the posterior portion of the anal fin, the remainder of that fin being yellow. In B. xanthozonus, the anal fin is all black. For the taxonomist, an additional difference is that B. xanthozonus has a higher scale count on the lateral series, but this is hardly going to be visible in a live fish except with great difficulty! Maintenance and breeding for both species is more or less identical.

Hope this little lot helps.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

In my years of keeping them, I have yet to hear of them being fin nippers.

Sumatran doriae populations are fully riverine. Others are at least sub-freshwater, usually dependant on the locality in which they are found.

There are MANY species of brachygobius; doriae (black BBG), sua (spade tailed) and xanthazona (white banded) species are the most common in the aquarium trade.