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Okay, I first saw four of these in an LFS about 3 years ago. They were adult size and not for sale, they were housing them for a customer who had a power outtage due to a huge storm. I was intrigued and horrified at these prehistoric looking beasts! Anyway, I have been eye-balling them on aquariumfish.net for a while now, I have bought fish from there before and they were SO healthy. I read all the info on their site about what fish are compatable and all that. I should be good there. They said minimum 29 gallon tank for starters, and I have a 30 and am looking to upgrade to a 50 or 60 in the next year. They also said they are non-aggressive, despite rumors to the contrary, and do well in warm or cool water, fresh or brackish setups. I read about feeding, and caring for them, etc.

So I couldn't stand it any longer, I ordered one today! Then I googled "violet goby" just to see what came up. Everything I read was really great, except one guy who said he was mislead by a lfs that they could live in freshwater, but that it caused his to break out in red tumors all over its body after a while. I have read so many other things that stated they did great in fresh water, but I have to say that one statement made me nervous. Anyone know anything about this?

Thanks,
Lauren

Yeah, they are really awesome fish, but they really should be kept in brackish tanks. Fishbase mentions that while they are encountered in freshwater in the wild, they prefer bays and estuaries.

I suggest that before you buy one, make sure it is feeding first. Usually they are pretty good eaters, but it's one less thing you will have to worry about. They are filter-feeders and need to be fed small foods such as baby brine shrimp, Daphnia, plankton, microworms, etc.

I have found that the best way to feed them is with smaller dropper. First, squirt a little bit of the food in front of the fish and wait until it smells the food and starts filtering water. Once it starts doing so you can squirt larger amounts in front of the fish that it will eat. This helps eliminate wasted food, because sometimes these fish can be slow to respond when you just put a whole bunch of food in front of them.

Also, it helps to have some smaller, peaceful tankmates in there to eat any food that the goby misses. Mollies, Bumble-Bee Gobies, and Butterfly Gobies (Neovespicula depressifrons, not really a goby but a type a scorpionfish) make excellent tankmates for Violet Gobies. Violet Gobies tend to be aggressive among themselves, however, so just get one.

I've noticed that a lot of (not-so-credible) online sources say this species eats live fish. They probably made this speculation just by looking at the fishes' morphology and not its behavior. One time when we had a few at work, I decided to see if I could get one to eat a fish.

I held a feeder guppy in front of their mouths with forceps, and I could not get a single one to take the fish (or even a ghost shrimp). All of the fish were feeding well on planktonic foods. I've read that they are actually unable to swallow things much larger than an adult brine shrimp.

So yeah, don't trust everything you read online about this species... There is a lot of misinformation about them online. They are non-aggressive (towards other species) and not predatory towards other fish. The brackish/freshwater issue still hasn't been completely resolved, but I would highly recommend keeping them in a brackish setup, just in case they don't do so well being kept in freshwater for long periods.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Thanks Natalie, that was very helpful information. It's true, there does seem to be a lot of conflicting information and advice about these fish out there.

I am certainly only getting one of these guys, but due to the other freshwater tankmates, I won't be able to have brackish water. I guess I am going to have to trust the info I am getting from the dealer on that one. I bought 7 fish from them a few years ago, and they were really strong and healthy, and I didn't lose even one. I'd still have them now if not for a 400 mile move.

I did read in several places by people that owned them that they really like shrimp pellets. I've never bought those pellets before, so I don't know how big they are, but I'll probably pick some up just due to how often I read that. I used to have some ADF's that I fed frozen brine with a dropper, so I'll do that with this guy too. I am really excited, this should be a very interesting experience!

Thanks again,
Lauren

Most of what I read says they can survive freshwater quite well. Some have shown up many miles up river from any water containing salt. I wouldn't suggest buying one specifically to put in a freshwater tank but if you've already got them and nowhere to put them in brackish they will at least survive alright in freshwater. Still if it does become possible in the future it would be better to try to get it in a brackish tank.

Shrimp pellets are large but in water they break down into a powder. They are quite useful to have around since most everything can and will eat shrimp pellets. I used them for threadfins that were too small to even eat micropellets by dissolving them in a cup of water and then pouring them in the tank. All shrimp, snails, and most fish will go after them even the ones in my saltwater tank. The loaches always go nuts for them.

Also, another cool thing about this species is that they are one of the few "oddball" species that can commonly be seen during the day (unlike the similarly shaped eels and bichirs, which generally prefer to hide). Violet Gobies come from very muddy waters in the wild and they are nearly blind, so they don't really care if the lights are on. This makes feeding and viewing the fish a lot easier. They certainly do need hiding places for when they do feel like hiding, though.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

At the local pet store I frequent, they do hide in the ornaments. It can look as if there are none in the tank, but when they lift the ornament many come out. They are only about 5 to 7 inches in the store.