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anybody ever kept The Dragon Goby (Gobioides brousonnetti), also known as the Violet Goby? I seen these for the first time recently and was digging up information on them.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/Brackish%20Fish%20PIX/GobioidPIX/Gobioides_broussonenti_AQ.jpg

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Can't help you with personal info, but the Fishbase page should prove useful.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Violet Gobies are awesome fish.

They shouldn't be kept by most people, though... Not only do they get big, but they are also a coolwater brackish fish (and don't survive too long in tropical freshwater tanks) and have very specialized feeding requirements.

Most fish that have gigantic mouths are predators, but not these guys. They are filter feeders, and need to be feed foods like baby brine shrimp and Daphnia. They usually aren't too hard to feed though in a species aquarium where you can just squirt the food right in front of their faces.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

From what I know, the Violet Goby is a brackish fish, requiring a salinity of around 1.008 to 1.012. In the wild, it is found all along the Atlantic coast of the Americas, ranging from South Carolina to Brazil. A lot of sources will tell you that this fish is an aggressive, solitary predator that will not hesitate to attack even the largest of fish, but this is not at all true. Despite its large, cavernous mouth, this is actually a timid, shoaling planktivore that won't usually eat anything larger than fry, although it will bite if it feels threatened. A modest water temperature for the Violet Goby would be around 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Attaining a length of up to 30in. (although they rarely even accede 18in. in captivity), a minimum tank size for this fish would be 75g, although a more appropriate size would be 125g. When first introduced into a new aquarium, the Violet Goby will often be very timid and refuse to eat, sometimes for up to a week, although feeding it livefoods such as brine shrimp or bloodworms may help entice them. This species should also be kept in shoals of at least 3.

yup i had gathered all that info from online already. but was more curious if anybody has had one.

but I'm thinking about setting a species only tank with 2 or 3 of these guys

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction