i just picked one up at the LFS yest....i have a question... what is the easiest way to get these guys to eat???
dragonfish goby
- Thread starter sal123
- Start date
I think they need brackish water... maybe you know that already, don't know how to get them to eat. Ours died the day after we got it......
ooo no sorry to hear that... the lfs had them in freshwater tanks... but i put salt in my tanks already soo if they are brackish water he should be alrite
what kind of salt? aquarium salt doesn't really make brackish water you need the marine salt mixes to get it right.
and just because the lfs does it doesn't mean that that's what the fish needs, because those fish are in store for a very short period of time and not long enough for the ill effects to set in. it also leads to a lot of in store deaths that you don't know about so all just seems well. (i've seen it first hand at the store i work at, that's why we have "freshwater morays" living in full sw now)
hope i helped a little on getting the right conditions someone more experienced can fill in for the best foods
and just because the lfs does it doesn't mean that that's what the fish needs, because those fish are in store for a very short period of time and not long enough for the ill effects to set in. it also leads to a lot of in store deaths that you don't know about so all just seems well. (i've seen it first hand at the store i work at, that's why we have "freshwater morays" living in full sw now)
hope i helped a little on getting the right conditions someone more experienced can fill in for the best foods
Depends on tank size, but violet gobies can be kept with medium tankmatesd that are also brackish and not too aggressive, like scats monos and the larger livebearers.
Can be kept in FW, but health problems will start to show up eventually, at which point brackish is the only option. You could grow one out for a few months in FW, but eventually you will need brackish.
As for diet, they like worms a great deal, as well as live small foods like baby guppies.
Can be kept in FW, but health problems will start to show up eventually, at which point brackish is the only option. You could grow one out for a few months in FW, but eventually you will need brackish.
As for diet, they like worms a great deal, as well as live small foods like baby guppies.
i had a dragon goby for several months, who only died due to a heater malfunction i dident notice. mine was in FULL salt water, and ate like a pig and was growing quite nicely. i had done alot of reading about them, and found that they are occasionally found living in shallow areas of the ocean as well.
mine was reluctant to eat at first, but finally starting taking tiny sinking pellets, bloodworms and the like. despite their big mouths, they cant eat as big of food as you may think. as long as it has a cave/tube to hide in and clean water, he should come around to eating soon enough. just give him a few days to adjust like yo would any other fish.
as for tankmates, make sure their as passive as possible, since the dragon has extremely tiny eyes and it can be difficult for them to find their food, and can easily be outcompeted.
mine was reluctant to eat at first, but finally starting taking tiny sinking pellets, bloodworms and the like. despite their big mouths, they cant eat as big of food as you may think. as long as it has a cave/tube to hide in and clean water, he should come around to eating soon enough. just give him a few days to adjust like yo would any other fish.
as for tankmates, make sure their as passive as possible, since the dragon has extremely tiny eyes and it can be difficult for them to find their food, and can easily be outcompeted.
If he is small frozen brine or bloodworms work great. Use a baster and get them down right in front of his face. Lousy eyesight, filter feeder, large mouth with very tiny throat. Doesn't hunt down feeders, contrary to what people at work think. If with aggressive eaters can end up starving as will not fight for it's share. As gets bigger will do best in a brackish environment. Hides most of the time and mostly come at night, mostly.(Sorry couldn't resist)
The people that have posted before me are right. Brackish is necessary, not optional.
Unfortunately, it seems like you've bought this fish on an impulse or at least without researching it enough. This is a terrible fish to get like that. Healthy specimens will exceed 24" in length as adults. That means it will need a huge tank. Due to their bottom-dwelling nature and scaleless skin, they need soft substrate like sand. I have personally seen gravel do nasty things to a goby's fins. Since they come from the dark, muddy bottoms of estuaries, you will need to provide some hiding places. Violet gobies do not like bright light.
All things considered, figuring out what it needs to eat may be the least of your problems. I've never had problems feeding mine. The first thing I got it to eat was algae wafers. Now it eats frozen bloodworms and eats a little bit of algae out of the corners (where its face doesn't slide away when it tries to bite the wall). The two main components of their diet are algae and detritus (dead stuff). Algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and bloodworms all seem to be good foods for this species.
Unfortunately, it seems like you've bought this fish on an impulse or at least without researching it enough. This is a terrible fish to get like that. Healthy specimens will exceed 24" in length as adults. That means it will need a huge tank. Due to their bottom-dwelling nature and scaleless skin, they need soft substrate like sand. I have personally seen gravel do nasty things to a goby's fins. Since they come from the dark, muddy bottoms of estuaries, you will need to provide some hiding places. Violet gobies do not like bright light.
All things considered, figuring out what it needs to eat may be the least of your problems. I've never had problems feeding mine. The first thing I got it to eat was algae wafers. Now it eats frozen bloodworms and eats a little bit of algae out of the corners (where its face doesn't slide away when it tries to bite the wall). The two main components of their diet are algae and detritus (dead stuff). Algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and bloodworms all seem to be good foods for this species.