new dragon goby

[hc8719]

ehh...im going to sum up this, as i had just typed up a larger article, only to find out it didnt post...

recieving two yellow chromides (a brackish fish) as a gift, i placed them in a tank that freshwater (with 2 TBL aquarium salt per 10 gal) not knowing what they were, let alone brackish. they are now in a 55 gal tank (still with aquarium salt, but not enough to be brackish) and are thriving (they are moving pebbles with their mouthes for what appears to be building a nest even)

ok to the point of this article, seeing brackish fish could live nicely in a freshwater aquarium with some salt but not enough to be brackish, i got a dragon goby (a brackish fish) today as a present

do you guys think the dragon giby will be fine with 1 TBL aqua. salt per 10 gals, in a 55 gal tank or should i add a bit more salt, or will a high salt concentration effect my other fish, kuhli loaches, kissing and moonlight gouramis, neons, columbian tetras, platys, and cherry barbs?

i have a spare 20 gal tank if he needs his own, he's small 5" (and im well aware he can 24")

please im looking for advice, not flames

 

[Hovoc]

Well, ive read a few websites that say they can be adapated to any kinds of water. Also, if you ask petsmart, they say their tganks only have about 2 tbl of salt per 10 gal, and their dragon gobies seem so active.

 

[hc8719]

thats were i got him, at petsmart, the only place thats seems capable of not having dead, dying, or ich fish

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Are you talking about freshwater aquarium salt? If so, that is not the same salt that is used for brackish tanks. Marine salt should be used.

 

[hc8719]

actually i was talking about freshwater salt

...will marine salt wipe out my other fish, I list them in my first post

you guys know if petsmart uses freshwater or marine salt in their tanks (i know they obviously only have freshwater fish, (or at least my does) but their goby dragons appeared to be doing great in whatever they used, even may it be freshwater salt

 

[penpitt]

The chromides and goby need to be in a brackish setup using marine salt, not aquarium salt. The other fish you have will not tolerate the salt needed in the BW setup. You really do not even need to add aquarium salt to your FW tank as it is more a waste of money then anything else. It is a myth that salt is needed in a FW setup. It may serve its purposes such as treating ich and helping with nitrite poisoning, but regular pwc's are much more effective at keeping fish healthy then salt.
The goby and chromides may do fine for a little while in a FW setup but for their longterm health they need to be in a true BW setup. These fish evolved in a BW environment so just because they are kept in a FW environment at the store does not mean they will thrive in a FW setup.

 

[hc8719]

not that i dont believe you penpitt, but the chromides appear to be building a nest, i understand that a freshwater aquarium will cut down some of their lifespan, are we talking about they can live several years in fw, or they need to be in bw within a few weeks before they go belly up?

 

[Hovoc]

The chromides and goby need to be in a brackish setup using marine salt, not aquarium salt.

what about the other reports of people saying these fish have thrived in none brackish water?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

From what I have read, the goby will not be of optimal health unless it is in brackish conditions. I have never kept one, but from what I understand they are born in freshwater conditions and work their way into brackish in the wild.

 

[penpitt]

Here are some articles that say they can be found anywhere from FW to SW but prefer BW to SW. Considering that in the wild these fish live well into their teens I do not consider keeping it in FW for a few years to be a success. I have 2 different BW tanks and that is what I keep the fish in. I do not try to keep the fish in FW because it's easier or I've heard that they do well in FW. Like I mentioned earlier in the post, most BW fish live longer lives in the wild because in captivity people may not keep them in their ideal conditions.

http://gobiidae.com/species_pages/gobioides_broussoneti.htm

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/default.aspx?pageid=223

Dragon Fish | Gobioides broussonnetii

http://species.fishindex.com/species_910gobioides_broussonnetii_violet_goby.html

 

[hc8719]

thanks for the links, however its not that i dont know anything about these fish, i just dont know how well they do in fw.

this one is still small, when he grows an inch or two, i have another tank he can have for purely brackish water