Golden Banded Goby

COMMON NAMES: Bumblebee, Golden Banded Goby.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: BraChygObtuS spp.

DESIGNATION: Tropical.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Far East. SIZE: Around 4.5 cm (1.8 in).

WATER PREFERENCES: Hard, alkaline water with one or two teaspoonfuls of salt per gallon is preferred. Temperature: 24-26°C (76-79°F).DIET: Predominantly live foods.

BREEDING: Eggs are laid in cavities (including large snail shells, e.g. Ampullaria) and are guarded by the male. They take several days to hatch.

DESCRIPTION: There are various Braehygobius species but they are very difficult to identify precisely. The ones which are normally found in aquaria are: B.aggregates, B. doriae (nunus) and B.xanthozona.

Information on Golden Banded Goby

• The size of the golden banded goby varies from the 3 to 4 cms. Or 1.18 to 1.57 inches. The Ph level of the water would from 7.5 and 8.5. The hardness of the water should be somewhat similar to the hardness of the waters in between the 10 and 24 °N. The temperature of the water of the tank should be ideally in between 24 and 30 °C or 75.2 and 86 °F.
• The fish is ideal for a community fish water tank because of its peaceful temperament. It can get along with other peaceful non aggressive fish. The fish is originally found in the waters of the South Asia.
• The fish thrives on the diet that consists of only flakes. The live or frozen forms of the brine shrimp, daphnia and white worms would bring variety to their diet.
• The native place of the fish is the continent of Asia. It is found in large numbers in the saltwater swamps, Indian stream estuaries, Thailand, Indonesia, Borneo and Malaysia.
• Apart from the spawning season the sex of the fish is quite difficult to identify. During the time of spawning the male fish loses its blank bands and develop an appearance of an over all yellow golden colored pigmentation.
• The right tank for the fish to breed would be a small sized tank with slightly saline water. The level of salinity of the rank should be two spoons full of salt per gallon of water. For successful spawning of the fish the aquarium must be well decorated with caves or plant pots as the base for the spawning. The male generally takes up the responsibility of find a proper place for spawning and directs the female to lay the eggs at the selected location. The eggs are generally laid on the roof and the sides of the pot.
• The male fish under take the charge of guarding the eggs and the sprawling until they learn to swim on their own. The fry can be fed with vinegar eels and as they grow they can be fed with the newly hatched brine shrimps.