Bumbleebee Gobies

[Amethyst]

Does anybody know if it is possible to acclimate bumblebee gobies from brackish (1.004-1.005 sg)to full salt (1.024 sg)?

I'm asking because I have three of them in a brackish tank with mollies, but it is hard to make sure they get enough to eat because the mollies are such pigs. I'm wondering if I could put them in my reef tank, if I acclimated them first. I assume, if it is possible, that it would have to be with a slow progression of increasing salinity, but I don't want to try it if it would be harmful to my little bumblebees.

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

 

[bart2546]

I went to my LFS recently and they already had some of these little guys mixed in their full saltwater tanks. I bought 2 and they're in my 65 gallon full reef tank with a salinity of 1.023 for 1 month now with no issues. I don't see why you couldn't do it.

 

[Rybren]

At one point I had a handful in my reef. They slowly disappeared - I think that someone was snacking on them. They are so small and mine always struggled with the current in the tank.

User PaulB turned me on to them.

 

[Amethyst]

I won't have to worry about anybody snacking on them, as I have no other fish in the tank. If I do add any fish they will be small and friendly types, because my tank is pretty small - currently the reef is in a 20g long, but I plan to move it this weekend to a 29g, which is actually the tank the mollies and bumblebee gobies have been in (they are now in another 20g long).

I hadn't thought about the current, but the way I have my tank set up there are lots of caves and places in/under/around the rocks where they could rest out of the current for awhile if they wanted to. And with codepods in the water already, I wouldn't have to worry about them starving. I also plan to raise brine shrimp in my sump/fuge.

 

[Paul B]

I sometimes put them in my reef after a day or so of acclimating. They love live blackworms but sometimes don't eat much of anything else.

 

[Amethyst]

I have no problem with them eating live brine shrimp, and the three remaining will also all eat frozen blood worms. I had four, but the one who would only eat live food died while I was on vacation with neighbor kids feeding my tanks. I took them out of the molly tank and put them into a 10g to make it easier for the kids to feed them - got home to discover a bunch of nasty decaying flake food in the tank and one missing goby! He was always so skinny, though, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did.

I've looked all over the net for information (other than here) about bumblebee gobies in full salt tank, and all I can find is brackish or fresh. Anybody else have experience with these guys in a saltwater tank?

 

[Amethyst]

For those of you who said you have had these fish in your reefs - if you know, how long did they live in a reef tank? I'm concerned that putting them in a reef will shorten their life span.

 

[Paul B]

Mine lived a little over a year, but I am not sure of the lifespan of small bumblebee gobies.

 

[Amethyst]

Mine lived a little over a year, but I am not sure of the lifespan of small bumblebee gobies.

Thanks. I think the average lifespan is around 3 years, so the full salt probably wasn't all that great for them. I've decided I'll keep mine in brackish water, in the grow-out tank for molly fry so they don't have to compete with the adult mollies for food.

 

[Paul B]

The ones I had were young adults so they were probably a year old when I got them