neon cleaner goby

[Hammbone]

Can I keep more than one neon cleaner goby in a 110G 6' long tank? I've seen some sites that say you can only have one per tank and I've seen some sites that say you can keep several together in one tank. Which is it? Are they territorial or something?
If I can keep more than one, how many can I have?

Thanks, Jim

 

[wds21921]

I think the biggest problem with them is getting them to adapt to other foods rather than simply parasites.

In most tanks, even large ones, you'll be hard pressed to be able to keep a staple of parasites enough to keep more than one.

I know of a few that have adapted to flake, brine, or myasis but it's rare.

I chose to go with a cleaner shrimp instead for that task. It will eat and clean parasites as well as forage for scraps in the tank of food parts. No maintanence .

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8018451#post8018451 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wds21921
I think the biggest problem with them is getting them to adapt to other foods rather than simply parasites.

In most tanks, even large ones, you'll be hard pressed to be able to keep a staple of parasites enough to keep more than one.

I know of a few that have adapted to flake, brine, or myasis but it's rare.

I chose to go with a cleaner shrimp instead for that task. It will eat and clean parasites as well as forage for scraps in the tank of food parts. No maintanence .

I think you're thinking of cleaner wrasses, which are notoriously hard to successfully feed.
Neon goby cleaners are much easier to keep and will eat most small meaty foods. They are less likely to clean parasites, IME, so you have that balance to deal with.

I've never heard the limit on one per tank. They can easily be kept in pairs or small groups. They also commonly available as tank-raised fish, and people have had them spawn in home aquaria.

Dave

 

[Gimplar]

I've had both, neon gobies and cleaner shrimp, both of them ate parasites and my neon even ate flake. As far as cleaning goes, My shrimp doesnt seem as intrested in cleaning as the neon...but thats just my observation. Both do in fact clean though.

 

[zemuron114]

neons are very hardy. They will eat anything! I had 2 in a 10 gallon and the bigger killed the smaller, but i think it was because the tank was to small

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8019181#post8019181 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wolverine
I think you're thinking of cleaner wrasses, which are notoriously hard to successfully feed.
Neon goby cleaners are much easier to keep and will eat most small meaty foods. They are less likely to clean parasites, IME, so you have that balance to deal with.

I've never heard the limit on one per tank. They can easily be kept in pairs or small groups. They also commonly available as tank-raised fish, and people have had them spawn in home aquaria.

Dave

I agree, I think he was talking about the cleaner wrasse. I have many times seen neon gobies kept together just not in small tanks. Overall, I think shrimp do a better job at chronically cleaning. JME.

 

[niloc16]

i currently have a neon goby and he eats EVERYTHING. never picky, i've even found him on the floor 4 times and twice dried up and still keeps going, so i would say they are very hardy. and when i throw him back in the tank he isnt even stressed, he has eaten right after.

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8021156#post8021156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by niloc16
i currently have a neon goby and he eats EVERYTHING. never picky, i've even found him on the floor 4 times and twice dried up and still keeps going, so i would say they are very hardy. and when i throw him back in the tank he isnt even stressed, he has eaten right after.

Yeah thats pretty hardy for a fish to do that. The only fish that I have seen that is as hardy or more is the pleco...a freshwater fish.

 

[wds21921]

Your right Wolverine, my bad.

 

[Hammbone]

Thanks for the info.
I think I'll get a couple more. Maybe some gold stripped ones since I have a lot of blue in the tank already.

Jim