Bumblebee Goby (Brachygobius xanthozonus)

Common Name:

Bumblebee Goby.

Other Name:

Gold-banded Goby.

Scientific Name:

Brachygobius xanthozonus.

Family:

Gobiidae.

Distribution:

Java, Sumatra and Borneo,

Size:

1.75 inches.

Diet:

They like live foods but they will take frozen and might eventually take freeze-dried foods.

Water Temperature:

75 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 degrees Celsius)

Water Chemistry:

Hard to very hard and slightly brackish (4 tbsp. salt/10 gallons) conditions are best for this fish.

pH:

8-8.5.

Life Span:

5 years.

Description:

These are small fish with a thick cephalic region and a very thin caudal region. From roughly their lateral middle forward, they are a uniform thickness. They gradually become thinner from that point to their tail.

The head is somewhat dome-shaped on top (as is the rest of the body).

Their coloration is distinctive. The black striping (which is very thick in almost all instances) is contrasted with a thin bright yellow stripe near the eyes and a large thick yellow or brownish-yellow stripes from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way back and a thinner one near the caudal peduncle (but said peduncle is covered by a large black spot). The fin is clear with a yellowish-brown sheen. All of the other fins are black (perhaps with clear edging).

Housing:

Well-planted brackish waters with lots of "caves" of rockwork or shells available to them. 10gallon Minimum.

Sexing:

Females gain girth near breeding time while males become brighter in colour.

Breeding:

Eggs may be laid in caves or snail shells. The male guards them until hatching takes place about four days later.

Behaviour:

These are peaceful little fish when it comes to their nonconspecific tank mates but might bully conspecifics.

Miscellaneous:

The synonyms for B. xanthozonus may be found here on fishbase.
FishBase and John Dawes' "A Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium" were great sources for this profile.