LA
Resembles a dragon a little bit. He measures about four inches.
LA
In the past they'd come in nearly a foot long.
Origins: Captured from
the wild along our southern Atlantic coast, many
Oriental cultures hold any fish that resembles a dragon in very high
regard. They consider them
beneficent. Occasionally,
dragon gobies disappear from the market for long periods.
You won’t find much about these unusual fishes in the usual reference books.
LA
That top fin earns them their dragon name.
LA
Dragon gobies standing up and showing us their fins.
Name Origin: The
“dragon” in their name refers to their back fin that closely resembles
the serrated back on dragons -- at least the dragons that live in our
backyards in Iowa. Their
faces look like gobies (because they are). However,
some wholesalers refer to them as dragon eels (which they are not). The guys above definitely
have goby faces.
LA
Give your dragon gobies some salt.
Water Conditions: You
will have continuous problems unless you keep these guys in brackish
water. Add two to three
teaspoons of salt per gallon. If
they start looking slimy, change half their water and double the salt in
their water.
LA
Looks like he'd inhale a couple dozen guppies. Not so. He's
too picky.
Appeal: You can’t help
but notice their weird appearance. Their
tiny eyes, huge mouth, and dragon top fin set them apart from all other
fishes. When kept in good
condition dragon gobies develop an attractive iridescent, silvery blue metallic
color with a gold blotch pattern.
LA
Dragon gobies act like this when you put food in the water.
LA
Dragon gobies act as if they filter their food from their water.
LA
Dragon gobies still look mean. They're definitely not mean.
Size: You usually
see dragon gobies on the market at four to six inches.
We’ve seen them grow to twelve inches.
They probably grow larger in larger tanks.
LA
Dragon gobies get out front once they get used to you.
Hiders: Dragon gobies
prefer to hide if possible. When
kept in groups, they try to slide under each other.
Give them a cave to hide in or ledge to hide under.
They’re probably nocturnal but quickly adapt to eating during the
day. You can trick them by leaning a flat rock against their front
glass. They’ll slide into their new cave and stay right out front.
LA
Sand on his head and a huge mouth. Dragon gobies look dangerous.
They're not.
LA
Potential snack? Highly unlikely.
LA
In spite of their huge mouth, dragon gobies prefer smaller foods -- bloodworms or brine shrimp.
LA
So why do they need these sharp little teeth?
LA
Modified ventral fins on most gobies allow them to cling to the glass if
they want to.
LA
Pic
Bumblebee gobies mix extremely well.
LA
Minute bumblebee gobies mix well with dragons. They eat the same
foods.
Great
Tank Mates: Their huge
mouths and the “dragon spines” on their backs make dragon gobies look formidable.
They don’t bother small fishes.
They just look mean. You
can actually keep them with small neon tetras.
Just don’t keep them with aggressive fishes that will beat on
them.
Foods:
When dragon gobies eat, they look like filter feeders forcing water
into their huge mouths. Their
evidently small throat limits the size of the foods they eat.
Start them on live or frozen blackworms.
Move to frozen brine shrimp and mix in some flake foods.
They seem to locate their food by smell rather than sight.
Gravel Choice: Darker
gravels will darken your dragon gobies.
Light gravels tend to bleach them out.
Plastic Plants: Since
these guys like cover, add some plastic plants for additional security.
Use plastic because most real plants won’t live in brackish water.
You could try Java lance fern
or watersprite.
LA
Dragon gobies get this crud unless you add salt. Start with one teaspoon per
gallon.
Disease/Problems: Dragons
just don’t eat as much as you’d expect.
You see them gulping like crazy and you tend to feed them too much
food. Your most likely problem
involves dirty water from overfeeding.
If they develop a slimy look, change half the water instantly.
Use your gravel vacuum cleaner.
Add more salt. They
recover overnight.
LA
Healthy dragons look like this. Bare tanks are easier to
filter. Note bumblebees in back.
Filtration:
You cannot overfilter brackish water fishes – dragon gobies
especially. LA.
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