Bumblebee Gobies in a 10 gallon?

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user_name

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May 23, 2010
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Hey guys, I was wondering if you would reccomend a trio of bumblebee gobies in a 10 gallon tank. I plan on using a sand bottom with no live plants. I know how to make brackish water, and plan on feeding them bloodworms. Any reccomendations???
 

Chrisinator

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Sep 27, 2008
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I think you might be able to fit more than a trio of them since they are so small. As the place where you get your bumblebees from if their water is brackish already, if not, slowly acclimate them to brackish water. Toughest thing with bumblebees is getting them too eat, most aren't fed well at pet stores.
 

rstrobel

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Jan 15, 2010
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I used to keep a trio in a 5.5 gallon and had no issues. They like to sit around a lot and wait for their food to come to them. Mine would only eat live blood worms. They really like to hide. Be careful; they like to jump and try to swim up filter intakes.
 

Chill

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Jun 16, 2005
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I've kept a trio in a 10 gallon before with no issues. I never had a problem with getting them to eat but may have been lucky in that regard.
 

BioHazard

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Mar 15, 2009
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Yeah, I feel like a 10 gal would be fine. They are super small. Just make sure you do your research! :)
 

user_name

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May 23, 2010
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I have heard that they only accept live bloodworms and brine shrimp too. What level ph do you keep with them? (I plan on 7.5)
 

rstrobel

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Jan 15, 2010
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I think the ph requirements depend on which species you get. One is brackish and the other can live in either brackish or freshwater if I remember correctly. There's a guide to figuring out which one you have somewhere on this site I think. I used plain tap water for mine and my tap water is ~7.6 and didn't have any issues. Unless your tap water is far from neutral, I would let them adjust to it rather than fight the battle of keeping it at a constant level.

As a side note, I think they breed pretty readily so be prepared for that. One of mine got stuck to the filter intake and was full of eggs :(
 

user_name

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Just bought a brand new tank designed specificlly for them. I bought aquarium salt for the tank, but now how much should I add to make it brackish????????
 

Chill

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Jun 16, 2005
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You really need a marine salt mix for making brackish water, aquarium salt is not the same thing. For bumblebees you want low end brackish that's a specific gravity in the 1.002 to 1.005 range. It would be best to have a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity. If you don't use a hydrometer 1.005 is about 25% of full marine so you could follow the instructions on the marine mix but divide the amount of mix to add by 4. The problem with this method is once the mix is opened its absorbs moisture and subsequent mixes won't be correct. That's why a hydrometer is recommended. Water for changes should be mixed in a bucket; salt should never be added directly to the tank.
 

user_name

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You really need a marine salt mix for making brackish water, aquarium salt is not the same thing. QUOTE]
I looked at it, and thats what is. So I need to buy a hydrometer, what is a reccomend brand?
 
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