Australian Desert Gobies eggs

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happypoet

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I can't for the life of me figure why these guys aren't more popular. They're hardy, good-looking, active and entertaining, and suitable for a wide-variety of set-ups. I guess they're too easy for experts and too esoteric for most? Whatever the case, they're some of my favorite fish I've owned.
One of the males was dancing this morning (the female has been plump for several days), and I came home to find the pic below. He chose a rather terrible location, but I think I'll let him tend them until I can see eyes anyway.

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tvsb

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I've never even heard for this type of fish, really amazing.
I'm always curious when the fish spawn, more pic will be great :thm:
 

happypoet

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Thanks! I'll update with more pics as the eggs develop. The location may mean they get knocked off and don't do anything (it's a small "cave"), but if they stay on I can get good pics of the process. Yeah, they're not super common fish around the U.S. either, but I think they should be! The only drawback of them, and it's a big one, is they only live 1.5 to 2 years at the very most. They're short-lived fish.

Oh, the female came from cookiemonster (a regular here), btw.
 

mykidsmylife

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So very cool!! Yes, please keep pictures coming if all goes well. I adore them and always have, I think the main reason we don't see them very often is simply accessibility. It's been years since I've even seen them in a LFS.

P.S. I love the background music in your vid. :thm:
 
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fishorama

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That's wonderful! Pretty fish, I thought they're low end brackish? I looked into these or a similar species a couple years ago when I got panda garras. So now I need all the details--what are you feeding them? How many in what size tank?
 

happypoet

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4 in a 20 gallon, in the unfortunate ratio of 3M to 1F. If/when I get juvies from these or future eggs, I'll probably have a regular 2/4 or 3/5 group in the tank. They can live and breed in everything from fresh to far greater than marine salinity. I've read accounts of fry being raised in full fresh, though it's brackish more often. I'll try to confirm that it's fine to do it in full fresh :)
They eat anything. Really. When I had them briefly in my 55, they ate vegetarian repashy and soilent green. I've seen them take flake, shrimp pellets, and more. In this tank, they ear frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and live white worms.
 

bgourami320

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What else can go in the tank with them? I'm going to be starting a 40b and not sure
about what to stock, might be interesting.
 

bgourami320

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I just googled them, are they annuals? They're in a tank that doesn't dry up seasonally,
are they fine the year through?
 

happypoet

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As far as their temperament, just about anything that won't eat them can go with them. They're mellow fish, and though they might go after small fish from time to time, they are SLOW and awkward. Of course whether you go with brackish or not also will decide what can go with them.
They're not annuals like Killis--they're just short-lived, so yes, you can keep them throughout the year in a tank, and you can raise fry directly.
I'm a big fan of these fish. They're very outgoing (they'll sit in my hand when I feed them) and entertaining and hardy. A group of them in a 40B with some nice top or mid-dwellers would be lovely.
 
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