The True Dragon Goby
Picture courtesy of ictheostega under Creative Commons.
The true dragon goby Goboides broussoneti is probably one of the most striking, beautiful and unusual looking fish available in the aquarium trade today. Their eel like appearance and purple blue colour only contributes to their appeal.
Dragon Gobies are members of the faily Gobiidae and are native to brackish waters in North and South America. Despite their unusual appearance Dragon Gobies are relatively peaceful and rarely harm other fish in the aquarium, in fact their eye sight is very poor and any attack on another fish is usually a mistaken attempt at feeding.
Usually when Dragon Gobies are found for sale they are around 3″ to 5″ and are kept in freshwater. They will require salt adding to the aquarium as they grow and suitable tank mates that will also tolerate these conditions such as mollies and other salt loving fish. Dragon Gobies grow to a maximum of 24″ but usually slightly smaller in the home aquarium. Dragon Gobies are scavengers and have an interesting was of feeding. This can be witnessed easier if you provide a sandy substrate for them as Dragon Gobies sift through the substrate for there prey which may consist of small invertebrates such as larvae and water fleas. These can be provided in frozen form and Dragon Gobies very rarely take to eating dried foods.
Dragon Gobies can be susceptible to aquarium diseases such as finrot and other bacterial problems. This is more likely when incorrect salt levels are provided in the tank.
As long as all the correct aquarium parameters are met Dragon Gobies can be a very interesting and stunning addition the home aquarium.
