Bumblebee Goby: Care Questions

Today I went to my LFS and my mom came with. She fell in love with a fish labeled as a bumblebee goby and really wanted me to get it for one of my tanks. Gobies are very rare in my local area, I’ve never see them, so I didn’t know anything about the fish. There was only one in the tank with some endlers Livebearers and when I did a quick google search to see if I could accommodate it in a tank. I discovered that the bumblebee goby is a brackish water goby usually but there are freshwater varieties. I did not get the goby but it was very cute.
Questions:
Is the bumblebee goby a brackish water goby? Or if there are freshwater versions how can I tell the difference?
Do BB gobies need to be kept in schools?
Are they ok with shrimp or are they predators?
I really could not find much information and I trust the people on here more than just a google search

 

Today I went to my LFS and my mom came with. She fell in love with a fish labeled as a bumblebee goby and really wanted me to get it for one of my tanks. Gobies are very rare in my local area, I’ve never see them, so I didn’t know anything about the fish. There was only one in the tank with some endlers Livebearers and when I did a quick google search to see if I could accommodate it in a tank. I discovered that the bumblebee goby is a brackish water goby usually but there are freshwater varieties. I did not get the goby but it was very cute.
Questions:
Is the bumblebee goby a brackish water goby? Or if there are freshwater versions how can I tell the difference?
Do BB gobies need to be kept in schools?
Are they ok with shrimp or are they predators?
I really could not find much information and I trust the people on here more than just a google search

The whole bumblebee goby species is bonkers nowadays, there are so many misunderstandings with bumblebee gobies, and its mind bonking. The true freshwater bumblebee goby is the brachygobius xanthomelas. The common brackish ones sold are brachygobius doriae. If you can, ask your lfs what species they have and make sure it's the "true" freshwater.

 

The whole bumblebee goby species is bonkers nowadays, there are so many misunderstandings with bumblebee gobies, and its mind bonking. The true freshwater bumblebee goby is the brachygobius xanthomelas. The common brackish ones sold are brachygobius doriae. If you can, ask your lfs what species they have and make sure it's the "true" freshwater.

I love this particular store but I don’t trust them to know, is there another way to tell?
Edit: I looked at photos of the two and it’s definitely the brackish one and they have it in freshwater If I could set up a brackish tank I would go rescue it but I’ve never set up brackish water before hm

 

I love this particular store but I don’t trust them to know, is there another way to tell?
Edit: I looked at photos of the two and it’s definitely the brackish one and they have it in freshwater If I could set up a brackish tank I would go rescue it but I’ve never set up brackish water before hm

Unfortunately, they are identical, and most of the time if the brackish are kept fresh they are going to deteriorate.

 

When I was a kid I was fascinated by them. I'd buy one and it would die after a few months, then I'd try again with another. It was years later before I found out that they were a brackish water species. Also they can be difficult to feed. Some are reluctant to take prepared food and they don't compete well with other fish at feeding time. I think they are best kept in a small single species brackish tank.

 

I have kept these several times in freshwater in both species and community tanks with smaller fish or African Dwarf Frogs.

They are brilliant fish. They can get big (over 3cm but less than 4cm) and plump when doing well.

They do need either live food or food that looks as if it is live such as frozen food that is moved by the current.

The one time I tried to keep them in brackish they died. I did this by the approved method of raising salinity slowly.

There was a time when aquatic orthodoxy dictated that we keep them all brackish. If you didn't you were a bad fishkeeper.

 

I don’t think I’ll be getting one anytime soon but interesting fish. There’s just not enough info and I think stores don’t know which kind they have

 

I don’t think I’ll be getting one anytime soon but interesting fish. There’s just not enough info and I think stores don’t know which kind they have

I’ll share my experience with these little fish
I believe there is 3 main types I think all can tolerate freshwater but 2 of them prefer brackish. I have only one left (I think brachygobius doriae) in brackish I had five originally years ago and they seemed to die off by old age until I was left with this orange coloured bumblebee goby. They were awful to get to eat as I kept them with my figure eight puffer they are ambush predators (I had to target feed them). They are also fiercely territorial with one another (however they school when they are stressed/scared) I had the 5 oringally in a 20 gallon and 2 of the gobies seemed to not have a territory. The most aggressive goby was the one I have left and the males are much thinner and more colourful then. I wanted to try and breed them but I was never successful (probably because the puffer kept them on edge) the current one I have is left with a golden wonder panchax and the puffer. The goby occasionally chases the panchax if it comes too close to his cave. I have only had success with love foods and some types of frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp anything else is either spat out or not even looked at. In short these little fish are unique but have got to be one of the worst fish to get to eat unless you do a species only tank where you can make sure all the gobies are eating.