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Dragon Goby Care Sheet
The dragon goby, also commonly known as the violet goby or dragon fish, is becoming more and more popular in the aquarium trade. Though they may look ferocious with their sinuous bodies and large mouths, they are the gentle giants of the brackish world.
As they are not easily bred in captivity, the dragon gobies that you will find in your fish and pet shops were likely captured from the estuaries of the Western Atlantic Coast or the Gulf of Mexico. Often around 4-5 inches in the pet shop, if housed in proper conditions, dragon gobies can grow at least a few inches every year, reaching an average 12 – 16 inches in home aquariums. Dragon gobies can survive fresh water for 2-3 weeks, but they will show signs of stress if not soon placed in brackish waters. Dragon gobies are also quite sensitive to ammonia and will gasp at the surface of the water if suffering ammonia poisoning.
A content dragon goby needs brackish water, sand substrate, a diet of small frozen foods and sinking pellets, and plenty of hideouts. They will bury themselves under rocks and décor, and they often create trails along the edges of the tank. PVC pipes, securely leaning slate or driftwood, and hollow logs long enough to cover the length of their body all make excellent dragon goby hideouts. Once they are comfortable in their new homes, they will venture out during the day; though sudden noises or movements will send them back to their secure hideouts.
Scientific Name: Gobioides broussonnetii
Common Names: Dragon Goby, Dragon Eel, Dragon Fish, Violet Goby
Care level: Moderate
Life Span: More than 10 years
Size: 12 - 24 in (30.5 – 61 cm), potentially much larger in the wild
Appearance: Dragon gobies have a long, sinewy body of a light violet hue with shiny gold bands along the length of the spine. They have large mouths with very small teeth used for scraping algae from stones, as well as large gills for filtering out sand. Their modified ventral fins allow them to cling to the walls of aquariums.
pH: 7.0 – 8.0
Temperature: 74F – 80F (23C – 27C)
Salinity: 1.005 – 1.008 SG
Substrate: Sand
Origin/Habitat: Estuaries of the Western Atlantic and coasts of Gulf of Mexico in North America and coastal waters of South America
Temperament/Behavior: Peaceful, shy
Breeding/Mating/Reproduction: Breeding is not common in aquaria. Reports of successful breeding involve very large aquariums with groups of a single male with three or more females. The females require many hiding places. The males will build the nest. Condition the gobies with high quality live food. Lower the salinity levels to near freshwater and then raise the SG to near marine levels; the shift in salinity is similar to natural shifts wild dragon gobies experience in estuaries. The male will spawn with the females and then guard the eggs for a couple days until they hatch. Fry require infusoria and green water until they are large enough to eat baby brine shrimp.
Tank Size: minimum 48 inches
Compatible Tank Mates: They are territorial among themselves, so multiple adult dragon gobies would require at least a 6 ft. aquarium. Avoid keeping with aggressive species. Dragon gobies are suitable for any peaceful brackish community. Potential tank mates include mollies, guppies, swordtails, platies, bumblebee gobies, glassfish, knight gobies, orange chromides, Celebes rainbowfish, and targetfish. Remember: always check compatibility among all tank mates, including adult SG requirements, adult size, and temperament. Nerite snails, amano shrimp, and ghost shrimp make excellent scavenger cleaning crews for the brackish tank. A variety of plants will do well in a dragon goby tank, including Anubias, Vallisneria, Hairgrass, Marimo Balls Java Moss, and Java Fern; don’t forget – dragon gobies are likely to uproot any plant that is not secured above substrate level or otherwise protected from digging.
Diet: Dragon gobies are sifters. In the wild, they will use their tiny teeth and gills to filter mud and sand for small organism and algae. They will do well on a diet of frozen blood, black, and tubifex worms and sinking shrimp pellets. Their throats are quite small compared to their mouths and they do not see well, so they will not attack even the smallest tank mates.
Tank Region: Bottom
Sex: Not identifiable from external characteristics.
Outside Sources:
The dragon goby, also commonly known as the violet goby or dragon fish, is becoming more and more popular in the aquarium trade. Though they may look ferocious with their sinuous bodies and large mouths, they are the gentle giants of the brackish world.
As they are not easily bred in captivity, the dragon gobies that you will find in your fish and pet shops were likely captured from the estuaries of the Western Atlantic Coast or the Gulf of Mexico. Often around 4-5 inches in the pet shop, if housed in proper conditions, dragon gobies can grow at least a few inches every year, reaching an average 12 – 16 inches in home aquariums. Dragon gobies can survive fresh water for 2-3 weeks, but they will show signs of stress if not soon placed in brackish waters. Dragon gobies are also quite sensitive to ammonia and will gasp at the surface of the water if suffering ammonia poisoning.
A content dragon goby needs brackish water, sand substrate, a diet of small frozen foods and sinking pellets, and plenty of hideouts. They will bury themselves under rocks and décor, and they often create trails along the edges of the tank. PVC pipes, securely leaning slate or driftwood, and hollow logs long enough to cover the length of their body all make excellent dragon goby hideouts. Once they are comfortable in their new homes, they will venture out during the day; though sudden noises or movements will send them back to their secure hideouts.
Scientific Name: Gobioides broussonnetii
Common Names: Dragon Goby, Dragon Eel, Dragon Fish, Violet Goby
Care level: Moderate
Life Span: More than 10 years
Size: 12 - 24 in (30.5 – 61 cm), potentially much larger in the wild
Appearance: Dragon gobies have a long, sinewy body of a light violet hue with shiny gold bands along the length of the spine. They have large mouths with very small teeth used for scraping algae from stones, as well as large gills for filtering out sand. Their modified ventral fins allow them to cling to the walls of aquariums.
pH: 7.0 – 8.0
Temperature: 74F – 80F (23C – 27C)
Salinity: 1.005 – 1.008 SG
Substrate: Sand
Origin/Habitat: Estuaries of the Western Atlantic and coasts of Gulf of Mexico in North America and coastal waters of South America
Temperament/Behavior: Peaceful, shy
Breeding/Mating/Reproduction: Breeding is not common in aquaria. Reports of successful breeding involve very large aquariums with groups of a single male with three or more females. The females require many hiding places. The males will build the nest. Condition the gobies with high quality live food. Lower the salinity levels to near freshwater and then raise the SG to near marine levels; the shift in salinity is similar to natural shifts wild dragon gobies experience in estuaries. The male will spawn with the females and then guard the eggs for a couple days until they hatch. Fry require infusoria and green water until they are large enough to eat baby brine shrimp.
Tank Size: minimum 48 inches
Compatible Tank Mates: They are territorial among themselves, so multiple adult dragon gobies would require at least a 6 ft. aquarium. Avoid keeping with aggressive species. Dragon gobies are suitable for any peaceful brackish community. Potential tank mates include mollies, guppies, swordtails, platies, bumblebee gobies, glassfish, knight gobies, orange chromides, Celebes rainbowfish, and targetfish. Remember: always check compatibility among all tank mates, including adult SG requirements, adult size, and temperament. Nerite snails, amano shrimp, and ghost shrimp make excellent scavenger cleaning crews for the brackish tank. A variety of plants will do well in a dragon goby tank, including Anubias, Vallisneria, Hairgrass, Marimo Balls Java Moss, and Java Fern; don’t forget – dragon gobies are likely to uproot any plant that is not secured above substrate level or otherwise protected from digging.
Diet: Dragon gobies are sifters. In the wild, they will use their tiny teeth and gills to filter mud and sand for small organism and algae. They will do well on a diet of frozen blood, black, and tubifex worms and sinking shrimp pellets. Their throats are quite small compared to their mouths and they do not see well, so they will not attack even the smallest tank mates.
Tank Region: Bottom
Sex: Not identifiable from external characteristics.
Outside Sources:
