The bumblebee goby is a captivating and diminutive fish that has captured the hearts of many aquarists. Scientifically known as Brachygobius, these fish are native to the slow-moving waters of Southeast Asia. Their striking appearance and small size make them a popular choice for nano aquariums. However, potential owners should be aware of the specific care requirements of these fish before bringing them home.
Appearance and Size
The bumblebee goby gets its name from its distinctive black-and-yellow striped pattern, reminiscent of a bumblebee. The exact shade of the yellow stripes can vary among individuals, ranging from pale yellow to orange. These gobies have a slender body and a small head typical of the goby family. Males tend to be slightly slimmer than females. Their fins are mostly transparent, with some individuals displaying black markings.
At full maturity, the average bumblebee goby size is only about an inch and a half long, making it an ideal choice for smaller aquariums.
Lifespan
Under normal conditions, the average bumblebee goby lifespan is around three years. However, with consistent high-quality care and good genetics, they can live longer.
Habitat and Tank Setup
Bumblebee gobies do well in a standard 10-gallon tank. Larger tanks may contribute to a slightly longer lifespan, based on anecdotal observations.
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Water Quality
Bumblebee gobies are naturally found in slightly brackish ponds. Some fish will require low salinity levels in their tank to stay healthy. When purchasing bumblebee gobies, it’s important to get more information about how they were raised. You need to match your tank with the water quality the fish were raised in. While freshwater bumblebee gobies are rare, they do exist. It is important to purchase them from a reputable freshwater breeder if you do not want to deal with brackish water. After you’ve introduced your fish to their new home, whether it’s brackish or not, keep monitoring the water (make sure to use a good test kit). Usually, you can achieve the desired salinity levels with nothing more than a teaspoon of salt per gallon. Beyond salinity levels, bumblebee gobies are relatively hardy. They like slightly alkaline water and warm temperatures. The species does very well in freshwater tanks with a stable, slightly alkaline pH around 7.8.
Substrate and Decorations
Mimicking the bumblebee goby's natural environment is crucial for their well-being. A sandy substrate is ideal, as these bottom-feeder fish spend much of their time near it. They may even dig into the sand. Providing plenty of natural decorations such as plants, rocks, and driftwood is also essential. These decorations offer hiding places and reduce skittishness, particularly when the gobies share a tank with other fish. Build a miniature world filled with sandy substrate, driftwood, river stones, and mossy hides. Think of it like designing a playground scaled for a creature the size of your fingernail.
Filtration
A standard sponge filter that you hang inside or outside the tank will do. Tanks should be fully cycled before you add the fish. Bumblebee gobies don’t tolerate strong water flow too well. So, strong water pumps or even air bladders won’t do. Keep things simple.
Diet and Feeding
Bumble Bee Gobies can be a little picky. They tend to snub flake foods and instead prefer meaty options like frozen bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, or microworms. The best way to feed bbgs is to have current flowing along the bottom of the tank. They prefer meaty foods such as bloodworms (frozen, freezedried have very little nutritional value) and black worms, brineshrimp, etc. They are carnivores that rely on a protein-rich diet. They prefer live or frozen foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp. Most will not even take a bite of dry food.
Tank Mates
Generally speaking, bumblebee gobies are quite peaceful. Bumblebee gobies do like to socialize with their own kind. They do exceptionally well when they’re kept with other bumblebee fish. They may show light territorial behavior with each other. Finding adequate tank mates for the bumblebee goby isn’t always easy. This is due, in large part, to their brackish water needs. Furthermore, the small size of the fish can make them a target for larger species. Other fish will be competing for the food you provide. For these reasons, many aquarists keep bumblebee gobies in a single-species tank. You can create a small community of several other bumblebee gobies. You can also add some shrimp to the mix. Stick with large shrimp to ensure that the fish don’t see them as food. So, in summary you’re looking at other bumblebee gobies or larger shrimp as viable tank mates. Because of their size and feeding style, B. xanthomelas does best either in a species-only tank or with similarly peaceful, slow-moving fish that won’t compete too aggressively at mealtime. Shrimp? Not a great match. Even though they’re small, Bumble Bee Gobies will eat anything that fits in their mouths-including baby shrimp. Avoid large or aggressive tank mates.
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Breeding
Bumblebee gobies are egg-layers. Triggering the breeding process isn’t too difficult. Typically, breeders will simply provide food with higher protein content than normal. You’ll know that the fish are breeding when you see females start to swell up. She’ll lay her eggs in small hiding spots. If you’re planning ahead, add some smooth ceramic tubes or an overturned dome to the tank. Once the eggs are laid, remove them from the tank. Alternatively, you can move all of the adult fish to another tank. Males will guard the eggs fiercely. After about a week, the eggs will hatch! In another week, the fry should be able to swim freely. It’s rare in home aquariums, but possible with pristine conditions.
Diseases
Diseases can be pretty common with the bumblebee goby. Typically, diseases are caused by stress and poor water conditions. Fish who were raised in brackish water must have some salt. We can’t stress enough how important water quality is for bumblebee gobies. Be vigilant about keeping their tank conditions at optimal levels. If your fish does come down with Ich, it’s important to quarantine them as soon as possible. The disease is very contagious and has been known to wipe out entire tanks. Spend a couple of minutes each day making sure that nothing looks out of place and your fish aren’t showing any concerning symptoms.
Bumblebee Cichlid
The bumblebee cichlid or hornet cichlid (also called Maylandia and Pseudotropheus crabro) is native to Lake Malawi, where it lives in the rocky deepwater habitat around Chinyankwazi Island, Chiyamwezi Island, Eccles Reef, West Reef, Nkata Bay, Maleri Island, Likoma Island, and Mbenji Island. Most of the time, bumble cichlids display the yellow and brown barred markings from which they get their common name. The catfish do not regard the bumblebee as a threat at this time, allowing the fish to clean parasites from their skin. However, catfish produce thousands of eggs that they lay inside caves. Bumblebee cichlids feed on the eggs, assuming a dark brown or black color that helps to camouflage them. All cichlids have a feature that is common to other saltwater fish, including wrasses and parrotfish. They all have a set of teeth in their throat, as well as regular teeth. The bumblebee cichlid is a large fish with a robust, thick body. You will need a minimum tank size of at least four feet in length and with a water capacity of 50 gallons to comfortably accommodate one bumblebee cichlid, as these can grow to be large fish. The habitat should be designed with a rocky reef effect that includes lots of caves, and the substrate should be sandy. Use ocean rock to create a sturdy series of structures that extend from the bottom of the aquarium to an inch or so below the water surface. The idea of these structures is to create crevices and cracks that the Maylandia crabro can explore. Bumblebee cichlids prefer strong water movement within the aquarium, which might not suit other species. If you use crushed coral in the aquarium, it will dissolve more quickly than other salts and will help to keep the pH levels in the water on the high side, which suits the Maylandia crabro. Although you can use coral sand or Aragonite to help to keep the water alkaline and hard, Pseudotropheus crabros tend to feel safer and show off their colors more effectively over a dark or black substrate. The bumblebee cichlid is especially belligerent, and it is wise to keep one male with a harem of females. Keeping just one female to one male is not a good idea, as that will usually result in continued harassment, sometimes leading to death. In a wild environment, bumblebee cichlids eat fish eggs, insect larvae, benthic crustaceans, and parasites that are found in and around the caves the fish inhabit. However, the species is actually an omnivore. Captive bumblebee cichlids may like a diet that is relatively high in protein compared with most other Mbuna. A diet that includes vegetables is important when feeding bumblebee cichlids, as they provide fiber, which can help to keep the fish’s digestive system healthy and free from disease. Be very careful not to feed your fish too much. Overfeeding can lead to rapid deterioration in the water quality in the tank because of the amount of waste that the fish produce. Bumblebee cichlids are mouthbrooders. In the correct tank set up, it is possible to breed these beautiful fish. Ideally, you want to have one male to six females in the tank. That will ensure breeding takes place and will prevent the male from harassing a lone female. When the fish are ready to spawn, the male’s color will become more intense, and he will be more aggressive. The male bumblebee cichlid takes responsibility for selecting and cleaning the spawning site. He then displays to the female until she accepts him. During courtship, the two fish circle each other, head to tail, until the female cichlid deposits her eggs. After each egg is deposited, the female immediately picks them up in her mouth. The female bumblebee cichlid notices the egg spots displayed on the male fish’s anal fin and tries to pick up what she thinks are eggs. In doing so, she takes in milt, which fertilizes the real eggs that she has in her mouth. Mating in this way can continue for several hours. In a mouthbrooder, the eggs are incubated for up to 25 days until they hatch. The newborn fry will stay in their mother’s mouth for a few further days. Cichlids are susceptible to a number of diseases. Many of these problems are preventable through correct care and feeding, and most are curable. Swim bladder disease, as the name suggests, affects the fish’s swim bladder. The swim bladder is an epithelium-lined sac inside the fish’s abdomen that controls buoyancy. The most common cause of swim bladder problems is overfeeding, resulting in constipation and bloating. Malawi bloat is a common disease among many species of African cichlid that are kept in aquariums. The condition causes swelling of the abdomen, loss of appetite, rapid breathing, discolored feces, and staying at the bottom of the aquarium. Also, Malawi bloat can cause kidney and liver damage if it is left untreated. It is thought that Malawi bloat is caused by a protozoan parasite occupying the fish’s intestines. When the fish are stressed, for example, due to poor water quality, the protozoa reproduce, and problems begin. You can treat the disease by performing a large water change and then dosing the tank with Metronidazole. Cotton wool disease is an easy condition to diagnose, manifesting itself as a fuzzy white growth on infected fishes’ scales, fins, and head. Treat the condition with an antifungal medication, and make sure that you remove uneaten food and organic debris from the substrate. Flukes are a parasitic flatworm that infects the fish’s gills, hence the disease’s name. Once inside the fish, the parasite attacks the gill membranes, creating a thick film of slime and inflaming the gills. The slime interferes with the fish’s breathing. Symptoms of the condition include labored breathing, rubbing the body against objects in the aquarium, and fading color. Hole in the head disease is also known as Hexamita. The condition causes depression to form in the fish’s head, as well as poor appetite and weight loss. Lesions may also develop along the fish’s lateral line, becoming larger over time. Eventually, a systemic infection develops. Hole in the head disease can be difficult to treat because of the condition’s potentially varied causes. However, you should begin by improving the water quality in your tank, treating the water with antibiotics, and ensuring that your fish are given the correct diet. The condition is caused by the aggressive protozoan parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Ich is easily identifiable by the tiny white spots that form on the body, fins, and gills of the affected fish. Ich has a high infection rate and usually spreads rapidly throughout fishes that are kept in a community habitat. Fortunately, Ich is easily treatable with malachite green and acriflavine. The bumblebee cichlid is a mouthbrooder that comes from the African Lake Malawi. More correctly known by its scientific name, Pseudotropheus crabro, these beautiful fish make a stunning addition to a large tank. An omnivore, Maylandia crabro may live for over ten years if kept in the right conditions and given proper care. Many males are slightly larger than females.
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