Bumblebee Goby (Brachygobius xanthozona) Care Guide
Brachygobius xanthozona is a nano bumblebee goby with black-and-yellow bands, suited to small hard, slightly brackish tanks kept in groups.
Overview
Brachygobius xanthozona is one of the bumblebee gobies, small fish in the genus Brachygobius that display black with pale yellow to orange bands. Members of the genus range from about 1.5 to 4 cm. Notably, B. xanthozona is reported to be very rare in the wild and not commercially traded, so many trade fish labelled as such belong to related species.
Taxonomy
- Family: Oxudercidae
- Genus: Brachygobius
- Scientific name: Brachygobius xanthozona
Habitat
Bumblebee gobies occur in Southern and Southeast Asia, primarily in freshwater habitats but also in slightly brackish waters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 40 L (about 11 gal); around 40 L houses a dozen specimens
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 7.5-8.5
- GH: 12-25 °dGH
- Group size: 6 or more recommended
- Lifespan: about 5 years
Diet
Bumblebee gobies require small live or frozen foods such as Artemia and Daphnia; some specimens learn to accept frozen alternatives, while dried products are normally ignored.
Compatibility
A bottom-dwelling nano species best kept in a single-species group of six or more, which distributes intraspecific aggression and encourages natural behavior. Aggressive tankmates should be avoided.
Breeding
Brachygobius are cave spawners. Males guard a clutch of roughly 150-200 eggs that hatch after about a week, with fry free-swimming a few days later and requiring microscopic foods initially.