There’s little wonder why this Goby gets its unique name! It’s a placid, brackish fish that has bumblebee colours. No, you can’t expect the Bumblebee Goby to build a hive and to start harvesting honey, but it’s still a fantastic addition to your brackish tank!
These fish are brilliantly colourful, and it’s normally easy to spot a male as they tend to be brighter in colour. But what should you really know about the Bumblebee Goby before you adopt one, or several, for your own brackish tank? Let’s take a look.
- Fish Lifespan: Up to 3 Years
- Tank Size: At Least 10 Gallons
- Water Temperature: Between 72F and 84F
- pH: Between 7.0 and 8.5
- Hardness: Between 9 and 19 dKH
- Compatibility: Compatible with Large Shrimp and Other Bumblebees
- Fish Size: Up to 1 ½ Inches
How do you take care of a Bumblebee Goby?
The Bumblebee Goby is a very rewarding brackish fish in that it is so vividly marked and coloured.However, if you only have experience in caring for fish such as Clownfish or Goldfish elsewhere, you might find some of the routine this creature demands to be a little tricky. That isn’t to say you won’t be able to pick it up as you go along!
Bumblebee Gobies tend to be very placid. They are very unlikely to get aggressive, on the whole, unless they feel that they are under pressure or getting threatened. This tends to go for most fish of their size – as they are absolutely tiny!
What you may find with the Bumblebee Goby is that mixing them with other fish isn’t always so straightforward. This is because of their size – many larger fish are going to see the Bumblebee Goby as a light snack, meaning it is well worth looking into grouping these species together in their own tank. In fact, the Bumblebee Goby really loves swimming around with its own kind!
Providing you are paying close attention to the tank and water conditions, there are no reasons why you won’t be able to make a real success out of caring for your own Bumblebee Goby. However, as brackish tanks can be a little tougher to manage than, say, a freshwater tank, you’re going to need to keep an eye out for salinity, pH and more besides.
We love the Bumblebee Goby – it’s a sprightly critter, and providing you give it plenty of space, social opportunities and more, you will likely do fine.
Can Bumblebee Goby live in freshwater?
Yes, the Bumblebee Goby is known to live in freshwater. However, there is an argument that they tend to do particularly well in brackish water.
Brackish water fish of varying species can easily switch between both types of water. However, for the purpose of this guide, we are focusing on the brackish side of things, so if you would like to take a closer look at freshwater fish, we’d seriously suggest you look into our list of the coolest freshwater fish available for your tank right now.
Brackish tanks tend to be a little more complex to manage than your common or freshwater systems, so do make a point of taking a closer look once you have some experience in fish keeping under your belt.
Are Bumblebee Gobies aggressive?
The Bumblebee Goby is very rarely aggressive. If anything, many people choose the Bumblebee Goby as one of the first species for their brackish tank simply because it is so easy going! This is a critter that will happily swim along with its own kind without a care in the world. Of course, as with other fish, there are a few conditions you need to keep in mind.
The Bumblebee Goby is only likely to get aggressive or tetchy, if at all, if it feels it’s being intruded upon by another one of its kind. This territorial behaviour can often come into play if two males are vying for the same ground or space, for example. Even then, as mentioned, the Bumblebee Goby is amazingly social and very happy to be with its own kind. They occasionally scuffle, but this is nowhere near the level of aggression you’d see in, say, a saltwater tank.
Bumblebee Gobies are so small and inoffensive that more often than not, they are going to find themselves at the mercy of much bigger fish. Rather than put up a fight, this fish is easily taken advantage of. That’s why we’d normally advise to try and keep this tiny creatures in their own tanks, or with other fish that are similarly minute and placid.
How many Bumblebee Gobies should be kept together?
This really depends on the size of your tank. As mentioned, the Bumblebee Goby will normally do well with its own kind. However, around seven or eight Bumblebee Goby should be more than enough to group together at any one time.
The reason for this is that, over time, larger groups can start to get a bit heated. This is especially the case, again, when you consider males of the species, who may find themselves locking horns if they feel intrusion is at stake.
A lone Bumblebee Goby is a very sad sight indeed, so make sure to give them at least one or two buddies to play with. Just make sure their tank is plenty big enough, and that they have enough space to hide away in if they want or need to!
What do Bumblebee Gobies eat?
The Bumblebee Goby is, unfortunately, fairly fickle when it comes to selecting dishes for dinner. As with other Gobies, they are carnivores, which means they’ll chow down on meat. However, that’s not to say they will flock to anything you put in their tank.
Bumblebee Gobies like food that is extremely rich in protein. This can mean you finding the Bumblebee Goby a fish with an expensive taste. You can’t really expect them to go nibbling at the odd bit of dried food or flakes.
The Bumblebee Goby will happily eat meaty food if it is either frozen or live, which is why something as common as the bloodworm is a good choice. You can also look into brine shrimp, too, which the Bumblebee Goby will happily tuck into.
The Bumblebee Goby is notoriously picky. However, you shouldn’t ever let that put you off getting them! Providing that you take the time to look for genuinely high quality food and produce, you shouldn’t find them turning their noses up at what you give them. Just don’t give them the cheapest flakes on the market – or flakes at all – and you should be fine.
Can Bumblebee Gobies live with Betta Fish?
There is nothing to say that you can’t mix a Bumblebee Goby with Bettas, but as the Betta can be a very angry customer sometimes, it might not be the best match available.
In fact, Bettas are much bigger than Bumblebee Gobies – as are most fish. This means that they are very likely to want to swallow up your Gobies rather than make friends with them.
We’d generally advise against mixing a Bumblebee Goby with a Betta simply because it might make them easy prey. The same goes for any fish that are even slightly larger or slightly more aggressive than Gobies. This might cut down the choice a little, but if you want your Bumblebee Goby to be safe, you need to think about keeping them away from anything particularly malicious!
Will Bumblebee Gobies eat Cherry Shrimp?
The jury is out on whether a Bumblebee Goby will tackle a cherry shrimp for dinner. The fact is, if there is meat smaller than this fish in the tank, if it is live quality, they will likely eat it.
This means baby shrimp are unlikely to be safe in the same tank as the Bumblebee Goby. Adult shrimp that are bigger than the Bumblebee Goby, of course, are unlikely to be under threat from the fish as far as eating is concerned.
However, that doesn’t mean some Bumblebee Goby won’t nibble or irritate the poor shrimp over time! It’s best to look into getting much larger shrimp for the same tank as the Bumblebee Goby, as then there’s a chance it won’t look at it twice as being a snack.
Should I get a Bumblebee Goby?
There are no reasons why you shouldn’t get a Bumblebee Goby for your tank. However, as a staple brackish fish, you need to keep in mind that this critter will have a very particular set of water demands.
What’s more, the Bumblebee Goby is a picky eater, which means you are going to need to consider the different types of meat that you’ll need to prepare for them over their lifetime. Certainly, if you are willing to put time and effort into caring for them, you’ll find looking after a community of Bumblebee Goby really exciting.
There are hundreds and hundreds of types of Goby out there – why not check out our general guide to Gobies, too, to find that perfect fit?
