# Dragon Goby - living conditions



## Daeorn (Dec 13, 2006)

Hey guys. Recently purchased a dragon goby - he's currently around 5-6inches long right now. Got him from a Petsmart where my girlfriend works and they didn't know anything about them. 

He's been acclimated to freshwater and right now he's being kept with a variety of other wildlife in a 10gal tank. I've done some reasearch online, but can't seem to find 4 sites that don't contradict each other on how to care for it.

Right now my tank is freshwater - a little salt has been added, not much - its aquarium salt for the health of the tank.


I'm not looking for him to grow to record breaking heights, but I would definately like to see him live for as long as he can. I'm moving into a new apartment soon where I'm aiming at a bigger tank - however being on budget, it'll probably be a 20-30gal max. 

I see some of you here keep or own dragon goby's and would like some advice - what should I do? 
Is a 10gal freshwater suitable for a single goby with some friends? Or should I be looking for something bigger, saltier, and quick?
Right now he seems very healthy in freshwater, and seems to be very happy. I feed him a mix of live brine shrimp (which other fish eat first I think) and also a cube of frozen brine shrimp either daily or every two days. 

Right now he lives mainly in a hidearock that has two enterances and a "window", he's also constructed several little burrows around it which he sticks his head out of. I normally put little bits of the brine shrimp in each burrow and he occaisonally sucks them up from them.

Again - not to keep this post too long... my goals are really not to kill it, as I don't know much more than what a relative google search tells me.

Any help is greatly appriciated.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

The waters they live in are the swampy areas between freshwater and saltwater. Mucky, driftwood in it, and rocks. Fortunatly the species that are BW are used to SG swings. The salt you want to be adding is Marine salt like Instant Ocean, you wanna raise they very slowly over prolly like two weeks.. They tend to enjoy living in caves from my experience in keeping them...

Keeping them in FW takes a great toll on their immune system...


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## Daeorn (Dec 13, 2006)

Thats what I've heard. From some sites I've read that they can adapt to freshwater, but having read posts here about it - I guess that is only for certain amounts of time.

Unfortunately however, I've got other FW fish in the tank. I guess the best route is to focus on one type of tank? Or think he'll be fine enough in there for another month? Would be about the time I would have until I move into my own place, and am able to get a bigger tank that I could start to make bw. 

Also, on a side question - are snails or ghost shrimp able to live in bw tanks? 

Two of several creatures I have in this one particular tank.


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Daeorn said:


> Also, on a side question - are snails or ghost shrimp able to live in bw tanks?
> 
> Two of several creatures I have in this one particular tank.


Ghost Shrimp can adapt! I have seen them adapt to full SW. Blows the mind when you use them for SW food and 3 weeks later find one still happily swimming around in the Reef tank. lol. This does not mean they all can/will though.


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## Daeorn (Dec 13, 2006)

Currently I have three ghost shrimp in the tank, two small clear ones and one large one - about twice the normal size of the others with an opaque pink tint to him - which makes me think he isn't quite a ghost shrimp. But I have no idea. 

Hopefully I'll take some pics of the insanity that is my little tank later tonight.


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## Daeorn (Dec 13, 2006)

Ok, now its set that soon I'm getting a much larger tank - hopefully 55gal, where el dragono gobyo will be livin as well as some needlenose gar if all pans out. Sound like an interesting combo? What else would be good in a tank that size as ditherfish?


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## AcidSurfer (Feb 21, 2010)

*Tank Mates For Dragon Goby*

I've read that they will live well with other gobies, as well as guppies, columbian sharks, bumble bee goby, mollies, etc.
Pretty much almost all peaceful brackish fish that are smaller than the goby would work fine.


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## br00tal_dude (Dec 26, 2009)

my dragon has been living happily in a 20 long since we got him, we had him in a tank with gravel substrate and he wasn't as happy. I switched him to sand and he has been very happy since then. I must say he will probably eat the ghost shrimp...


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2010)

i dont think keepin a needle nose gar is such a good idea.....those guys are predatory fish in the true sense and will most prob take out everyother fish in the tank.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Just as a note, dragon gobies somehow got a bad rep but although they are kinda fierce looking, they are really gentle giants. Ours has never bothered anyone unless they bothered him first, and even then it wasn't bad bites, just little nips. 
Ours also eats dead molly/guppy fry when they turn up. Soon, I bet he will be eating from your hand once he recognizes that you wield the noms! (Ours does, although sometimes he thinks our fingers are the food, it doesn't hurt at all, just tickles)
They are very hardy fish, I bet not much you could do would kill it. Ours has lived through several ick outbreaks and a complete environment change with no problems!


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## Jaiibe (Aug 9, 2010)

My dragon goby is currently living in brackish water with mollies and platy's, although I've only had mine for 3 or 4 days; its not doing very well at the current moment. Its got a slime around its head, and it has a part of its head that looks almost caved in (for lack of better term)
But it gets along really well with mollies and platy's, both of which are brackish fish and love salty water.


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