# Goby just died, unexplained



## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

okay ill admit, i didnt check on the tank since last feeding time (24 hrs).i went to feed the fish and my smaller bumblebee goby was floating dead at the top. well, yesterday, he seemed fine, hes always kinda been on the thin side because hes smaller and so i made sure he got a bloodworm. could it be that i dont have any salt in the water? the pH is about 7.4, 7.5, (yeah my tap water is kinda alkaline) , themp is 77 and the stupid nitrate test has 40 and 80 ppm like the same exact shade of red i can never tell what its at all i know is its far from 20 and far from 160 marks. is my last bumblebee okay alone? do i let him be, or add buddies?


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

I know little of bumble bee gobies, but I'm pretty sure they prefer to have salt in the water. Could be the reason, maybe not. Could have had something when you got him.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

i got them like 6-8 months ago so that cant be the issue and i havent added fish to that tank in a few months


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

OhYesItsMe said:


> i got them like 6-8 months ago so that cant be the issue and i havent added fish to that tank in a few months


Alright. Hmm.... Maybe it was a feeding issue. Couldn't get food down, wasn't getting enough, etc.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I don't think they need salt or buddies. You should be able to find it on the web. On the nitrates, just change 50% of the water and retest. Repeat until you can read it.


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## Flishstar (Jul 26, 2012)

All but one bumblebee goby species need brackish water to survive. However, its better to have salt in the water just to be safe, as its nearly impossible to tell each species apart. Chances are it was a species that can't stand pure freshwater. They can live for months in freshwater, but they weaken over time die.


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2012)

Diseases can lay dormant for awhile, so yes it could have been a disease.


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