# Dragonfish Goby



## thelesserevil (May 21, 2014)

I know I know. I got suckered in by another cute face. I did ask the aquatics specialist a lot of questions before I committed to taking him home. I made sure he was going to be compatible with the fish I already have, how big he was going to get, what he eats, what the temperament was....so he came home with me...and a paradise fish (that's a different story). I realize he will need a bigger tank later & I plan on getting a larger tank down the road. But now I'm reading they require brackish water. Does anyone have experience with these cool fish? Do they HAVE to have brackish water? If sho he can't stay in the tank I have (I do have a 15 gallon that the jerk crab used to occupy that I suppose I could convert for him if I must....will need to find something to do with the feeder fish the crab didn't eat).


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Brackish water all the way!Marine salt not aquarium salt(there is so much more in marine salt ).
The fish may be fine for a short time in your 15,but IF you can care for this fish properly and it lives you(it) will need a MUCH larger aquarium.
This seemed like a pretty informational link so please read it completely.
Dragonfish aka Dragon Goby Caresheet
I hope this helps you and your fish.
There have been several members with this goby so if you use the search tool you may find more useful info right on this site.
This is just one thread on this site if you search dragon goby;
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f48/i-need-help-healing-poor-little-40680.html?highlight=dragon+goby
If I remember correctly this was a very good thread.


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## thelesserevil (May 21, 2014)

Ok so I will transform the 15 gallon to brackish water. Will my Dragonfish be ok with a Bumblebee Puffer? The puffer is still tiny (less than an inch). He's in a 2.5g nano right now & now he will need a bigger tank at one point so I was thinking they can just share the 15g till the Dragonfish gets big enough to need a bigger tank. Also, can I just set up the brackish tank & transfer them right over? Or do I need to start it as FW & gradually turn it brackish? I've never had a BW tank before, how do I measure salinity & how high should it be? UGH! No more getting suckered into cute fish! GAH! lol


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

You will need a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity.You're looking to be around 1.009-1.011,which is close to half the salt of a full marine(1.020-1.024).You can just set up your 15 and then drip acclimate the fish over a couple of hours.However you do it the tank will be uncycled so regular testing or cycling it before hand will be necessary.
Basically for full marine you use 2 cups of marine salt per 5g so you will need to start around 1 cup per 5g.(3 cups for your 15g).
I can't speak to compatability of the puffer and goby.


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## thelesserevil (May 21, 2014)

Ok, I finally got the ammonia in the tank I'm converting under control. I'm going to get the salt & a heater & plants for it tomorrow. How do I do the drip acclimation? Someone told me to put the fish in the tank & add a little salt water in each day until I get to the salinity level I need.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/drip-acclimating-fish-11327.html
I would just get tank to proper salt level and then drip the fish for a couple of hours.
Having the ammonia under control right now means nothing as the beneficial bacteria in freshwater and salt/brackish are different so once you add salt you will start cycling again.


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