Violet goby

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Violet goby
Gobioides broussonnetii - Gobie violet - Aqua Porte Doree 13.JPG
20220619 violet goby joseph stansbury rosin.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Oxudercidae
Genus: Gobioides
Species:
G. broussonnetii
Binomial name
Gobioides broussonnetii
Lacepède, 1800
Synonyms
  • Amblyopus broussonetii(Lacepède, 1800)
  • Cepola striata Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
  • Gobius brasiliensisBloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
  • Amblyopus brasiliensis(Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801)
  • Gobius oblongusJ. G. Schneider, 1801
  • Cepola unicolor Gronow, 1854
  • Gobioides barreto Poey, 1860
  • Amblyopus mexicanus O'Shaughnessy, 1875
  • Cayennia guichenoti Sauvage, 1880

The violet goby (Gobioides broussonnetii) is a species of goby native to marine, fresh and brackish waters near the Atlantic coast of North and South America from South Carolina in the United States of America, to northern Brazil. It prefers bays, estuaries and river mouths with muddy substrates. [2] It is often marketed as the dragon goby or dragon fish.

Contents

Description

The violet goby has a long, slender, eel-like body. Its dorsal and anal fins run almost the entire length of the body. The teeth are very sharp; however these are used for scraping algae off rocks, not fighting. When kept in good condition, dragon gobies develop an attractive, iridescent, silvery-blue metallic color with a gold blotch pattern. Violet gobies seen in pet stores are generally 3 to 5 inches (7.6–12.7 cm) long. In the wild, violet gobies can grow to 24 inches (61 cm) long. However, in captivity they seldom grow past 15 inches (38 cm). [3] Males tend to have long, pointed genital papilla, while that of the females are shorter, blunt, and yellow in color. [4]

Habitat and feeding

Violet gobies usually inhabit brackish swamps, streams, and estuaries with a muddy substrate. Violet gobies have very small eyes, and as such are primarily scavengers.

Aquarium care

Its commercial trade name is "dragon goby" or "dragon fish". Information offered in pet stores is often misleading; this species has specialized requirements and will die in a standard aquarium. Violet gobies require brackish water at least one-quarter the strength of seawater. A single individual needs a tank at least four feet long with a floor of sand or silt at least three inches thick (they spend much time buried in the substrate). They are territorial with their own kind and cannot be kept together in a standard-sized tank. They cannot compete with common aquarium fish such as tetras and barbs and are unsuitable for a community tank. Individuals are usually wild-caught, and may have trouble learning to eat commercial fish foods. They feed mostly on filamentous algae, and in captivity must have access to vegetable food such as spirulina flakes or algae wafers. [5] It is often sold as a "highly aggressive" fish, but violet gobies are actually quite docile, and nearly blind. [6]

Popularity, availability, and hardiness

This is not a very common fish among hobbyists, perhaps because it is hard to find, both commercially and in the tank. Dragon gobies tend to disappear from the market for long periods of time, but are easier to find in stores within their natural range. [7] Meanwhile, they often hide all day, coming out only when the lights are out and owners asleep. As noted above, they are often described by local fish stores as aggressive, capable of eating any fish that fits in their mouth, when in fact they are simply detritivores.[ citation needed ]

Behaviour and aggression in captivity

Despite its fierce looks, large mouth, and many teeth, the violet goby is a predator scavenger. If well fed, it usually will not bother smaller fish. Any small, peaceful, brackish water-tolerant fish can coexist with violet gobies. Examples include mollies, guppies, swordtails, platies, bumblebee goby, and glass fish. The violet goby is only kept with peaceful fish, as it has poor eyesight and may be bullied by more boisterous fish. [8] However, if two violet gobies exist in a tank too small, one will eventually claim the entire area their own territory and fiercely defend it.

Temperature, pH, and salinity

Violet gobies are generally healthy at temperatures between 76 and 78 °F (24-26 °C), with a pH between 6.58.5, and salinity at 1.0061.008.

Feeding

Violet gobies are scavengers in the wild and need a varied diet for optimum health, but are limited by two factors, their small throat size and very poor vision. Despite having huge tooth-filled mouths, these fish actually have very small throats and this limits the kinds of foods they eat. They eat both animal and plant-based foods, such as frozen blood worms, frozen tubifex worms, baby brine shrimp, and vegetable flakes. Unless they are in a species specific tank, violet gobies cannot compete with other fish to find food, because of poor eyesight. Violet gobies often feed at night. [9]

Breeding

They typically spawn in a group of one male and three or more females. Females require many hiding places, while the male needs a site to build his nest. Spawning is triggered by feeding on live meaty foods, and a decrease in salinity from 7 parts per thousand (1.0061.008sg) to around 5 parts per thousand (1.004), followed by an increase to 30 parts per thousand (close to regular marine salinity, about 1.023sg). The male spawns with several females over the course of a day. After spawning, the male guards the eggs. After 1.52 days, the eggs hatch. Fry eat infusoria (particularly rotifers) and "green water" (single celled algae) for up to a month. They then eat baby brine shrimp nauplii. [10]

Diseases

Dragon gobies are susceptible to many common aquarium illnesses, such as Columnaris and fin rot; which are bacterial infections that spread across the skin and fins of the fish. They are usually treated with antibacterial or antibiotic medications. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobiidae</span> Family of fishes

Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm (3.9 in) in length, and the family includes some of the smallest vertebrates in the world, such as Trimmatom nanus and Pandaka pygmaea, Trimmatom nanus are under 1 cm long when fully grown, then Pandaka pygmaea standard length are 9 mm (0.35 in), maximum known standard length are 11 mm (0.43 in). Some large gobies can reach over 30 cm (0.98 ft) in length, but that is exceptional. Generally, they are benthic or bottom-dwellers. Although few are important as food fish for humans, they are of great significance as prey species for other commercially important fish such as cod, haddock, sea bass and flatfish. Several gobiids are also of interest as aquarium fish, such as the dartfish of the genus Ptereleotris. Phylogenetic relationships of gobiids have been studied using molecular data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three spot gourami</span> Species of fish

The three spot gourami, also known as the opaline gourami, blue gourami, and gold gourami, is a species of fish native to southeastern Asia, but also introduced elsewhere. This gourami gets its name from the two spots along each side of its body in line with the eye, considered the third spot. This species is of minor commercial importance as a food fish in its native range and is also farmed. It is also popular in the aquarium trade. The species reaches 15 cm in standard length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kissing gourami</span> Species of freshwater fish

Kissing gouramis, also known as kissing fish or kissers, are medium-sized tropical freshwater fish comprising the monotypic labyrinth fish family Helostomatidae. These fish originate from Mainland Southeast Asia, the Greater Sundas and nearby smaller islands, but have also been introduced outside their native range. They are regarded as a food fish and they are sometimes farmed. They are used fresh for steaming, baking, broiling, and pan frying. The kissing gourami is a popular aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf gourami</span> Species of fish

The dwarf gourami is a species of gourami native to South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishkeeping</span> Practice of containing fish

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<i>Corydoras paleatus</i> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal gramma</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croaking gourami</span> Species of fish

The croaking gourami is a species of small freshwater labyrinth fish of the gourami family. They are native to still waters in Southeast Asia and are distributed worldwide via the aquarium trade. Croaking gouramis are capable of producing a "croaking" noise using their pectoral fins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-ray goby</span> Species of fish

Stonogobiops nematodes, the Filament-finned prawn-goby, the Antenna goby, the high-fin goby, the red-banded goby, the high-fin red-banded goby, the striped goby, the barber-pole goby, or the black-ray Goby, is a species of marine goby native to the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean from the Seychelles to the Philippines and Bali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf corydoras</span> Species of fish

The dwarf corydoras, dwarf catfish, tail spot pygmy catfish, or micro catfish is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Corydoradinae of the family Callichthyidae. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the Amazon River and Paraguay River basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. The specific epithet hastatus means with a spear, in reference to the spearhead-like spot on the tail root.

<i>Laetacara curviceps</i> Species of fish

Laetacara curviceps, the Flag acara, Dwarf flag cichlid, is a species of cichlid that lives in slow-moving rivers and streams as well as ponds and lakes of the Amazon Basin. This species can reach a total length of 10 cm (4 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow shark</span> Species of fish

The rainbow shark is a species of Southeast Asian freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae. It is also known as the ruby shark, red-fin shark, red-finned shark, rainbow sharkminnow, green fringelip labeo, whitefin shark and whitetail sharkminnow. It is a popular, semi-aggressive aquarium fish. Unlike true sharks, which belong to the Chondrichthyes lineage, the rainbow shark is an actinopterygiian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tank goby</span> Species of fish

Glossogobius giuris, the tank goby, is a species of goby native to fresh, marine and brackish waters from the Red Sea and East Africa through South Asia and the Indian Ocean to China, Australia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. It is also known as the bar-eyed goby, flat-headed goby and the Gangetic tank goby.

Brachygobius nunus, the Golden banded goby, is a species of bumblebee goby, a small genus of gobies that takes its common name from their round bodies, big heads, and their overall yellow to golden coloration interrupted by four brown to black vertical stripes reminiscent of the striped pattern of a bumblebee. They have also been figuratively described as "buzzing" from one surface to another inside the aquarium. Like other members of its genus, it is popular as an aquarium fish.

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<i>Stigmatogobius sadanundio</i> A species of goby indigenous to South Asia.

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The true Kuhli loach, occasionally referred to as eel loach, is a small eel-like freshwater fish belonging to the loach family (Cobitidae). They originate from the island of Java in Indonesia. This snake-like creature is very slender and nocturnal.

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References

  1. Pezold, F. (2015). "Gobioides broussonnetii". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T186007A1803047. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T186007A1803047.en .
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Gobioides broussonnetii" in FishBase . June 2013 version.
  3. "Dragon Goby / Violet Goby (Gobioides brousonnetti) | Care and breeding". Aquatic Community.
  4. "Gobioides broussonnetii (Violet Goby) — Seriously Fish".
  5. "Gobioides broussonnetii (Violet Goby)". Seriously Fish. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  6. "Violet Goby (Gobioides broussonetti)". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Blindness under Compatibility paragraph, Temperament in first paragraph
  7. "Caring for Your New Dragon Goby". Archived from the original on 2004-06-25.
  8. "Violet Goby (Gobioides broussoneti) - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki". www.theaquariumwiki.com.
  9. "The Oscar Spot • View topic - Violet Goby (Gobioides broussonetti)". www.theoscarspot.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29.
  10. "Dragon Goby Care, Maintenance, and Breeding: A Guide". 4 October 2021.
  11. "Dragon Goby Dis F".