Freshwater bumblebee goby

Brachygobius aggregatus

Also known as Aggregatus bumblebee, Freshwater bumble bee goby

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 6.8–7.8
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Philippine fresh waters
Family: Oxudercidae

Overview

This is a small, boldly banded bumblebee goby, and unlike many of its relatives it lives happily in plain fresh water rather than needing brackish. It is mostly peaceful and social but a little territorial, so keep a small group in a tank with plenty of perches, caves, and broken sight lines where each fish can claim a spot. It stays near the bottom and perches on decor between darting feeds, and it wants small meaty foods; offer live or frozen baby brine, cyclops, and microworm, since it often ignores dry flake. Keep only calm, small tankmates. A 40 liter tank with lots of structure suits a group.

In the wild

In the wild it lives in the Philippines and nearby Southeast Asia, ranging through streams, canals, and marshes from fully fresh water down to the brackish edge of estuaries, often among plant growth. To keep it, provide gentle flow, a soft substrate, and lots of rock, roots, and plants for perching and territory. It does not need salt. Keep it warm at 24 to 28 C and neutral to slightly alkaline and mid-hard, around pH 6.8 to 7.8.

Good to know

Brachygobius aggregatus is a member of the family Oxudercidae, described by Herre in 1940, and it reaches about 4 centimeters. Like other bumblebee gobies it wears black and yellow bands and feeds on small live and frozen invertebrates such as zooplankton. It occurs from completely fresh water down into brackish estuaries. There is no reliable record of it being bred in the home aquarium, though the genus lays eggs in caves that the male then guards.

Did you know

Bumblebee gobies are known for the salt question, since many do best in brackish water. This species settles it by living in fully fresh streams, so it can be kept with no added salt at all.

Tank mates

Freshwater bumblebee goby is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.