Characterized by black and yellow stripes, the Bumblebee Goby can be a bit of a challenge to keep in an aquarium.

The Bumblebee Goby, Brachygobius Doriae, is a member of the Gobiidae family which includes more than 2,000 species. Most of the family members are tiny, and feature some of the smallest vertebrates in the world.

Bumblebee Goby Characteristics

The Bumblebee Goby has black and yellow stripes resembling a bee. They swim slowly around the bottom of a tank which is similar to a bee buzzing from flower to flower. At adulthood, the Bumblebee Goby will be approximately 2 inches long.

Their natural habitat is the brackish water found in the shallow rivers and estuaries in Asia. Most gobies are saltwater fish but some species can live in brackish water and a small number can survive in freshwater.

A unique characteristic of gobies is their fused pelvic fins that form a disc-shaped sucker. They use this for sticking to rocks, coral and the glass on aquarium walls.

Aquarium Requirements for a Bumblebee Goby

A Bumblebee Goby should be kept in lightly brackish water with a specific gravity of 1.005. They can be kept in freshwater as long as the water is not too soft and acidic. A PH of at least 6.5 should be maintained.

Gobies like hiding places so the aquarium should be furnished with dense plants, rocks, and driftwood.

Bumblebee Goby Compatibility in the Aquarium

It is highly recommended to keep a group of Bumblebee Gobies in an aquarium because they like to swim in schools. They are semi-aggressive fish and keeping them in a group will help reduce aggression.

Bumblebee Gobies can live in a community tank but only with small species.

Ideal good tank mates could be:

• Mollies
• Guppies
• Swordtails
• Platies
• Barbs
• Gouramis
• Tetras
• Rainbows
• Plecos
• Cory Cats

Bumblebee Goby Diet

For optimal survival, Bumblebee Gobies are carnivorous and must be fed frozen and live foods such as tubifex worms, bloodworms, brine shrimp and daphnia. They cannot survive on flake food.

Because Gobies are bottom fish and slow swimmers, it is important to make sure they get their share of food. Try to place food in their hiding places at the bottom of the tank.

Bumblebee Goby Breeding

In order to induce spawning, cool freshwater must be added to the aquarium because this mimics rainfall in their natural habitat.

The Bumblebee Goby female will lay eggs (sometimes up to 200) in rocky caves or among dense plant roots. The male then fertilizes the eggs and guards them for four to five days or until the fry hatch and start swimming.

At first, the Bumblebee Goby fry should be fed infusoria which is a collective term for tiny aquatic creatures such as protozoa, ciliates and unicellular algae. Newly hatched brine shrimp can be introduced shortly thereafter.

The fry will swim around the tank for the first few days. After that, they take their place at the bottom of the tank and begin to swim slowly which is a Goby trait.