Gobiosoma sp. gobies

[JohnL]

Do all of the Gobiosoma sp. gobies provide cleaning services to fish?

Are any of them more or less hardy or easier to keep?

Any info on these fish is appreciated.

[hcs3]

Do all of the Gobiosoma sp. gobies provide cleaning services to fish?

nope

Are any of them more or less hardy or easier to keep?

of the gobiosoma species that make it into the hobby, no major difference in difficulty or requirements are noted.

Any info on these fish is appreciated.

a great reef fish in general. doesn't need much beyond a typical reef tank to thrive. does better in smaller tanks in which you can keep track of them and feed them better. will feed on most items that fit into their small mouths. many species will breed in captivity, giving you a great chance to watch their mating habits.

the genus contains over 50 species, with about 5 or 6 being regularly imported for the trade. was there a particular one you had a question on?

HTH

henry

[BrianD]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=7609

:D

[hcs3]

wrong genus brian :eek:

henry

[BrianD]

RATS!

That is what I get for speed reading :)

Thanks for being so kind Henry, instead of calling me an idjit or something.

[hcs3]

Thanks for being so kind Henry, instead of calling me an idjit or something.

no problem. figured i could use email for name calling :)

henry

[JohnL]

Thanks Henry & Brian,

The species I am most interested in are the ones being captive bread at Inland Aquatics. I only see two species listed.

Goby, Neon Gobiosoma oceanops

Goby, Red Head Gobiosoma puncticulatus

The G. puncticulatus is the one I am more interested in.

I was thinking of getting a pair. Are they truly mated pairs?

Which species are known to clean fish?

[hcs3]

The species I am most interested in are the ones being captive bread at Inland Aquatics. I only see two species listed.

IA is not breeding these fish themselves. they are only buying them wholesale and then selling them retail.

Gobiosoma oceanops

these are very common. extremely easy to care for. they are cleaners, though not obilgate cleaners. pairs will breed in captivity, though i'm not sure how one would go about raising the fry. get a pair, they rarely leave each other's side.

Gobiosoma puncticulatus

first time seeing them under this name. more commonly called Elacatinus puncticultus. i was under the impression that you have already owned this fish, john? here is a picture of mine

http://www.saltyendeavors.homestead.com/files/redheadgobymale2.jpg

or the female...

http://www.saltyendeavors.homestead.com/files/redheadgoby.jpg

they are not cleaners.

I was thinking of getting a pair. Are they truly mated pairs?

uh, no. in E. puncticultus case they will grab two that differ in size. they are all kept together, sometimes 10 - 20 in a single tank. for the Gobiosoma oceanops they will grab the two closest to each other, though most often they do keep only 2 in a tank together.

Which species are known to clean fish?

there are others, but the most commonly found ones in the hobby are gobiosoma evelynae, oceanops, and randalli. the randalli is the most attractive cleaner, IMO, but also the hardest to find and the most expensive.

HTH

henry

[hcs3]

http://www.saltyendeavors.homestead.com/files/multifactiatumgobies.jpg

FWIW, this is my favorite of all Gobiosoma, the Gobiosoma multifasiatum. they are not cleaners.

henry

[JohnL]

Originally posted by hcs3
more commonly called Elacatinus puncticultus. i was under the impression that you have already owned this fish, john?

Here is the fish I have, Henry. Thanks a lot for the info.

http://www.reefcentral.com/johnl/e_figaro.htm

These and a blue stripped version are being bred in one of the science labs at Hofstra University on Long Island.

Any potential problems keeping various species together?

[hcs3]

These and a blue stripped version are being bred in one of the science labs at Hofstra University on Long Island.

do you have better photos available somewhere? does hofstra sell these?

Any potential problems keeping various species together?

nope. they co-exist just fine.

henry

[JohnL]

Originally posted by hcs3
do you have better photos available somewhere? does hofstra sell these?

I do not have any other puictures but I'll try and take some this weekend maybe. They do not sell them but they sometimes donate them to the Brooklyn Aquarium Society who auctions them off. I think I paid $10 for mine.

If you are interested in getting some of them, email me.