newly bought violet (dragon) goby acting strangely?

Question

i recently purchased a violet goby and i noticed it behaving strangely after a few hours in the tank. it stays near the top of the tank in a vertical position, and from what ive read about them they are natural hiders, i also read from one source that this could mean my alkalinity is high, any suggestions on this behavior or adjusting alkalinity? when i tested the water it said it was fine

Answer 1

I don't know how often you do partial water changes, but the dragon gobies are very touchy about water quality. They are also brackish water fish.

If you haven't been doing weekly partial water changes, you need to start now. A 30% weekly change will do wonders for any fish. Partial water changes are the most important thing you can do for any fish tank. When you do water changes, be sure to add salt in the proper amount to keep his water brackish (see below for specific gravity measurements).

It removes the build up of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates that accumulate as fish waste and uneaten food decay in the tank.

Your pH may be fine, but it might also be very different from what he was used to. You should have tested the water in the tank (bag) it came from and determined how far off your water is compared to that. Sometimes you need to take up to 3 or 4 hours to acclimate a fish to your tank water so it doesn't go into pH shock which can be fatal.

By acclimating I mean slowly adding a little bit (maybe a half cup) of tank water to the bag at 15 minute intervals so he doesn't experience a violent change in pH all at once. I have taken as much as 3 hours to acclimate an expensive, delicate fish to my tank water so there is no abrupt change in the pH. As little as .5 difference on the scale can send them into pH shock.

You do know they are brackish water fish, right. They need salt in their water to stay healthy. Brackish water is 1.012 on the specific gravity scale. Fresh is 1.000 and seawater is 1.024-.026. Do you have salt in the water for him?

Here is a site that might help you out some:

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/A%20temp1.gif

I suggest an immediate 50% water change with salt added and watch his behaviour for the next few hours. A specific gravity tester can be purchased at most good pet shops that have fish. They are not expensive and are a must to keep your water at the brackish level properly.

Good luck with your dragon, they are very cool fish.
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Answer 2

He is probably adjusting to his new habitat. Give him a few more days and he'll be behaving normally.

If you're positive that it's not this, then the nitrite levels could be high. What are your nitrate, nitrite, and chlorine levels on your water test? Saltwater fish don't normally get swim bladder disease, but you could give him the inside of a cooked pea if you're cautious about this.

~ZTM

Answer 3

here are some sites about a violet goby

http://www.answers.com/topic/violet-goby?cat=technology
http://members.tripod.com/~boeing_dude/id214.htm
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0488&view_records=1
http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Gobioides_broussonnetii.html

I hope these sites give you the adequate answeres you need, and I hope also for him that you have a really big tank

Good luck

Answer 4

New habitat. Give her/him awhile to adjust. They normally will not eat for a few days too!!

Answer 5

belly up FLUSH IT!!! get a goldfish