Fish Data : Spotfin Goby Cichlid

The Spotfin Goby Cichlid is much lighter in color than the other gobies, adding variety to a cichlid community. They are comical in appearance and in personality. With a more pointed mouth than the other Goby cichlids, they look like they are 'puckering up'. A great choice for any cichlid enthusiast who has limited space and cannot provide a large aquarium. As long as their needs are met, they are easy to moderate to care for. They are a joy and a colorful addition to the aquarium.

   The Spotfin Goby Cichlid can be kept alone or in pairs but are generally not tolerant of their own species. In the wild, they are the least tolerant of the other goby cichlids as well . They primarily inhabit the bottom of the tank so can be housed with some other mid-water cichlids. Provide stacked rocks with lots of caves and crevices for hiding and flat stones in the front for perching. Some natural sunlight will help algae growth on the stones which the gobies relish.

The body of the Spotfin Goby Cichlid or Speckled Goby Cichlid is a light brown/gray to opaque coloring. much lighter in color than the other gobies. There are rows of light blue dots running along the body with thin vertical gold to white bars alternating with thicker faded gray bars. A blue line runs along the lower jaw, breaking into a dash just below the eye. The fins are bluish. The dorsal fin is lined in light blue to white, edged in brown, and has a single small black spot in the middle of the fin. This brown and blue lining is also present along the top edge of the tail fin. Both the top and bottom lip are blue in color.

   They have a uniquely shaped mouth with their top lip almost looking like an "overbite", though it is much more pointed than in any of its goby cousins. Their eyes are located toward the top of their head. The have one row of teeth on each side of their jaw that are long and curved with tips that are blunt, used for eating algae off of rocks. 

   With the name goby, one would rightly picture a hopping motion that these fish use due to the absence of a swim bladder. Their pectoral fins are heavy, sharp and located lower than other cichlids. They use these fins in an almost "foot" like application by pointing them straight down and digging into the rock or rubble to keep from being thrown around by waves. It is unknown how long this fish lives.
  All cichlids share a common feature that some saltwater fish such as wrasses and parrotfish have and that is a well-developed pharyngeal set of teeth that are in the throat, along with their regular teeth. Cichlids have spiny rays in the back parts of the anal, dorsal, pectoral, and pelvic fins to help discourage predators. The front part of these fins are soft and perfect for precise positions and effortless movements in the water as opposed to fast swimming.

   Cichlids have one nostril on each side while other fish have 2 sets. To sense "smells" in the water, they suck water in and expel the water right back out after being "sampled" for a short or longer time, depending on how much the cichlid needs to "smell" the water. This feature is shared by saltwater damselfish and cichlids are thought to be closely related.

 The Spotfin Goby Cichlid is an omnivore. In the wild they pick algae and microorganisms from the rock biocover. In the aquarium they can be fed nutritious live and frozen foods, tablets, and some will accept flake. Flakes may be taken after an adaptation period, but with less enthusiasm than other foods. Provide mysis, crustaceans, Cyclops, brine shrimp, glassworms, or other special foods for Lake Tanganyika cichlids. On rare occasions you can feed bloodworms, but beef heart and fish should be avoided. Feed 2 to 5 small pinches of food a day in smaller amounts instead of a large quantity once a day. All fish benefit from vitamins and supplements added to their foods.

   Though they are a smaller cichlid they are shy and need a minimum 30 gallon aquarium. They do fine in either freshwater or brackish freshwater but need good water movement along with very strong and efficient filtration. Extra aeration is suggested for optimal oxygen levels. With a fine sand substrate, undergravel filtration is very difficult to implement. An external canister filter or hang on tank filter can be used as long as the flow rate is higher than required for your particular tank because of the oxygenation that is required. Make sure the intakes are well above the sand and have a protective cover to prevent sand from entering the filter, or the impeller will wear out quickly.

   The best set up is a system of caves that reaches almost to the surface, formed by rocks or flowerpots. Though they primarily inhabit the bottom parts of the tank, this provides a higher refuge for the female when the male gets aggressive. A sandy substrate is needed as it is thought to aid in the Goby cichlid's digestion. It is helpful to use sand that is designed for marine aquariums which will help keep the pH high. Laying stones at the bottom and front of the tank for perching and growing the algae the gobies relish is also suggested. Positioning the tank near natural sunlight will encourage growing this beneficial algae.

   Do normal water changes of 10% to 15% a week, or more frequent changes depending on the nitrite/ammonia levels and stocking numbers. The Lake Tanganyika cichlids cannot handle large water changes very well unless the new water chemistry closely matches the water they are in. If a large water change is needed, changing 15% every couple of days should bring water back to normal. This inability to tolerate large water changes is due to Lake Tanganyika being very deep and the water tends to stay stable.

   These fish are susceptible to typical fish ailments, especially if water is stale and of poor quality and oxygenation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Water changes, not overfeeding or overcrowding, and observation along with feeding your fish the proper foods (thawing frozen food and adding vitamins) will keep them in optimum health. For freshwater an optional practice is to add 1 heaping teaspoon of salt per 11 gallons of water. This is considered to be a simple and natural remedy for wounds, minor fungal infections and film over the eyes of fish in transit.

   One common problem is Ich. It can be treated with the elevation of the tank temperature to 86° F (30° C) for 3 days. If that does not cure the Ich, then the fish needs to be treated with copper (remove any water conditioners). Several copper based fish medications are available for Ich. Copper use must be kept within the proper levels, so be sure to follow the manufacturers suggestions. 

 The surge zone areas of Lake Tanganyika have a pH of over 9. This is due to the releases of oxygen at the shore called 'faunal exhaust'. Keep an eye on pH parameters for the Goby Cichlids. A higher pH means that ammonia is more lethal, so water changes are a must for these fish.

   Hardness: 10 - 20 dH
   Ph: 8.0+
   Temp: 75 - 81° F (25 - 27° C)

Lake Tanganyika is the second to largest lake in the world, thus contributing to a low fluctuation in pH and temperature. Several things all Lake Tanganyika cichlids need are:

1. Stable temperatures kept within acceptable limits.
2. Lots of oxygen to survive. Lake Tanganyika is a very oxygen rich lake. Bubblers need to be going day and night, even if there are plants.
3. Avoid overfeeding and overstocking.
4. Do a 10-15% water change weekly.
5. Regularly check nitrates (no more than 25 ppm), pH (less than 7 is not tolerated), total hardness and carbonate hardness.

   The Spotfin Goby Cichlid is a community cichlid that can be kept with smaller mid-water swimming cichlids. They can be kept alone or in pairs, but are generally not tolerant of their own species when not paired up. Out of all the gobies they are barely tolerant of other goby species, even in the wild. In the home aquariam a very large tank with a lot of hiding places would be needed, though compatibility is still a gamble. They can be kept in a species specific tank if you want to see much of them or breed them.

   They can be kept with some other cichlids, but will feel threatened and hide if the other fish swim in the lower regions or compete for the same foods. They will stay hidden in the rockwork but won't get hurt. Housing with mid-water fish gives them more "room" and allows them to come out of hiding.

  The Spotfin Goby Cichlid has been bred in captivity. They are biparental mouthbrooders. A strong bond between the male and female is established by buying around 6 juvenile Goby Cichlids and waiting for them to pair. Once they pair, remove the other fish. Just buying a male and female that are not paired will end in the female being harassed to death.

   The female will clear a flat spot in the tank and display to attract the male. She will lay only 1 or 2 eggs and then immediately pick them up in her mouth. The male then swims over and the female nuzzles his vent until he releases sperm, which she takes into her mouth to fertilize the eggs. She will do this over and over until 10 to 30 orange/yellow eggs are produced. The number is dependant on her age and nutritional levels.

   The female carries the eggs until they hatch and then spits out 1 or 2 fry at a time on the original spawning site. The male then takes the fry into his mouth for another 9 to 16 days. If he is in a community cichlid tank, he should be removed. In a species specific tank both parents can be left in with the fry. The male releases the fry at night, only letting out a few at a time in different areas, with the male waiting until they find a hiding place. If a fry does not seek shelter, the male pulls it back into his mouth before he moves on. Provide small shells and piles of small stones for the fry to hide in after they are released. Be sure to cover intakes with screen.

   If there is a need to remove the 10 mm (.3") long fry, wait until the male is done releasing the fry so as not to disturb him. Feed the fry Artemia nauplii, and within a few weeks they will graze on algae. They double their size in 6 weeks. In 4 to 5 months, they will reach .9" to 1.1" (2.5 - 3 cm) and are sexually mature between the 10th and 14th month after the male releases them. In the case of a male being too aggressive toward the female, she can be separated. The female can care for the brood for the duration that the male would have, but this taxes her strength and she will not be ready to breed again as soon as females who share with the males. 

 Credits :

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/SpotfinGobyCichlid.php

http://www.cichlids.com/uploads/tx_usercichlids/user_pics/13476/img_03_99606f493b.jpg


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