Bumblebee Goby

Brachygobius doriae

Also known as: Bumblebee fish, Golden-banded goby

Water Parameters

• Temperature: 22–28°C
• pH: 7–8.5
• Hardness (GH): 143–357 ppm (8–20 dGH)

Values above are general hardness (GH). For carbonate hardness (KH), the buffer that keeps pH stable, see the water parameters guide.

Care Summary

A tiny, striking bottom-dweller marked with bold black-and-gold bands, the bumblebee goby is one of the more commonly misunderstood fish in the hobby. Two myths cause most losses. First, it is widely sold as a brackish-water fish, but the species usually in the trade (Brachygobius doriae) actually occurs in hard, alkaline freshwater and does not require added salt, though it tolerates low-end brackish conditions; several similar Brachygobius species are genuinely brackish, which is the source of decades of conflicting advice. Second, they are fussy micropredators that routinely refuse flake and pellet food: they need regular live or frozen meaty foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, and frozen bloodworms, and they feed slowly. Most are wild-caught and arrive thin and stressed, so a quiet, mature, hard-water tank with abundant cover and little feeding competition is essential. Kept properly in a group with the right diet, they are characterful perch-and-dart little fish that reward a dedicated nano setup. Their hard-water preference suits the naturally hard tap water across much of Australia.

Tankmates

Bumblebee gobies are territorial toward one another rather than toward other species: keep a group of at least 6 with plenty of broken sightlines (rocks, caves, roots, and plants) so squabbling is spread out and no single fish is cornered. The real difficulty is feeding, not fighting. They are slow, deliberate hunters easily beaten to food by faster tankmates, so most community fish (tetras, barbs, danios, and livebearers such as guppies) strip a tank of food before the gobies feed; this is the usual reason they slowly starve in mixed tanks. They are best kept in a species-only tank, or with non-competing hard-water invertebrates like nerite, mystery, or rabbit snails that share their water needs but ignore their meaty foods. They will pick off dwarf shrimp fry and newly moulted shrimp, so they are not suitable for a breeding shrimp colony. Because they need hard, alkaline water, avoid soft-water species such as neon tetras and bettas.

Compatible with

• Nerite Snail
• Mystery Snail
• Rabbit Snail

Avoid keeping with

• Betta
• Cherry Shrimp
• Neon Tetra
• Guppy
• Angelfish
• Large Cichlids
• Fin Nippers

Common Problems

• starvation in community tanks from being outcompeted at feeding
• refusal of dry food (requires live or frozen meaty foods)
• wild-caught stress and parasites on arrival
• incorrectly kept in fully brackish or soft water
• intraspecific territorial squabbling in tanks with too few hiding spots

Sources: seriouslyfish.com, fishbase.org · Last updated: 2026-06-17