Mekong Bumble Bee Goby 2.5cm

Mekong Bumble Bee Goby

For aquarists looking to keep a highly underrated and oddball fish, the Mekong bumble bee goby is a perfect selection. These fish are a very rare find in the aquarium hobby and make for a great fish to keep in a nano display because of their small size, unique behaviour and colours. These Mekong bumble bee gobies are closely related to the common yellow and black bumble bee gobies which are popular fish to keep in brackish water aquariums however these Mekong bumble bee gobies can thrive in full freshwater environments. Due to their lack of overall availability, there is a large lack of first-hand aquarist experience in regards to the care of these fish however they are reported to be fairly easy to keep despite their incredibly small size.

The Mekong bumble bee goby also has a very unique aesthetic when compared to other aquarium species, it has a small, stubby body that only reaches around 2 cm. Colour wise they have an almost honey-yellow colour through the body and the most characteristic factor is the patterning of black striations and blotches which is where they get their name from. Their small size also makes them a very peaceful fish that would be a great addition to a small tank. These are considered to be tropical fish but can thrive in a varied temperature range from 22-28 degrees. Mekong bumble bee gobies also come from locations where the PH is very acidic due to fallen leaves and organic matter in the tank so the recommended PH range would be anything from 4.5-6.0, this can be easily maintained through aquarium-safe botanicals and hardscape selection such as driftwood.

Mekong bumble bee gobies would be the perfect fish to add to a very slow-paced nano community aquarium that emulates their wild blackwater setting. Breeding these is possible however is a very difficult process because these fish do breed through specific environmental queues, in the wild their breeding behaviour is usually triggered by temperature and seasons. Males are usually thinner whereas females can be a bit rounder, however there are no obvious dimorphic factors in males and females.

Tank Recommendations for your Mekong Bumble Bee Gobies

Because the bumblebee gobies are small that spend a lot of their time idle in their environment hanging around floating plants and hardscapes, they can be kept in smaller aquariums with the minimum being a tank of 35 litres. This allows enough room for a small group of Mekong bumble bee gobies long-term as well. Because they are slow-moving it is best to avoid filtration methods that have high flow, recommended options would be a sponge or hang-on-back filters.

The Mekong bumble bee gobies will love a densely planted tank with a lot of varied hardscapes where they can perch, they can be a very shy fish that will take a lot of time to get used to the typical aquariums’ settings. A low powered light and dark hardscape elements like driftwood, botanicals such as seed pods, leaves, and river stones would be recommended. This will also make for an eye-catching display because of how uncommon it is.

Suitable Tank Buddies

Mekong bumble bee gobies are a very peaceful fish that will often get outcompeted by tank mates. They are almost exclusively a bottom-dwelling fish meaning that they need to be kept with slow moving fish that cannot outcompete them.

Usually Compatible

snails, pygmy Corydoras, neon tetras, sparkling gourami, celestial pear danios, and similar slow species.

Sometime Compatible

Smaller betta, zebra danios, endlers, harlequin rasboras and khuli loaches

Rarely Compatible

Larger tetras, aggressive dwarf cichlids, or any fast-moving species that will outcompete the goby

Feeding your Mekong Bumble bee Goby

Because of their shy nature, it may take some time to get these Mekong bumble bee gobies to eat common aquarium foods however with some care and variety in feeding they should be easily weaned to this option. When they are first introduced it is best to feed moving foods like Grindal worms, live black worms, and micro worms. Once they are comfortable eating consistently they can be transitioned to frozen foods and finally a prepared staple like micro sinking pellets or crushed flakes.