Bumblebee goby
Brachygobius xanthozona
moderatesemi aggressivebottom swimmerGobiidae
- Tank length
- 9 cm4 in
- Start with
- 5
- Temperature
- 24–30 °C75–86 °F
- pH
- 7.5–8.5
- Adult size
- 3 cm1 in
- Lifespan
- 2–4 yrs
Prefers slightly brackish water and live or frozen foods; small caves let each goby claim a spot.Prefers slightly brackish water and live or frozen foods; small caves let each goby claim a spot.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- African clawed frog
African clawed frog may eat Bumblebee gobyAfrican clawed frog may eat Bumblebee goby
- Black kuhli loach
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Brilliant rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Eastern rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Eigenmann's whiptail catfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Emerald eye rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Fly River rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Lambchop rasboraNo shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Melon barb
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- New Guinea rainbowfish
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Panda garra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Panda tetra
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 24–30 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.5–8.5 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 5–20 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | Borneo, Sumatra and Java estuaries | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | sedentary | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | semi aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | carnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 2–4 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 6 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |