NOT A GOOD IDEA (see post #5)
I've been keeping a fascinating fish in my planted tanks and I wanted to share it with you. I only have one but waiting for more to become available locally.
As a juvenile I placed him/her in a 40gal long Community tank (Perfecto); he/she is now, as adult, living in my planted, paired-off Blue Snakeskin throwback Discus tank (Aqueon 26).
I'm talking about the Dormitator maculatus, commonly mislabeled as Fat Sleeper Goby since it's not a Gobiidae but a member of the Eliotridae family (sleepers).
This is a somewhat shy fish that despite being wild caught seems ready to eat commercial fish food although it may pray on small sized fish such as Cardinals and Neon Tetras; what makes this fish special, in my opinion, is that due to its lack of swimming bladder it is prone to use plant structures to stay put or "fall asleep" and the fact that they seem to go around all the tank without claiming a particular territory.
Be it near substrate level on small foreground plants or towards the water surface along the long and sturdy leaves of Vallisnera gigantea, I find this small oddball a truly beautiful fish.
Maximum size of 70.0cm (27 1/2") had been reported but its most usual size goes up to 14.5cm (5 3/4").
My Fat Sleeper has adapted quite well to my soft/acidic tank (pH 5.2 to 5.7, 4 dGH, 0.5 to 1 dKH). It was previously living at a pH 6.5 to 6.8, 5 to 6 dGH and 2 to 2.5dKH.
Pepetj
Santo Domingo
I've been keeping a fascinating fish in my planted tanks and I wanted to share it with you. I only have one but waiting for more to become available locally.
As a juvenile I placed him/her in a 40gal long Community tank (Perfecto); he/she is now, as adult, living in my planted, paired-off Blue Snakeskin throwback Discus tank (Aqueon 26).
I'm talking about the Dormitator maculatus, commonly mislabeled as Fat Sleeper Goby since it's not a Gobiidae but a member of the Eliotridae family (sleepers).
This is a somewhat shy fish that despite being wild caught seems ready to eat commercial fish food although it may pray on small sized fish such as Cardinals and Neon Tetras; what makes this fish special, in my opinion, is that due to its lack of swimming bladder it is prone to use plant structures to stay put or "fall asleep" and the fact that they seem to go around all the tank without claiming a particular territory.
Be it near substrate level on small foreground plants or towards the water surface along the long and sturdy leaves of Vallisnera gigantea, I find this small oddball a truly beautiful fish.
Maximum size of 70.0cm (27 1/2") had been reported but its most usual size goes up to 14.5cm (5 3/4").
My Fat Sleeper has adapted quite well to my soft/acidic tank (pH 5.2 to 5.7, 4 dGH, 0.5 to 1 dKH). It was previously living at a pH 6.5 to 6.8, 5 to 6 dGH and 2 to 2.5dKH.
Pepetj
Santo Domingo
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