A Quick Guide to the Firefish Goby and Your Saltwater Aquarium
The firefish goby, also known as a dartfish, is an interesting and attractive saltwater fish that is popular with saltwater aquarium enthusiasts. This particular fish does especially well in reef aquariums, because they enjoy spending time ducking in and out of all the caves and rocks.
Firefish gobies are not large fish – just about 2 inches long when full grown. They have a thin body, which is rounded in the front and then tapers down to a very narrow tail fin. The firefish goby has half-and-half coloring. The front part of the body, from about the middle to the head, is white. At about the halfway point of their body, firefish gobies are bright red clear down to their tail – now you understand the name. The bright red tail color gives the appearance of a flame shooting off the firefish’s tail end. This interesting coloring makes firefish gobies quite a spectacular looking fish, and they boost the color of any saltwater tank.
The firefish goby is a friendly fish that will get along fine with the other aquarium residents and is easy to care for. They are not finicky and will eat most kinds of fish food, including brine, flake food or pellets. It doesn’t take the firefish long to acclimate to a new tank – just about 3 hours. When adding a new firefish to the tank, keep in mind that they are quite an active fish (which is why they are great for reef tanks.) They enjoy darting around the reefs and caves and squirming into holes and under overhangs.
Keep an eye on your firefish, however, whenever the top is removed from the aquarium. They like to jump, and could easily clear the top of the tank. Another valuable note about this type of fish is that they seem to do better when kept in pairs. Perhaps it’s not as much fun playing around the reef without a friend.
Once you choose all of the fish to keep in the saltwater aquarium, it is important that the tank is maintained properly. A poorly kept saltwater tank is not healthy for the fish, and they will probably not last long is the correct attention is not given to caring for their salty environment. There are a few basic requirements to keeping a saltwater aquarium. It does take time, but it is definitely worth the effort.
A saltwater aquarium requires more equipment and care than a fresh water aquarium, because the salt content must be properly maintained. To begin with, a saltwater tank is generally filled with filtered water, unless you purchase a reverse osmosis kit that will remove the chemicals from tap water so it can be used in the saltwater tank. Once the water is chemical free, it is vital to wait until the temperature is just perfect before adding any fish to the aquarium. Saltwater fish are extremely sensitive to temperature, so this is one of the most important steps to setting up a successful saltwater aquarium.
A new saltwater aquarium needs to sit for around 30 days before the fish are introduced to make sure the water is balanced correctly. Once the waiting period has passed and the fish are added, the saltwater tank should be tested frequently to make sure that the water stays balanced. Any imbalances can be corrected with the appropriate chemicals. The saltwater tank should also be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis to keep any algae growth under control. Algae can get out of control quickly if left uncheck. Most aquarium stores have all of the chemicals needed to keep the saltwater tank balanced and your firefish gobies and other saltwater fish healthy and happy.