My very fat female watchman goby
- Thread starter RJ Harris
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Joey waid
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Can they be raised or do they get eating?
She may be fat but not on food
Probably will lay in the next couple days
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RJ Harris
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Her first batch I tore the tank apart to get the eggs out and put them in a seperate tank and they started to hatch but I lost the rest of the eggs and shortly after I lost all the fry. To answer your question they can be raised but it's a lot of work. You have to have cultures of green water to feed the small strain of Rotifers which you feed the fry. I had a 20 gallon set up for the parents after my dt leaked but they never spawned in there and as soon as I put them back in my new tank she starts producing eggs. More than likely I'll let them lay and if by some Miracle some babies survive long enough to to be seen I'll try to scoop them out. There's only a few times that I've heard of them actually spawning in a tank and very few people have raised them. As far as I know there's only one company that has actually raised them and sells them the rest are wild caught
ChuzUThisDay
Active Member
Tagging along. This is interesting as I always thought the females were gray and males were yellow.
Joey waid
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Thanks, good to know. I was hopping you had it figured out.. At least she happy. I know the daddy is!!
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RJ Harris
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She does gray up the day before she lays. Her head gets gray and she has thick dark barks on her body. Right now she's yellow with almost iridescent spots and rays going through her fins and head. He looks the same as she does now
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RJ Harris
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The first batch I was doing all kinds of research. And there's a guy on here that has had his spawn and keeps a very detailed log of it. If I can find my old post I'll share the link
ChuzUThisDay
Active Member
Oh wow. Great info to learn. There were two gray ones with darker gray stripes/bands at the lfs. We waited until they received a yellow one as I didn't think the others would be a yellow color normally. Maybe there are some watchman gobies that are just gray then?
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RJ Harris
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Paul B
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Nice looking and healthy fish. She looks ready alright.
They can be raised like any fish can be raised if you want to stay home continuously and keep feeding green water to rotifers, then rotifers to the fry. Then after a few no sleep nights hatch millions of brine shrimp to feed them for a couple of weeks, then raise the brine shrimp large enough to feed the growing fry. It is a huge pain to do but it can be done.
They can be raised like any fish can be raised if you want to stay home continuously and keep feeding green water to rotifers, then rotifers to the fry. Then after a few no sleep nights hatch millions of brine shrimp to feed them for a couple of weeks, then raise the brine shrimp large enough to feed the growing fry. It is a huge pain to do but it can be done.
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RJ Harris
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Totally agree with that. I was going crazy trying to get green water and Rotifers from my lfs and looking online without breaking the bank. I'm taking a new approach from now on. If some survive long enough to be seen I'll scoop them out but all my fish are crazy predictors even my tangs
Paul B
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As you said, it is very expensive and you have to have all of that on hand as soon as they hatch. I used to get them from Florida Aqua Farms but thank God I don't try to raise fish any more. Way too much time.
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RJ Harris
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Yeah I was gonna try it but later realized it wasn't going to happen. I even had a lfs that was gonna buy the fry. Now I just think it's cool that I have a breeding pair cuz there's not many in the home aquarium
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RJ Harris
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Thanks. I wouldn't say very good. But I'm alright I guess. Only been in the hobby for a few years have a few mandarins eating frozen. (My cousin speaks of you a lot with your experience with mandarins.) and now I have these guys
Paul B
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No, your good, most people can't even keep them, spawning is the best thing that can happen and shows them to be in excellent condition.
I had that pair for about 12 years and they would spawn every couple of months. But it was always in the back someplace where I could not get a picture. That picture I posted with the eggs I had to crawl under the tank and put the camera up in the back to get a shot.
They died a week apart. I think they died of old age. I got them as babies.
Here they are old
This is her when I got her as a baby.
As for mandarins, them and just about all bottom fish should always be pregnant if they are paired as that is their normal condition. If your paired fish are not pregnant, they are not very healthy.
I had that pair for about 12 years and they would spawn every couple of months. But it was always in the back someplace where I could not get a picture. That picture I posted with the eggs I had to crawl under the tank and put the camera up in the back to get a shot.
They died a week apart. I think they died of old age. I got them as babies.
Here they are old
This is her when I got her as a baby.
As for mandarins, them and just about all bottom fish should always be pregnant if they are paired as that is their normal condition. If your paired fish are not pregnant, they are not very healthy.
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RJ Harris
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I also got mine as babies from a shop in Burlington vt. He wouldn't sell me just one he said I had to take them both. In the end he gave me both for the price of one. They are really dark. I've never seen mine that dark before. And that is an extremely pregnant mandarin. Mine usually do the false breeding dance just about a half hour before the blue lights come on but she has never produced
Paul B
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That's when they do it, just before the lights go off. These have been spawning for a couple of years but I am not about to collect those tiny eggs and raise them. If it was 20 years ago I may do it, but not any more. Let the kids do that. 
These bluestripes are also always spawning but can you imagine how tiny those fry are?
You can tell the pregnant male on top.
These bluestripes are also always spawning but can you imagine how tiny those fry are?
You can tell the pregnant male on top.
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RJ Harris
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I'll tell ya. Most days I love my job but I'd rather spend that time playing with fish and starting a business around fish. But I don't foresee that happening soon so I jus do my thing and come home and tend to my 125
