Bumble Bee Betta

Striped like stinging insects, this tiny pair patrols alkaline waters with a fierce temper.

Bumblebee Goby Pair (4–5cm) – striking black-and-yellow brackish water nano fish with bold, territorial character, ideal for high pH species tanks.

• Water Conditions: Bumblebee gobies are brackish water specialists from the coastal mangroves and estuaries of Southeast Asia, so they demand hard, alkaline water rather than the soft, acidic conditions many community fish prefer. Aim for a pH of 7.8–8.5, a general hardness (dGH) of 10–20 and a steady temperature between 24–27°C. Salinity is the crucial factor: target a specific gravity of 1005–1.010 (roughly 8–14 grams of marine salt per litre), checked with a refractometer rather than a swing-arm hydrometer for accuracy. Use a proper marine salt mix, never table salt or aquarium tonic salt. Although these fish are frequently sold from freshwater systems, long-term maintenance in fresh water is a slow decline — expect faded colour, refusal to feed and a shortened lifespan. Consistency matters more than chasing a perfect number, so mature your filter and settle your parameters before adding your pair.
• Tank Setup and Aquascape: A pair will settle happily into a tank of 45–60 litres, though bigger is always easier to keep stable. Use a soft sand substrate rather than gravel, and build a landscape of small caves, coconut shells, ceramic pipes, broken slate and bogwood to create distinct territories — this is the single best way to defuse aggression between your two fish. Hardy plants that tolerate harder water, such as Java fern, Anubias, Cryptocoryne and Vallisneria, give cover and grazing surfaces. Keep water movement gentle and filtration efficient, and always fit a tight, well-sealed lid: bumblebee gobies are accomplished climbers and skilled escape artists that will happily scale glass or squeeze through small gaps.
• Temperament and Tank Mates: Despite their tiny size, these are feisty, territorial micro-predators. Males in particular will chase rivals, flare their fins, spar over caves and nip the trailing fins of slow-moving tank mates, so they are best described as aggressive for a nano fish. The safest approach is a brackish species-only setup, or a pairing with other hard-water tolerant fish such as mollies, sailfin mollies, guppies and limias, which thrive in the same conditions and are large enough to shrug off the occasional chase. Avoid slow, long-finned or bottom-dwelling species — Corydoras, plecos, bettas, angelfish and fancy goldfish are all unsuitable. Small shrimp and tiny snails will simply be eaten, and mixing them with other goby species usually leads to constant squabbling. If you keep a larger group, do so only in a generously sized, heavily structured tank with plenty of caves per fish.
• Feeding Habits: Bumblebee gobies are obligate carnivores with a strong preference for moving prey, and many individuals stubbornly refuse flake and pellet food. Build the diet around frozen and live foods: bloodworm, brine shrimp, mysis, daphnia, blackworm, cyclops and copepods all work well. Offer small portions two or three times daily — a few bloodworms each is far better than one heavy feed. Because they are shy, slow feeders that hunt from perches, they are easily out-competed at mealtimes; target-feeding with a pipette or turkey baster directly in front of each fish guarantees both get their share. A sunken belly is the first warning sign of starvation, so check your fish daily. Live food is unbeatable for conditioning a pair prior to spawning.
• Care and Maintenance: Carry out a 20–25% water change every week, always using pre-mixed brackish water at the correct salinity and matched temperature — topping up evaporation with fresh water and forgetting the salt is a common and dangerous mistake. Syphon the substrate gently, keep nitrates below 20ppm, maintain strong oxygenation and test pH, carbonate hardness and salinity regularly. Bumblebee gobies are sensitive to poor water quality and to many medications, so use copper-based treatments with caution, avoid unnecessary chemical additives and always quarantine new arrivals for two to four weeks. Watch for whitespot, fin rot and internal parasites, which are common in wild-caught stock, and act early with the appropriate remedy at reduced dosage while monitoring closely.
• Acclimatisation: These fish travel badly if rushed. Drip-acclimatise your pair for at least 45–60 minutes, matching temperature and slowly equalising salinity and pH before release. Never float-and-plop, and never tip shop water into your display tank. If your new arrivals come from a freshwater system and you intend to run brackish, raise the salinity gradually over several weeks — a jump of more than 0.002 specific gravity per week will stress them badly. Expect a day or two of hiding before they begin exploring; keep the lights low and leave them undisturbed.
• Breeding Your Pair: Bumblebee gobies are cave spawners, and a well-conditioned pair in a mature tank will often breed without intervention. The male claims a shell or pipe, cleans the interior and courts the female with head-shaking displays; she then lays a clutch of eggs on the ceiling of the cave, which he guards and fans until they hatch in around four to seven days. The fry are minuscule and require infusoria, microworms and freshly hatched brine shrimp for the first fortnight, plus stable brackish water at the upper end of the recommended salinity range. Remove the adults if you want maximum survival, or leave them in a heavily planted tank and accept a smaller number of survivors.
• Quick Reference: Minimum tank 45 litres for a pair • pH 7.8–8.5 • dGH 10–20 • 24–27°C • specific gravity 1.005–1.010 • carnivorous, frozen and live foods • brackish-tolerant tank mates only • tight-fitting lid essential • quarantine before introduction. Our Bumblebee Bee Pair is supplied at 4–5cm, feeding and settled — ideal for the experienced nano keeper ready to give this bold little character the hard, salty water it truly needs.