Violet goby

1) Where they come from

Violet gobies (Gobioides broussonnetii) come from muddy, tidal estuaries and mangrove-ish areas along the western Atlantic (think Florida down through the Gulf and into parts of the Caribbean/Central America). They’re basically built for silty, brackish backwaters where the water’s always a little "dirty" and the bottom is soft.

2) Setting up their tank

Big, calm, and bottom-friendly is the vibe. These fish can hit 18–24 inches, and they’re clumsy in tight spaces. If you start them in a small tank, you’ll be upgrading fast.

• Tank size: I’d call 55 gallons the bare minimum for a young one, but 75–125+ is where they finally look comfortable.
• Footprint matters more than height. Longer tanks give them cruising room.
• Substrate: fine sand (not sharp gravel). They sift and “plow” constantly, and rough stuff can scrape them up.
• Hides: big PVC elbows, smooth driftwood tunnels, and caves they can actually turn around in.
• Filtration: strong, but with gentle flow areas. They like oxygen-rich water, they don’t love being blasted.

Brackish isn’t a vague idea here—use marine salt mix and a refractometer if you can swing it. I’ve had the best luck keeping them in low-to-mid brackish (roughly 1.005–1.012 specific gravity), stable temperature, and very clean water. They come from mucky places, but that doesn’t mean they enjoy ammonia.

3) What to feed them

A lot of people lose violet gobies because they never really see them eat. These fish are shy, slow, and super easy to outcompete. In my tanks, they did best with targeted feeding after lights dimmed.

• Staples: frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis, chopped krill, and chopped clam/mussel.
• Live/temptation foods: blackworms (if you can get them), live brine, and small earthworm pieces.
• Pellets: some will learn sinking carnivore pellets, but don’t count on it right away.

4) Behavior and tankmates

Violet gobies look intimidating, but they’re basically gentle noodles. Mine were shy, spent a lot of time lounging in caves, and had zero interest in picking fights. The only drama usually comes from tankmates bullying them or stealing every bite of food.

• Good tankmates: peaceful brackish fish that won’t harass them (larger mollies, monos/scats in big tanks, some brackish-tolerant cichlids if they’re not nippy).
• Avoid: fin nippers (tiger barbs, some puffers), hyper feeders that vacuum everything instantly, and tiny fish/shrimp if you don’t want to risk them becoming snacks.
• Bottom space: they want it. Don’t crowd the floor with other burrowers or territorial bottom fish.

5) Breeding tips (realistic expectations)

Breeding violet gobies in home aquariums is one of those “it happens, but don’t plan your fish room around it” situations. Reports are scarce, and like a lot of estuary fish, the larvae may need different salinity/conditions than the adults. I’ve kept pairs long-term and never had a clear, repeatable spawn to point you to.

6) Common problems to watch for

Most issues with violet gobies come down to the wrong environment or them slowly starving while “looking fine.” They’re tough in some ways, but they don’t bounce back fast once they start slipping.

• Slow starvation: sunken belly, weak interest in food, hiding constantly. Usually from tankmates outcompeting them or feeding the wrong stuff.
• Skin scrapes/infections: caused by sharp gravel, rough decor, or getting wedged. They’re scaleless-ish and can get beat up easily.
• Freshwater long-term: chronic stress, poor condition, more random illness. They can survive it for a while, but it’s not a great endgame.
• Poor water quality: they’re big fish with big waste. Spikes hit them hard, even if they come from “muddy” habitats.
• Ich/parasites: stress makes them vulnerable. Treat carefully—many meds are harsher on scaleless fish, and brackish salinity affects dosing and effectiveness.