Now for something a lot smaller. Brachygobius (Bumblebee gobies) are suitable for those of you who cannot keep a large brackish water aquarium, because they will be quite happy in a 60 x 30 x 30 cm (24 x 12 x 12 in) tank. Although these fishes are small, we do not recommend using anything smaller than this because it is more difficult to maintain good water conditions in a small body of water.
Retail outlets tend to stock only a few brackish water fishes because people usually want either marines because of their flamboyant colours or freshwater as they are easiest. The main brackish water fishes available are Scats, Monos, Archers, Arius catfishes, Mudskippers, Anableps, and Brachygobius, plus, if you want to see them at their best, Sailfin mollies (Poecilia sp.). This last group has been dealt with in the Cyprinodonts chapter.
A brackish-water tank lets you keep a number of interesting, but often overlooked, species that are native to estuarine waters. The home aquarium can be a mixed community setup, or a recreation of a specialized habitat such as a swamp.
