> just to clarify, can the C. eremius and H. compressa be kept in soft and/or
> neutral to acid water, or are they from hard, alkaline, or brackish water?
Despite what many folks suggest I have kept and bred desert gobies (C.
eremius) and other Chlamydogobius spp in Melbourne tap water which is about
7.2 and general hardness of 20-40 ppm. They can also "survive" in somewhat
extreme acidic conditions. I once saw some in a tank at a friends house where
the peacock gugeons were starting to die due to acidic conditions, the gobies
were doing "ok". I think the pH was at like 4-5 (don't quote me on that).
With all that said and done, I think they can do ok in the conditions you
describe above, however, I would usually recommend harder alkaline conditions
as they are more stable relative to pH fluctuations etc etc. I don't think it
is a big deal either way though.
Tootles
Peter Unmack