Diamond Goby
- Thread starter ads8525
- Start date
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
They are strictly a sand sifting goby and can be tricky to care for at first if you don't have enough food for them. I see you have only had the tank for 1 month. That's more than likely the cause since there isn't enough food in the sandbed to sustain the goby.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
What kind of substrate do you have? What are your water parameters? How are you acclimating them, and what other inhabitants do you have? Maybe someone's bullying them? My diamond watchman goby sifts all day long, but he also fills up on frozen foods that I toss in there...I watch to make sure he eats, and gets a nice big tummy.
Maybe have your lfs feed him in front of you before you buy.
Maybe have your lfs feed him in front of you before you buy.
Hiker4twenty
Reef enthusiast
If the size of the sand it too large they can have a hard time sifting it and not be able to eat right. An 8 month old tank should have enough to support the goby. Did you ever see them eat frozen food as they sometime will like Wonton said?
Also, if you're only looking for something to stir up the sand you can look into nass snails, cerith snails or a sand sifting star.
Also, if you're only looking for something to stir up the sand you can look into nass snails, cerith snails or a sand sifting star.
DAvis
Reefer Madness
That's a lot of Goby, 4! I find this an incredibly hardy fish. I only have one in a 28G nanocube. Tank mates are 2 clowns and 2 Bangaii Cards, and a couple of Emeralds and a peppermint. He is a voracious eater of sand-sifting (sugar-sized oolytic) and also devours mysis, brine, copepods, anything I throw at him. Soon he'll be moved to a 65 gallon with larger particle reef sand. I might consider another goby, but 4 in a tank may be part of the problem. They can be fairly territorial, especially with other gobies. they should live years. I've had mine only 6 months, and has grown to almost 4"!
He will eat all copepods and isopods in the tank, mine did.
+1 to hiker420 and wontonflip on substrate, but they should really eat anything. Here's a pic....
Where did you get them?
He will eat all copepods and isopods in the tank, mine did.
+1 to hiker420 and wontonflip on substrate, but they should really eat anything. Here's a pic....
Where did you get them?
Attachments
They were not in the tank at the same time. I mean I bought 4 total and each one died. The parameters of my water are as follows:
Ph 8.2
Calc 380
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Phos 0
Alk 6
Salin 1.024
As for the sand, I don't recall exactly what it is called but it's not the real fine agronite and it's not the crushed coral, it's in between. The gobies I have had have all been active and they did eat a little bit of the food I would feed the other fish. As for what I have in the tank, fire gobie, two clown fish, couple turbo snails, few hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab.
Ph 8.2
Calc 380
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Phos 0
Alk 6
Salin 1.024
As for the sand, I don't recall exactly what it is called but it's not the real fine agronite and it's not the crushed coral, it's in between. The gobies I have had have all been active and they did eat a little bit of the food I would feed the other fish. As for what I have in the tank, fire gobie, two clown fish, couple turbo snails, few hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Are they dying in your tank? Or jumping? Sorry that sounds like a dumb question.
DAvis
Reefer Madness
What size are they when you get them? I got an ORA Banded Goby that was barely 1". It did not survive the move to the LFS and the subsequent move to my tank (store made good). I waited and purchased a MAC certified Diamond that was about 2.5" when I got him. He was extremely active as soon as I got him, and he hasn't stopped moving since! A most entertaining fellow.
Oh, and Nassarius snails are superb for churning the sand bed. Nothing like seeing the sand boil when you add food to the tank, they come up for food! Also, a Florida Fighting conch, also very industrious.
Biffs right, they are notorious jumpers!
Oh, and Nassarius snails are superb for churning the sand bed. Nothing like seeing the sand boil when you add food to the tank, they come up for food! Also, a Florida Fighting conch, also very industrious.
Biffs right, they are notorious jumpers!
tankedchemist
Reef enthusiast
my yellow watchman goby has been similar to Wonton's experience, but the sand sifting gobies have much greater need for food and are generally shier. I've started adding foods that sink well-- like sushi roe (which my mandarin also loves), and the occasional sinking pellet. I've found that the sand sifters are just very cautious and don't like to compete with tank mates for food, so providing something that sinks is important in keeping them fed.
They die in the tank and are about 2 to 2.5 inches when I get them.I don"t know why can't keep them alive. It seems as though they a great one day and I don't see them the next. What do you thinks about my parameters? I know they are on the low side of normal but I hope to fix that with my recent decision of mixing my own water.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
You should see MY goby....he is an aggressive little SOB! He will come at another fish that even dares go after food that he was going to get!
Your parameters seem fine, but you can always get a 2nd opinion from the lfs...have them test it. Where are you getting these gobies? maybe the LFS just gets bad stock. My old lfs stopped ordering from this one place because the quality of the fish were poor. When they switched, they had better luck with the new place. Do they just up and die? Or do they show signs of being beat up/bullied?
DAvis
Reefer Madness
That's a nice size fish. Are you finding them dead or just missing, presumed dead? Are your rocks secure? They can easily undermine the base rock, causing a shift that is enough to kill them in their cave. All my baserock has been put on the bottom glass, with the sand filling around. The slightest shift can crush them. I'm sure you've check all this, just trying to help.
ErinCahir
Sausage Wrangler
+1 Davis.
I had one that crushed himself in a mini rock slide.
I had one that crushed himself in a mini rock slide.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Check around your tank -- on the floor, behind it, on the ledge of the stand. Do you have cats or dogs?
