Help?

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I bought a Tail Spot Blenny last Saturday. He was doing fine (swimming and eating well) and then yesterday he vanished, and I haven't seen him since. This evening, my Yellow Watchman Goby's left gill is ripped open. You can see that it's bleeding, but he is swimming and eating like nothing is wrong. First, is there anything I can do to help my goby? Second, what would potentially eat a fish and attack a goby?

I have a leopard wrasse and 2 new naked clowns in the tank with snails, hermits, and 2 emerald crabs. The wrasse picked at the clownfish when I added them a week ago (but now they're fine), but the wrasse and goby have been together for 4 months without any problems. I haven't seen the clownfish pick on anything. If anything, the goby seems to bully the clownfish...

Pics of my poor goby...

 

[Dakwan]

hear any clicking coming from the tank occasionally?

 

[lilduud]

is he gasping for air?

 

[reeffreak]

Sometimes blennies and gobies don't get along because of the similar body shapes.Gobies are very territorial to their own kind and maybe it killed the tailspot.I'm not sure it explains the gill problem though,it looks like it has been sifting sand that might of damaged the gills.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

No clicking. And, no he wasn't gasping - He was acting as though nothing was wrong. Unfortunately, after dinnertime, he hides so I probably won't know how he is until morning now...

I worried about the goby and blenny not getting along, but the blenny kept his distance from the goby. The blenny liked to swim at the top of the tank, and the goby keeps to the bottom. Plus, the goby has never actually attacked any of the other fish, he just opens his mouth (it kinda looks like he's sucking in water) to make himself look bigger and show the fish that this is his territory.

As for damage from sifting sand. I don't know; I've had the goby for over a year now, and he's been filtering sand through his gills w/o a problem. The goby was attacked by a royal gramma (gave it back to the LFS) about a year ago, and the damage looked pretty much the same as how he looks today which makes me think the goby was attacked by something...

 

[ErinCahir]

I think it makes sense he was attacked... They're pretty ballsy for little fish. Mine got sliced gills to tail by my sailfin. I just let him in the tank (probably not the best decision, I know) and he healed up fine.
Although... I would be worried that it's his gills... sorry I can't help!

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

My goby's gill looks the same this morning as it did yesterday, but the goby is still acting as if nothing is wrong.

I have no idea what happened to the blenny. But, I have a guess at what might have hurt the goby...

My cleaner shrimp likes to clean inside of the goby's gills, and sometimes the goby gets kinda flustered by the cleaning and tries to wiggle away from the shrimp. Do you all think that it's possible the that shrimp was cleaning the goby's gill, the goby tried to get away, and the gill ended up getting torn in the process?

 

[yote]

Possible,but I doubt it.
He could have accidently picked up something in the sand.A little piece of rock,vermited snail tube.:dunno:

 

[PRC]

Do you think that the Blenny and the Goby got into a death match? That would explain why the Blenny is gone, and it would also explain why the Goby is beat up a little...maybe that was the blenny's attempt at a knock out punch?

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Do you think that the Blenny and the Goby got into a death match? That would explain why the Blenny is gone, and it would also explain why the Goby is beat up a little...maybe that was the blenny's attempt at a knock out punch?

No, the blenny disappeared before the goby got injured...