Two Spot Goby Help!

winnie

winnie

Reefing newb
Hey guys! So last night I added a six line wrasse and a two spot goby to my tank. Everybody seemed to be doing well until this morning. My female percula has been harassing the goby all morning, and he is missing a big chunk out of his dorsal fin. The back "spot" is missing completely, and the rest of the fin looks pretty rough.

Tank (Biocube 29) Inhabitants: Pair of percula clowns, Coral Banded Shrimp, Fire Shrimp, Candy Cane Coral, GSP, Hairy Mushroom, Hammer Coral, 10-15 snails, 10 or 12 hermit crabs. New Two Spot Goby and Six line Wrasse.

I know it will take time for everybody to establish a new pecking order, but I'm worried about the goby. He seems utterly terrified! Also, will his fin grow back? What should I do?

Thanks guys!
 
Fins grow back. My 2 firefish got into it when I first got them. Split them up, and the long dorsal of the other one grew back within a few months or less. I'm not sure about the spot, but maybe it's so scared that it just lost color temporarily. I know a lot of fishes go pale when frightened.

You could always try rearranging rocks. I've heard people have had luck with that. You can also put your clownfish in time out for a while if you have a sump. Maybe the goby was in the clownfish's territory?
 
Since the clowns were already established in your tank,they perceive the goby as a threat to their territory.
Remember that clowns are just a type of damsel and as such are extremely territorial.
 
I got a good answer for this one.Get rid of the clowns,very common afraid.I used to have clowns that bit tails off my anthias.
 
Thanks everybody!

It seems like things calmed down since yesterday morning. Wonton I think you are right that he was in the clowns' territory. The night I put him in the tank he was swimming everywhere...playin' with fire!

Now, my female clown is pretty much keeping him corralled in the opposite corner. He seems to have accepted that spot as his, and spent a good portion of yesterday evening digging himself a cave in the sand.

He is sifting sand, and acting normally for now. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on everybody!

I wish I could just yell NO at her in "mean/stern voice," or squirt her with a squirt bottle on "laser mode" like I do with my dog! :mrgreen:
 
So...I spoke to soon. This morning I woke up to find my clown attacking the poor goby (Ernie). This time she took of most of his tail. :frustrat: I took the clowns straight back to the LFS! They are going to hang onto them for me for a few weeks. I'm going to do some major remodeling of the rock-work in the tank, and then think about reintroducing the clowns after a while.

Its amazing how attached you can get to those little buggers! I hate to get rid of them all-together. I hope this works...fingers-crossed!

Also, are there any supplements I can soak Ernie's food in to get him back to tip-top shape, and to help his fins grow back? I have heard of garlic. Is there anything in addition to that? What brands would you recommend?

Thanks again!
 
Vitamin suppliments like BL posted is your best bet.I'm afraid that once the clowns get comfortable again,they will just go back doing the same thing.I put my clown pair in my fuge for four months and re-introduce them back to the display.After about a week they went back to biting the tails off my anthias again.
 
This may not be what you want to hear, but I've had ocellaris clowns and they were my first fish. They were my first fish in my tank and were never aggressive with anything I've added to my tank since. They are much more peaceful than other clown variants.
 
Since the clowns are gone... everything for Ernie seems fine! He has reconstructed his sand cave. My friend, who owns the LFS, seems to think the problem was with the fact that I don't have a big enough tank. I have been wanting to upgrade to a bigger tank (120 gallons or so) I hope to upgrade, and then reintroduce the clowns into the 120. I have a feeling you guys might tell me they will still be a problem. Please tell me if you think so.

I still want to upgrade. The biocube 29 has been a great starter tank, but my husband and I have been itching for something considerably larger! :D

I know I may be hanging onto a lost cause... What do you guys think?
 
Switching to a bigger tank may fix the problem. It's hard to say for sure, since these animals are always unique. Either way, I think you should upgrade!
 
Bahaha! :mrgreen: I think this is my excuse to upgrade! Like I said, the biocube is a great way to start, but in the end it just isn't enough. So Im thinking a 120. Do you think the 30lbs or so live rock and 30lbs or so live sand I have in my biocube would be enough to start a 120 full of the rest with dry rock and sand is enough?

Whoa! That sentence was fully loaded....
 
personally, I would go with a 125 since you'll have more options with a 6 foot tank than the 4 foot 120 tank. But, that's just me

winnie said:
I guess in other words.. would now be a good time to upgrade?
Click to expand...

Wrong place to ask, UPGRADE UPGRADE!!!!!
 
Last edited:

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