Linguisa January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I've had two gobies pass away recently and I'm wondering its because they couldn't get enough to eat because the sand in my tank is too coarse. Is this possible? I have argonite sand (not live). My tank has been up and running about three months and I need a fish (or something) to filter the sand. I've got a small army of hermit crabs, snails, a couple emerald crabs, and a conch. I was hoping the Goby could also help clean up the sand also but I can't keep one for more than a few days. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 maybe your fish are succumbing from new tank syndrome. add a goby after 6 months or so to let the sand bed get established with microfauna enough to support the goby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 i think the gobies would probably need live sand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 In my opinion, you must get them eating prepared foods. I have had very good luck with finicky gobies and PE mysis. tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonP January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I have a tank that is about 3 months old also. I too used argonite that is course. Bought a couple of Yellow Head Gobies 2.5 weeks ago and they are doing great. They sift the argonite, they are also eating flake, mysis shrimp and brine shrimp. For comparison, mine are about 3". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 (edited) I have a tank that is about 3 months old also. I too used argonite that is course. Bought a couple of Yellow Head Gobies 2.5 weeks ago and they are doing great. They sift the argonite, they are also eating flake, mysis shrimp and brine shrimp. For comparison, mine are about 3". Oh... you didn't. How big is the tank? How big are the gobies?? I have ONE yellow-headed sleeper goby - and that is PLENTY for my 240. Every night I have to blow sand off the corals. He is about 5-6" long, now... He grew FAST!! Oh - and he eats PE mysis with gusto! bob Edited January 6, 2009 by lanman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonP January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 (edited) Oh... you didn't. How big is the tank? How big are the gobies?? I have ONE yellow-headed sleeper goby - and that is PLENTY for my 240. Every night I have to blow sand off the corals. He is about 5-6" long, now... He grew FAST!! Oh - and he eats PE mysis with gusto! bob From what you have said, looks like I will have one for sale in a few months.....Mine are in a 180 and about 3". Edited January 7, 2009 by DonP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhcorals January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 Let your tank get established for a couple more months. You should'nt have a problem. What kind of Gobies did you have? Some are harder than others, like the Twin Spot Gobie can be a little tricky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 I've had two gobies pass away recently and I'm wondering its because they couldn't get enough to eat because the sand in my tank is too coarse. Is this possible? I have argonite sand (not live). My tank has been up and running about three months and I need a fish (or something) to filter the sand. I've got a small army of hermit crabs, snails, a couple emerald crabs, and a conch. I was hoping the Goby could also help clean up the sand also but I can't keep one for more than a few days. Any suggestions? Whatever sand you have is "live" by now although probably not very well populated with critters yet. If your fish are dying in just a few days I would not suspect starvation as the cause. If you have other fish that are doing well, nothing is seriously wrong with your water parameters, and you don't see any obvious signs of aggression when you add them, the most likely explanation for such a quick demise is that they weren't too healthy to begin with, IMO. For an already weakened and stressed out fish, the stress of the transition to yet another new environment can be too much. Also, you don't really "need" a fish to sift or filter the sand. In fact, if the health of your sandbed is your only concern, a sand sifting goby is more of a detriment than a help, because the reason they sift the sand is in search of the microfauna (microscopic-or-nearly-so worms, pods, etc. . . ) that really keep a sandbed healthy. That's not to say I wouldn't recommend keeping a goby with a sandbed, just don't think you need to. The sand will do quite well on its own as long as you don't put too many sandbed fauna predators in your tank, have good flow w/o deadspots, . . . . the usual stuff. If the aesthetics of the sandbed is your concern, the best thing I've ever had for keeping it looking clean is a tiger tail cucumber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 Bottom-hugging gobies and emerald crabs are not always a good mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 Bottom-hugging gobies and emerald crabs are not always a good mix. You should change your member title from "Frequent Poster" to "Disliker of emerald crabs"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHUBAKAH January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 Not to hi jack the thread, but a sand sifting star is another option which are quite hardy, and make a heck of a lot less mess of your tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanCallan January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 Not to hi jack the thread, but a sand sifting star is another option which are quite hardy, and make a heck of a lot less mess of your tank. Not to further hijack but do Harlequins prey on sand sifters too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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