best sand sifters?

[adam & jeanne]

I have just put in a LSB in a 55 gal tank. I have heard so much about gobies being great sand sifters. I would like to put in a pair of them if possible. Any ideas on which gobies are the best sifters and can be paired?

 

[burtonjr]

I personally have had marginal luck with gobies. Guy at LFS said they are hard to keep alive. I had a pair of yellow-headed gobies that got along great, but one died several months ago. I will now wait until No2 dies before getting another pair. I also had a lone dragon goby for quite awhile, but he also died seeminly due to starvation. This seems to be a common issue with gobies. I hope you have better luck, and they are excellent sand sifters.

 

[byrself]

the best sand sifter is the diamond goby. i have had one since i started my tank. he is very hardy, has never gotten ich when it was rampant in my tank, and is constantly moving the sand. it's a very personable fish to have, and it keeps the sand spotless! i went like 5 months without siphoning my substrate, and when i did it was virtually clean! i highly recommend this fish for you sand sifting needs. to me, they are the coolest looking gobies also. here's a pic of mine!" /> <a href="http://photos.yahoo.com/byrself76" target="_blank">http://photos.yahoo.com/byrself76</a> ]web page

 

[von_rahvin]

i have a bar goby this guy is great!! i also have a ghost goby. he is really cool. jawfish are good for localized stuff, as are the watchman series of goby. i love my gobies they are some of the most fun to watch.

 

[sandy]

I really like my yellow-head sleeper goby (Sam). He is friendly and really sifts the sand. He also eats whatever food I put in the tank for the others, so I don't think he will starve.

 

[bammbamm74]

Diamond Gobies are the sand sifting ones. The ones that pickup mouth fulls of sand and sift through their gills. Dragon Gobies are "Dragon Net" gobies, ones like the Mandarin Gobie. Those eat copepods but don't sift sand. I had both, both at brine shimp and mysis shrimp.
The Diamond Gobie will cover rocks, but it's because they are making a little house/cave. Once mine did that, he stopped covering things with sand. He would just sift the sand. Good fish. Pretty much stay on the sand. Just make sure you get ones that will supplement their own diet with brine and stuff. Ask the LFS to feed them in front of you.

 

[reeferx]

FYI - if you have an open top, put a lip around it. Gobies are jumpers. At least my Diamond was. <img src="graemlins//dead.gif" border="0" alt="[dead]" />
He was a cool fish for a while though and did keep the sand very clean. Supplemental feeding with a baster is something else I would recommend.

 

[byrself]

yeah, i heard that diamond gobies are jumpers also, but mine doesn't try to jump. it will dart itself into a bed of sand and stay there for a while. it's cool, he does it so fast that i thought he DID jump out! mine also eats anything. formula one, prime reef, and even flakes! doesn't do very good with the flakes though, just sifts it =)

 

[rockster]

Bar gobies, though not as colorful as others, do a good job at sifting sand and it's not as expensive. I like my bar goby.

 

[musipilot]

Our horseshoe crabs are amazing at keeping the sand clean, and level. They sometimes disappear for a few days, then you see them both (I think they talk to one another moving around the tank, gliding over the sand, then burying themselves. They love algae on the sand, and they keep it nice and clean.