Bullet Goby will not eat HELP PLEASE

[wolf_man]

i Got this guy a week ago and he refuses to eat. I give him pellets.flakes,brine,frozen mysis,bloodworms and almost everything. Please giev me some help. I was thinking that it needed copepods but IDK it was a cool looking goby but he is skinny and i want him to live.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Is this a banded bullet goby? Also referred to as a dragon goby? Or is it something else? Like a mandarin dragonette? Reason I ask is because you state you thought you needed copepods. Banded Bullet gobies are usually good eaters. Is he in a QT tank by himself?Bullet gobies sift sand. They do this constantly. This is their primary source for food. They will eat debritus, algae, meaty foods, also live copepods etc possibly small feeder shrimp.
If you want to get some food to him shut down your flow and try to get some mysis shrimp to settle on the sand bed were he is sifting at the time. Dont just dump it all in at once, just a little and see where it settles. The idea is to get him to incidentally scoop up the mysis, so you don't want to scare him with it. Once he gets to associate stuff falling in the tank with finding food on the SB he will take just about whatever you feed him. Give a mixed diet of meaty and veggies...

 

[wolf_man]

Yes its a sleeper banded bullet goby. Right now he is in my DT with a kole tang, six line and 2 firefish gobies. I have tried everything. I am so worried that he is going to starve to death. He is so skinny.

 

[wattsupdoc]

So is he sifting sand? He will get some nourishment from there as they eat detritus also. Provided there is something there for him to collect. Have you tried the method I mentioned. Trying to get him some by putting it around where he's sifting, with no flow to move it around?

 

[stinkfinger]

I was I the same situation as you. I think mine refused to eat anything for almost two weeks. Bought him looking plump, and as days went by he looked skinnier. Well what I did for him to start eating was to place mysis shrimp into the sand with a turkey baster, and watch him. After day three of doing this I finally saw him take in some of the mysis. But I didn't wanna do everyday cuts of water parameters going bad. So I took a trip to the beach and got mussels from the beach where my puffer prefers. Well I took small mussels and chucked them, and placed it where the goby was. I was surprised that he mouthed it. You know they work food around in their mouths. Well I heard they only go through sand for their food. Well my bullet goby is a pig now and eats mussels, snails, conch, limpets, mole crabs. So try getting mussels. I thought mine was gonner too when I saw him get really thin. I hope this helps.