they are known to take a while to start eating and arent aggressive eaters at that. while the other fish are going crazy they casually take a bite of meaty food here and there. Mine likes frozen reef plankton by san fransisco bay and well as their frozen mysis shrimp (graded into tiny pieces). Doesn't seem interested in formula one, two or any flakes or pellets (or anything prepared for that matter). If you have pods and things they will eat that too. some may only eat live food initially so you could try live brine shrimp until he starts eating frozen. I'm dont have much experience with soaking food in garlic.
heres some cut and paste stuff:
In the Home Aquarium
Gobiodon sp. have a tough time adjusting to captive care, since it is all too often that these fish arrive at our local fish stores emaciated. This is most likely due to the stressful transit period, which results in the fish not eating. Being a smaller fish, and having what appears to be a fairly quick metabolism, not many of these fish make it to the hobbyist tank without having been starved to some degree or another. To compound this problem, they regularly require live foods and special attention until accustomed to aquarium life. Frozen/thawed foods can be offered first, but if they are not accepted, be prepared to offer live food. Upon arrival of a new goby, special care should be taken to ensure large quantities of food are offered to the new arrivals without fouling the aquarium water. Live brine shrimp is the most available type of live food. Try to "gut-load" these live Artemia with phytoplankton if the possibility exists. Once the goby has accepted live food, they may slowly be weaned off the live food until they eventually are accepting frozen/thawed or prepared foods. Any of the commercially available foods suitable for a carnivore should be sufficient. Be sure to provide a varied diet, and that the food is small enough to fit into their tiny mouths.
Unfortunately, most Gobiodon individuals arrive to the retailer looking similar to this one. Note the sunken stomach. If possible, try to avoid fish that are starved like this. Otherwise, be prepared to nurse them back to health. Photo courtesy of Sahin Chowdhury.
Tank mates for Gobiodon must be carefully chosen. Though these fish do have a toxic mucus on their skin for protection, it doesn't mean you can mix and match haphazardly. Fish that are aggressive feeders should be avoided as tankmates, at least until after the Gobiodon has been fattened up and is readily accustomed to the aquarium. A refugium can be helpful during the transition period, hopefully offering an abundance of their favorite natural foods, copepods. An established tank stocked heavily with Acropora spp. will assist in mixing these fish with more aggressive swimmers. The Gobiodon species will take refuge within the branches of these corals. The more threatening the tank mates, the deeper into the branches the Gobiodon will retreat. In a peaceful aquarium Gobiodon spp. will normally remain on the tips of the corals within full view of the hobbyist
Although fish of the genus Gobiodon are obligate coral dwellers, usually utilizing the genus Acropora, it is not absolutely necessary that Acropora be present in their tank. In the home aquarium Gobiodon sp. will often co-exist with other stony corals, or even soft corals, lacking more preferable options. In all instances, if their preferred coral is available, it will be utilized. In aquariums without sufficient coral growth, it is likely that the Gobiodon sp. will either hide within rockwork, or seek out any other hiding places it can find. Given this type of environment, it will not be comfortable, and most likely will not adapt well to captivity. Due to their obligate coral dwelling nature, they can easily be kept in small or nano reef aquariums.
Gobiodon gobies make adorable additions to the reef aquarium. If the hobbyist has an aquarium with suitable coral growth, and is willing to take on the challenge of fattening one up upon purchase, these gobies can fare extremely well in captivity. Never before would you have believed you could find so much personality in a fish that barely moves!
