engineer gobies

[ericholcek]

What is the deal with these fish? I got 2 of them a week ago and have not seen them since i put them in the tank. Do these fish ever come out ? I think they just sit under all the live rock I got. They dont even come out when i feed. Every fish in the tank is ok and water is ok. Am i ever going to see them again?

 

[nm reef]

A 220 reef I do maintenance on has a pair of them...they are always on the move . They do have a nasty tendacy to burrow under LR...so if yours are alive they should be visable if only by the rearranged sand piles. Be careful too because in time they will cause problems with rock slides if everything isn't well secured.

 

[irenicus]

Engineer Gobies are really cool fish, but like NM Reef said, they can burrow under LR and potentially cause problems. My room-mate used to have an engineer in his reef and the escavating he did caused problems. From our experience, piles of sand would shift from one side of the tank to the other not caring what they bury. They definately deserve their name.

 

[lion_crazz]

Engineer gobies are cool fish. I have a pair of them and they hang out under this one rock all day. They tend to grab the worms that crawl by that I put in for the puffers. It's neat because they are always poking their heads out of the holes in the rock and they are very active at night. But yes, it is very common that you will not see them for a while. Don't take it personally.

 

[ericholcek]

i went to go feed my fish this morning before work and guess who came out. the engineer goby. Kind of freaked me out a little.:happyfish

 

[razoreqx]

I have a pair of them in my reef. I’ve had them for about a year now. They are both over a 1' long and only come out to eat when I’m feeding. They are probably one of my favorite fish in the tank. Their adult colors are much much different than when they are juveniles.
But as NM said, you need to be aware of their habits. They will dig VERY extensive tunnels under your LR and can easily collapse your rock into the sides of the glass. BE CAREFUL. (I use super glue)
Jim

 

[moraym]

Everyone's already said it, they'll rearrange rocks. But i wanted to add that you should watch out for your equipment too. My foot-long E goby has managed to cover part of the heater, cover part of a powerhead, filters, everything. His current mound is approaching 8 inches tall, so i have to keep moving equipment.
Watch for him late at night, I don't see mine for weeks or a month at a time, then catch him as I walk in at night and he's cruising the tank.

 

[ericholcek]

thanks for the advice everyone. I defenitly don't thin k I am going to last with this 55 gallon tank. I NEED BIGGER, like in the thousands. I had plans on moving out soon but i may just tell the women i cant afford her because my fish are to important :jumping: thanks again