giving up on goby. what should i get as replacement

mlwoods007

mlwoods007

Member
Well between my previous setup and my current one, i've now lost probably 5 diamondback gobbies and I refuse to get another. I love the way they keep my sandbed clean, but I just can't afford to keep replacing them when they jump out.
Any suggestions on another reef safe fish/invert that will do just as good a job without such a high suicide risk?
 
D

dborne3

Guest
I just had one jump out of my tank. I had the lid half-way open and he jumped out. Did u have anything covering your tank?
 
mlwoods007

mlwoods007

Member
Originally Posted by dborne3
I just had one jump out of my tank. I had the lid half-way open and he jumped out. Did u have anything covering your tank?
I left one of the lids off to help with cooling when my AC went out, and he seized the opportunity.
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
What other tank mates are in there? Could something be bothering him? Water quality, or fish.
I only ask this because my tank is open, and have had one for 2 years now. I feed mine sinking pellets, so that he never has to go to the surface for food. In fact, I have yet to see him go more than 6" off the sand.
What kind of lighting? Could the lighting be too startiling....going from darkness to really bright too fast?

Any fish will jump if startled, not just gobies.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by Anonome
What other tank mates are in there? Could something be bothering him? Water quality, or fish.
I only ask this because my tank is open, and have had one for 2 years now. I feed mine sinking pellets, so that he never has to go to the surface for food. In fact, I have yet to see him go more than 6" off the sand.
What kind of lighting? Could the lighting be too startiling....going from darkness to really bright too fast?

Any fish will jump if startled, not just gobies.
I am wondering the same thing. The back of my display is open. My diamond goby has never attempted to jump. I feed frozen foods. I have a powerhead at either end of the tank. He cruises all over the tank and has visited the top many times to grab food. He has never once tried to jump. I kept the back of my qt covered just because I know that they are jumpers, but he never tried in there either. I think something may be bothering the gobies. What else is in the tank?
 
helpme74

helpme74

Member
I lost 5 gobies to. The first one I had for two years known problem with him then he died. The 4 replacements all jumped out. I’m trying something a little different. If it works I will post it.
 
sambasam

sambasam

Member
Originally Posted by Anonome
What other tank mates are in there? Could something be bothering him? Water quality, or fish.
I only ask this because my tank is open, and have had one for 2 years now. I feed mine sinking pellets, so that he never has to go to the surface for food. In fact, I have yet to see him go more than 6" off the sand.
What kind of lighting? Could the lighting be too startiling....going from darkness to really bright too fast?

Any fish will jump if startled, not just gobies.
id have to say if the goby jumps out because of poor water quality. damn your water quality must be bad if your fish takes "no water" over the water in your tank.
 
g-stacks

g-stacks

Member
Originally Posted by SAMBASAM
id have to say if the goby jumps out because of poor water quality. damn your water quality must be bad if your fish takes "no water" over the water in your tank.

LMAO my gobe never jumped out my tank and there is no housing over it
 
T

tiberius

Guest
I am looking into getting Landware netting. My LFS uses this netting around their intake tubes in all their tanks to stop fish from getting in there. I currently have glass tops on my tank and I cover the back openings with the plastic light diffusers. The problem is that I never covered the front 1 inch gap and lost my LMB after 3 years. So I think I am going to buy some of this netting and cut it to fit across the back and front. The wires will hold the netting in place along the back and I am going to buy some big shells to hold the net down in the front. This stuff comes 3 feet wide. Maybe cover your tank with it to keep the little buggers in.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by SAMBASAM
id have to say if the goby jumps out because of poor water quality. damn your water quality must be bad if your fish takes "no water" over the water in your tank.

Be nice, this person is asking for help. We are here to help.
 
mlwoods007

mlwoods007

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
Be nice, this person is asking for help. We are here to help.
no biggie, it's all in good fun.
Ya, he was fine for a few months, but then one day "bit it". I'm thinking it had to due with the fact that i reaquascaped a couple days before. I lost all the others due to the fact that my tank used to be in the basement and it would go from dark to light without any warm up.
Thanks everyone for your advice.
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
I had a Midas Blenny that didnt like my tank at all. Always jumping to the back chambers, till one day it cost him his life. He missed and landed on the grate in the middle chamber... they can stay out of the water for a while but 10 hours was a tad too long. I came home to a yellow rasin.
 
ncacura

ncacura

Member
I've had three jump...its frustrating, but they're known jumpers. Get some egg crate stuff from lowes or home depot. its the stuff that most people put in frag tanks as shelving. by a big piece of that stuff and lay it across the top of your tank, that way the light still gets in, the air still gets out, but the fish don't
 
anonome

anonome

Active Member
Originally Posted by mlwoods007
no biggie, it's all in good fun.
Ya, he was fine for a few months, but then one day "bit it". I'm thinking it had to due with the fact that i reaquascaped a couple days before. I lost all the others due to the fact that my tank used to be in the basement and it would go from dark to light without any warm up.
Thanks everyone for your advice.
That's what I thought, when I went from pc lighting to halides with pc, eventhough they would start out with pc lighting, then go to the halides I still lost my beloved heniochus butterfly to jumping ship. Not a known jumper, but like I said, any fish will jump if startled enough.
I am a firm believer in moonlighting....always some sort of lighting on the tank.
Since then, I haven't had any jumpers.
As far as a replacement....I would still go with the orange spotted goby, best sand sifter out there.
 
ncacura

ncacura

Member
I heard of a story of a guy who got new speakers for his computer, and it's in the vicinity of his fish tank. He turned up the bass and sure enough, the first thump of bass a fish jumped.......just confirms, that anything startled can jump...
 
helpme74

helpme74

Member
I thing i know why i had gobys jumping out of my tank stray voltage . One of my power heads had like 45.0 volt leaking out wow.
 
notsonoob

notsonoob

Member
Only jumper was a fire fish and I have a couple gobys in my tank.
I also put egg crate on top, however, I ahve a bow so I don't have the front of the display entirely covered yet.
My diamond just sticks around the rocks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top