Is it normal for a Goby to eat sand all day long?

helloo

helloo

Member
I have a new tank member and all he does is take a mouth full of sand and spit what he does not want back out. I got him for this reason, but he is taking large mouth fulls and spitting it out which is causing the sand to cover my rocks and coral and making the water not as clear because of the floating sand.
Will he calm down or is this normal to eat and spit all day long?
He is a Golden Headed Sleeper Goby.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Unfortunately you have a critter that will do this constantly. The other thing is that depending on the tank size you have, how long it has been up, your sand bed may not support the eating habits of this fish. Is it taking foods that you are offering?
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Very normal...

I have a love/hate relationship with my Diamond Goby, for this very reason. The first few weeks seem to be the worst, as they are churning up some of the nasties down in the sand, but it will get a little better. If you have any corals down low, you might as well move them b/c he could care less if he totally covers them up and kills them.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
LOL....My sleeper bandit goby NEVER stops.....and it has covered quite a few things..LOL...even stuff that was not on the sand
 
helloo

helloo

Member
Bummer. He is jacking everything up.

Do you think I can return him to my LFS and get my money back or a credit?
Any suggestions?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by helloo
http:///forum/post/3215353
Bummer. He is jacking everything up.

Do you think I can return him to my LFS and get my money back or a credit?
Any suggestions?
HMMM....you can call your lfs and ask them....they make make a mess with the sand, BUT they are excellent sand sifters too
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Normally a LFS will give you 50% back in store credit.
In the future before you make a purchase do some research first. Asking opinions here will help, reading some literature will also.
 
helloo

helloo

Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3215371
Normally a LFS will give you 50% back in store credit.
In the future before you make a purchase do some research first. Asking opinions here will help, reading some literature will also.
I thought I had done my research first. He won't quit. Every 10 seconds he is making a new mess.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Some gobies are worse than others with how much of a "mess" they make. The golden head sleepers are very good at creating little snow storms in the tank. They won't stop and they'll cover corals in the process.
If you want a good sand sifter who isn't going to make a mess, look into a Diamond Goby.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
ACtually I have a longfin sleeper goby in the 54G, and it NEVER covers anything....it sifts but stays on the bottom
YES, it makes it's little sand piles, but does not destroy anything I would recommend one of them
 
kylev

kylev

Member
my buddy had the same problem with a Golden Headed Sleeper Goby and ended up trapping him and giving it back cause it was either making him clear sand of his corals constantly or was killing coral. I was at a LFS the other wknd listening to the owner tell a customer about how everyone loves them and how it wont cover coral with sand at all, the owner got kinda upset when i chimmed in and said differently. But they do their job well :)
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

I have a sleeper goby, my first one died because my sister was watching my tank when I moved and didn't feed it brine shrimp. I love them. They eat brine shrimp after they deplete the sand of critters, or they starve. I personally think the sleepers are the best looking sand sifter of the group.
They keep the sand looking great. I angle my corals so that the sand just falls out. Sleepers like to get a mouth full of sand and travel with it; diamonds stay on the bottom more. I have never owned any of the other ones mentioned. I don't have coral on the sand itself. I hang my chili from the top of the cave so it won't get buried.
So with a little planning, the goby and coral will do just fine.
 
helloo

helloo

Member
So I took the little guy back on Saturday. Let me tell you what a PITA it was to get him out. I had to take my entire tank down. 100lbs of LR and corals all had to be moved because he was hiding under the bottom rocks. What a pain.
Anyway, all is back to normal now. Although one coral is missing??? Maybe he got buried in the sand.
 
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