NEED HELP..banded watchmen goby

mmrptc11

New Member
i have a banded watchman goby i believe..now he is lost all his coloring almost and barely moves, he used to eat ghost shrimp but now he just stares at them with a film like over his eyes. is something wrong with him?? he was hiding out in my engineer goby's rock but he seems to have kicked him out. now i have a mated pair of yellow tangs that seem to think all caves are theirs can this be the problem, no places to hide??
 

btldreef

Moderator
Welcome to the forums.
Can you tell us about your tank? Parameters, size, age...
How long have you had this fish?
Can you post a picture?
Have you tried feeding anything else?
 

mmrptc11

New Member
hes in a 55 gallon with rock
its about 3 months old (the tank) have had him about a month
i give the rest of the fish pellets but he never eats them, so i was told to give him live shrimp becaus ethat was what he was fed at the store.
he ate normal now he looks like he is slimy, LO i know a fish but no he really looks like hes wearing a blanket of slime and his eyes are cloudy. the picture doesnt do real justice cause he kinda blends in now.
 

mmrptc11

New Member
the only thing in with him is the two tangs which arent very big..and some damsels. plus my engineer goby which come out like once a week to eat and clean house.
 

peasofme

Member
damsels are aggressive. your tangs are harrassing him. engineer gobies are aggressive. gobies need a peaceful tank and places to hide and call home. im not sure how high nitrate can be and not effect fish. maybe u need a water change. live brine shrimp isn't enough to sustain him. i would think a watchman would eat other things like pellet, flake, frozen mysis, etc.
 

mmrptc11

New Member
my damsels never ever go near him and my watchman went after my engineer kicking him outta his house..he never ate the pellets i put in or the frozen blocks of stuff. i dont want my fish to die...i'm gonna go get some bottled water and do a quick change and see what happens. my nitrate just shot up thru the roof after being a constant this whole time..
 

btldreef

Moderator
Yikes! I see some major issues with this tank. Firstly, you have fish that really are not suited for your size tank, so getting your nitrates under control and keeping them under control is going to be a constant challenge. Two yellow tangs in a 55G is asking for aggression issues. Pair that with the fact that there are multiple larger gobies AND damsels in this tank, and honestly, it's a recipe for disaster in more than one way.
Engineer gobies can get aggressive. Gobies don't mix well with each other as a general rule. I watched a yellow watchman goby kill his mate and then rip the eye out of another one of my gobies that was much larger than him, and this was in a 155. I wouldn't dare attempt multiple gobies in a smaller tank.
Your tank is 3 months old, stocked with the wrong fish, and too many fish for a tank this size. Your headed for a major disaster. Take the tangs back to the store, and get rid of one of the gobies. And honestly, if you can get the damsels out, do it now while they're still young. Damsels will absolutely cause issues for you and adding other fish as they mature, TRUST ME (or just google it) they're not called DAMsels for nothing.
Don't too large of a water change at once, as it can shock the tank. Smaller water changes over a few days would be more effective and safer. Nitrates don't really effect fish, although 80 is really high.
Start with better suited fish and better foods. Most flake and pellet food as well as brine shrimp (live or frozen unless freshly hatched) is garbage. Brine will entice a finicky fish to eat, but it has little nutritional value. Your goby should be getting the majority of its nutrients from sifting your sand, which is not established enough to support him in a 3 month old tank.
Sorry if this all sounds harsh, but unfortunately, it's the truth. I'm going to assume that you've gotten most of your advice from your local fish store. STOP LISTENING TO THEM, they just want to make a profit. There are very few good fish stores out there with knowledgeable staff.
 

mmrptc11

New Member
its not harsh..my watchman goby has never since I have been watching him at the store or bought him has sifted sand. my enigneer has never bothered anyone in the tank he found his happy rocks and is digging away, he will be transferred to the new 220 once it has time to settle and adjust. now i was told that buying the mated pair of tangs was ok cause they were introduced together and I have never seen aggression (that i know of) except for rubbing themselves all over the rocks and floor. i cant take the damsels back but i know i know fish store ppl, said damsels were just fine and happy fish with everyone. now my watchmen will be dead by morning im guessing considering i can reach in and cup him in my hand and when i first got him he earned his name wolf my going after me for the food. i was told a inch of fish for each gallon and that i would have to move my engineer later but he is still a baby so he's ok for now. what is the proper fish for my tank. i ahve all the proper lighting and the filtration system. i'm doing a 3 gallon change tonite and 3 more in 4 days. all the other fish are swimming and happy but the goby. thanks for info
 

mmrptc11

New Member
oh and sorry i forgot my two tangs are bigger then my gobies they are the biggest in tank by 2 inches. id post pics but they keep saying error
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmrptc11 http:///t/388219/need-help-banded-watchmen-goby#post_3422272
its not harsh..my watchman goby has never since I have been watching him at the store or bought him has sifted sand. my enigneer has never bothered anyone in the tank he found his happy rocks and is digging away, he will be transferred to the new 220 once it has time to settle and adjust. now i was told that buying the mated pair of tangs was ok cause they were introduced together and I have never seen aggression (that i know of) except for rubbing themselves all over the rocks and floor. i cant take the damsels back but i know i know fish store ppl, said damsels were just fine and happy fish with everyone. now my watchmen will be dead by morning im guessing considering i can reach in and cup him in my hand and when i first got him he earned his name wolf my going after me for the food. i was told a inch of fish for each gallon and that i would have to move my engineer later but he is still a baby so he's ok for now. what is the proper fish for my tank. i ahve all the proper lighting and the filtration system. i'm doing a 3 gallon change tonite and 3 more in 4 days. all the other fish are swimming and happy but the goby. thanks for info
 

btldreef

Moderator
I'm wondering exactly what species of goby you have because "banded watchman" refers to a few different ones. Can you post a picture or a link to a picture of one that looks similar on google?
You can't go by the inch per gallon rule, especially with saltwater fish. There's a lot more that goes into it, such as compatibility among each other (for example angelfish will usually fight with other angelfish). In the saltwater world, a 55 is actually still considered a small tank, and really can't house many fish comfortably. Tangs of any kind do not belong in a 55. Tangs are open water swimmers and really need 6ft long tanks in order to thrive. ONE yellow tang could get by in a 75-90G, but it's really not the ideal setting and I don't really recommend it. Yes, you added them together, so they're not aggressive towards one another, but yellow tangs are aggressive, especially in smaller tanks, and that could be stressing your goby out. You'd be surprised how much aggression can go on in a tank that we never actually see. We can't possibly be in front of our tanks all the time, and a lot of aggression will go on when no one is standing in front of the tank distracting the fish.
Do you plan on keeping corals in this tank, or will it be a fish only?
 

mmrptc11

New Member
ok i changed my profile picture to my wolf..he has a blue/black fin under him when resting blue spot on his body when hes side ways and 3 blue spots on his top fin..i was told he was a blue diamond goby but i could never find a picture or info of him any where online till i saw him as a blue banded shrimp goby. i bough rock when first doing set up and live sand and crushed coral for the base. i was told it would turn live..i dont want to do coral it seems to hard in mine but was gonna maje the 220 a coral tank and fish. i will definaetly return the tangs tomorrow as i spent 88 bucks on them being a pair. what should i put in mine?
 

btldreef

Moderator
Thanks for posting the picture to clear things up. He's a BlueSpotted Watchman Goby aka Blackfinned Shrimp Goby (Cryptocentrus pavoninoides).
They do loose their color as they mature, just as a side note. The blue becomes much less vibrant and they get a really drab color to them. I had one, and he lost all his coloring and was just the drab, pale, mean fish.
The picture is not super clear, but it looks as if he's a little red. Is this his usually coloring, or has this developed?
 

mmrptc11

New Member





Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons







Care Level: Easy







Temperament: Peaceful







Reef Compatible: Yes







Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025







Max. Size: 5½"







Color Form
http://javascript:popupWindow(: Blue, Green, Orange, Red







Diet
http://javascript:popupWindow(: Carnivore







Compatibility
http://javascript:popupWindow(: View Chart







Origin
http://javascript:popupWindow(: Indo-Pacific, Solomon Islands







Family
http://javascript:popupWindow(: Gobiidae







What do these Quick Stats mean? Click here



overview
The Bluespotted Watchman Goby, commonly referred to as the Blackfinned Shrimp Goby, was first discovered by Bleeker in 1849. There are two color phases. The first has an orange head with blue spots, the body is orange with red bands, and the dorsal fin has black spots. The second phase is olive drab with blue spots.
It should be housed in a 30 gallon or larger aquarium with plenty of loose coral rubble. It requires ample swimming room and a sand bottom for burrowing. Rarely will it become aggressive towards other fish, but it is territorial, and will fight with its own kind unless they are a mated pair. The aquarium requires a tight-fitting cover to prevent it from jumping out.
The Bluespotted Watchman Goby feeds mostly on prey suspended in the water column but will pick food off the substrate. The diet should include mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and table shrimp. It should be fed at least three times per day.
 

btldreef

Moderator
Hahaha, I know exactly what website you pulled that from. Be careful, they're a competitor of this site.
I'm still looking at pictures and waiting for your email, I think the crushed coral could be irritating him.
 

btldreef

Moderator
I think the crushed coral could possibly be irritating him. The red looks like an irritation or a bacterial infection.
I would try to get some frozen mysis shrimp and some vitamins such as Selcon or VitaChem to see if that helps at all. You might want to remove him from this tank if there's too much crushed coral mixed in with the sand, this can really irritate these guys. I know it says they need the coral rubble to build a home, etc, but more times than not, I've seen it really irritate a goby and cause this kind of issue. They really need SAND to burrow in.
As for fish that would be better suited. There are quite a few possibilities. If it were my tank, and this is just one opinion, I would do the following (all reef safe, so I could add corals later if I wanted):
1 dwarf angelfish (probably a Coral Beauty)
1 flasher or fairy wrasse of some sort (the McCosker's is one of my favorites)
1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
1 Bi Color Blenny or Tailspot Blenny
2 Ocellaris Clownfish (because I throw them in every tank since they're common and most people know what they are)
1 other small colorfush fish, maybe a basslet or something of the like
If you post up a thread asking people for stocking ideas for a 55 gal, you'll get quite a few options.
The best advice I can give, is really look up fish and post what you like, even if you know it's wrong for the tank, and people can usually find a good combination of fish or an alternative to a fish to make it all work.
 

mmrptc11

New Member
she gave us a big bag of crushed coral and a small bag of live sand not even the fine kind to set up the tank..now if i go get a 15 gallon real quick at the local wally world lol and i have some of that pure ocean stuff from *****, the already oean water?? can i grab a bag of sand and make him a tank till the 220 is ready? or not i dont want him any sicker?
 
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