Sand Sifting Gobies

[beansell]

I have been considering a sand sifting goby for a while as I not only find them interesting, but would enjoy the benefit of the the sand being cleaned. I am interested in one of the smaller sand sifters (i.e not the diamond goby that gets much larger). I have been thinking about the 2 spot goby (I think some people also call it the "four wheel drive" goby) but I have read many conflicting statements about how hard they are to care for. I have heard from easy to keep to experts only due to a complex diet. Can anyone give their opinions on if this is a fish that will do well in a 75 gal reef or if I should steer away from it.

 

[rcoultas]

Gobies are generally pretty simple fish to care for - if your tank is cured and you've given it a little time to "season" then it will be good to go - the "sand sifters" are pretty self explanatory - they sift the sand and extract what they need.

 

[dogstar]

I have heard that they are dificult also....the trick is as mentioned..." extract what they need "
If they depleat the sand bed of the fauna they feed on quicker than it can reproduce to continue supplying it, they usually starve over time...heard that introduced types foods dont supply them with the needed vitamines, ect. for the long term...
I have kept other type SSgobies for a few years but in much larger tank with a large refuge, but not a TwinSpot....Also read they its best to keep them in pairs...you probly read that as well.
Dont know if you keep anemones but they can easily fall victim to them.
Hopefully someone can say if they have successfully kept them for a long period of time and what there trick was...They are cute little critters though.

 

[mx#28]

Yes, they are hard to keep. They will require a very established tank with a well populated refugium to boot.
I was able to keep a single, adult-sized twin-spot goby for just over a year. He seemed to grow well and be healthy for some time unitl all of the sudden he lost a lot of weight and died within a few days. I am a fairly advanced aquarist and this was in a very well established tank - all to no avail. I should also mention that I've kept a mandarin dragonette for many years in this tank.
The twin-spots are good at cleaning the sand and are a fascinating fish, but I think the difficulty level is too much.

 

[got krabs]

I've had a yellow watchman for 6 years and is still kicking. He has out lasted all my fish. For the longest time he was the only one in a 125 other than crabs and snails. When I first bought him, he was about 3/4" and about as thick as a pencil and shy. Now he isn't so shy and is about 2 and 1/2" and fat So I would say that this particular fish is very hardy and territorial so 1 is probably best.

 

[texasmetal]

Twinspot's are by far my favorite goby, but yeah, they just don't fair well in captivity.
I'd go with a Yellow Watchman. They are pretty hardy and easy to feed.

 

[beansell]

Thanks for all the information. I will do some research on the yellow watchman as that fish interests me as well. I have a 75 gallon reef tank which I figured would have had a plenty active pod population, but I then watched a Scooter Blenny waste away over the course of a year - I do not ever plan to put a fish through that again so I am just doing my homework. Thanks everyone - if anyone has any additional comments it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dkw27]

My brownbarred goby, pictured in my avatar was a great fish, he did a wonderful job at keeping the sand clean...He loved mysis shrimp and other frozen food, he ate everything I fed to him...Unfortunately, he died last night because he was attacked by a flame angel about 4 days ago and I guess between the injury and the stress he didn't make it, but it definitely wasn't because he didn't eat enough...He was by far my favorite fish in the tank, so losing him has really made me sad....

 

[smartorl]

I lean to Diamond Gobies, they aren't the flashiest but they have alot of personality. They don't tend to be at all shy and tend to be easily startled. I just lost one the other day in spite of egg crate on the top of the tank (?). They are tremendous jumpers but do such an amazing job on the sand. All of them that I have had have taken food when the tank was fed and kept sifting which is a plus.

 

[mikev]

My Diamond Goby and I have a love/hate relationship. I love the way he keeps my sand clean but hate the way he buries my mushrooms that are near the bottom of the tank. All in all a great addition to my tank.

 

[201_0_o_datsnj]

i have a pair of Golden headed sleeper gobies in my 35g Hex tank. they are great in my opinion. theyre constantly burrowing and shifting through the sand which i have no problems with like algae or food being left over. they work harder than the snails in my opinion. i would put them in my 90g to help shift the sand cause of the algae problem im having but they seem too well established in the 35. they dont get too big either so have a look at those.

 

[dbgator1]

I also had a golden head sleeper goby with alot of personality. The one thing i didn't like was that he dropped sand on everything and anything. Othere than that he was a pretty cool fish until the hurricanes of 04 took out all my fish.

 

[beansell]

How big do the sleeper gobies get? I am at a pretty comfortable with the bio-load in my tank and I am thinking of adding one more small fish that stays close to the bottom of the tank and helps keep the substrate looking clean (which is why I am thinking sand-sifting gobies). I just do not want to get something that is going to grow to more than 2-4 inches.
Is there any other small bottom dwelling fish that are a relatively low care level and invert safe (which is why I have ruled out hawk fish) that anyone could suggest that may be a good alternative?

 

[mx#28]

Most of the sleeper gobies are fairly long - the longest of which is the golden headed that can get above 7 inches long. Speaking of which, I now have to flame '201_0_o_datsNJ' for keeping a pair in 35 gallons

- please move them when the time comes.
The sleeper gobies are often listed as a difficult fish, but I've had a lot of luck with them. They've always been willing to eat fish food and only supplement their diet with sandsifting instead of depending on it. That's just my personal experience, for what it's worth.

 

[201_0_o_datsnj]

ive had them for some time now and mine are about 4 inches long each. thats what i havent really thought of moving them. but i mean if i see that they need the room, after im done making diy live rock and aquascaping my 90 gallon ill move them in but i dont wanna stress anyone.

flaming isnt nice

j/k its information thats being shared. thanks for the 411 though