Yellowheaded Sleeper Goby

[echofish]

I have recently acquired a yellowed headed goby to help do clean up the sand in my reef tank. The fish quickly made a burrow in the sand next to a large rock and start spending most of the day sifting through the sand (exactly what I was looking for). However, it is not eating anything else -- when I am feeding the fishes, it would go hide until the feeding is done.
My question is: could this goby survive on sifting on sand alone? (there were significant amont of alge growing on the sand) Is there any special food I should feed it with and is there any recommanded techniques?
BTW, I have a 90g community tank -- few corals, a clownfish & host, 3 damsels, a yellow tang, a cardinal fish, and couple cleaner shrimps.
-S

 

[tiffbritty]

i have one i feed it mysis shrimp. i was told they wont get enough food just by sifting through your sand. try the shrimp.

 

[ddt]

Mine is about 4" long and eats MYSIS. Unless your tank is very mature, there is not enough to eat in the sand alone. Give him some time, mine took about a week before he was settled in enough to eat.
Kool fish, he has a grat personality.

 

[eelfreakrobi]

My friend has a goby that he has had for a year that only eats by sifting sand. The good thing about the yellow headed is that it likes to swim around so he could go up sometimes to eat, also any gunk left or food that the fish might have left out and falls into the sand the yello headed will eat it so I think your ok, they very disease resistant and strong so most likely you wont have problems with the yellow headed.

 

[echofish]

Thanks, this is very helpful... I am going to give it some time and will try to drop some food around its burrow.
-S

 

[aqua blue]

Hello Echofish.
I am only six months into this hobby so my knowledge is limited. My Yellow Head Sleeper Goby sifts through the sand and also eats shrimp pellets. He will continue to chew and spit out and then chew some more as the pellet softens in the water. I sometimes soften the shrimp pellets in a cup of tank water before dropping them in. I also use garlic juice to soften the pellets.
The other fish don't let much of the other food get anywhere near the bottom.
Good Luck