Adding a second Fire Goby

[Tastee]

I have a tank that is now just a year old, but have recently lost one of my fish and would appreciate some advice whether to replace it or not. In Feb this year I introduced two juvenile Fire Gobys, and they got on well, initially had a burrow but later on either moved to a new one I couldn't see, or abandoned it.

About 4 weeks ago one of the Fire Gobys disappeared. I have a full cover so it could not have jumped. I have no idea why it passed, as all fish are healthy and well.

I have since noticed a small (~1" across) black crab hiding in the rocks - obviously a hitchhiker from the original LR that has now grown up. It is possible that this crab took the Goby, and I am considering trying to catch it and relocate it to the sump - already have an Acrylic crab trap. I did try once but all it caught was my Hermit crab, so if I try again I will have to relocate him temporarily to the sump. He sulked for a day after being trapped!

My main question is whether I should introduce a new Fire Goby to provide company for the other one. Both originals got on very well, but I am not sure if trying to add a second now is a good idea or not. Two juveniles growing up together worked well, not sure if adding a juvenile to a more mature fish is going to work. Thoughts?

If I don't add another Fire Goby I am thinking about introducing a Sand Sifter Goby, as I do want at least 1 more fish. Or possibly a Watchman and a Pistol Shrimp if I can get hold of one. I already have a Coral Banded Shrimp however, so are not sure if this is a good idea, also would appreciate any thoughts.

My final question is about my crab - should I assume he is evil incarnate and do whatever I can to trap him and relocate him to the sump?

Apart from (possibly) taking small fish, he may start to predate my corals. It is very hard to get a photo of him that will help as I only ever see 50% or less of him hiding in the rock in the dark.

Tank is a Red Sea Reefer 250, mixed reef. Temp 25C, Salinity 1.025, Alk 8.4, Ca 440, Mg 1480, PO4 0.01 ppm, NO3 1.5 ppm, Aquaforest reef salt, dosing Aquaforest 3 part daily, along with NO3O4-X. Other piscine inhabitants are a Yellow Tang, pair of Ocellaris Clowns, Sixline Wrasse, Orchid Dottyback and a Lawnmower Blenny. Two small BTAs (the original just split), corals include a leather, mushroom, two Gonis, a few Xoanthids (lightly stocked ATM).

Thanks in advance, Brad.

 

[Crooked Reef]

Was there any aggression between the firefish prior to the one disappearing? I can see multiple possibilities of what could have occurred.
1. Multiple firefish don’t always work long term unless they are a mated pair or in a large tank. It is possible one firefish killed another.
2. One of the other fish could have chased it or it could have swam into one of the BTA’s. Even if they weren’t big enough to eat the fish, they could have stung it. I lost a rabbitfish this way. Without a body you can’t look for sting marks.
3. The crab may have taken it while it was bedded down.
4. Coral banded shrimp will also kill small sleeping fish.

I personally would catch the crab if possible and post on here for an id. The sand sifting goby will cause sand storms. They can and will spit sand everywhere, including onto corals on the sand. Goniopora are already delicate corals so that is a risk for that fish to irritate the coral to the point it could die.

Have you thought about a Midas blenny? Multiple blennies can cause an issue but they occupy different parts of the tank and have a different diet. I have kept both together multiple times in the past without any issues. I believe the reefer 250 is about 65 US gallons? If so what about a small flasher or fairy wrasse? Maybe a McCoskers flasher or a Lubbock’s fairy?

 

[Tastee]

I didn't see any aggresion between the Fire Gobys, in fact they shared a burrow originally. It's been over 3 weeks now since I saw the second one, so I don't think he's hiding unfortunately.

Yes, the Reefer is ~65G total, less after you take out LR of course.

Thanks for the suggestion of a second Blenny, I'll do some research, particularly into the Midas you suggested. Another Wrasse is definitely something I'd like, but I'm concerned about the Sixline there. I've already got lots of advice suggesting I shouldn't have got a Sixline in the first place, but so far he is a model citizen, hopefully that doesn't change too much as he matures.

I'l try to trap my crab and post a picture. At the moment all I can say is that he is black and looks about 3/4" across the shell.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk