Best goby

[Shellyfish]

I'm looking for some opinions on what would be the best sand sifting goby for my tank. I'm just starting out again after a bit of a break from saltwater and the only gobies I've had previously were engineer gobies. My tank is 70g and the only inhabitants right now are 2 false percs. Any suggestions for a fish that will keep my sand nicely sifted?

 

[ssavader]

Avoid any of the sand-sifting gobies. They tend to slowly starve to death even in established tanks. I have even tried daily target feeding to no avail. Also, even when active, I really don't believe that they truly handle the problem for which most people buy them, i.e., cyanobacter control. Go for a reasonably sized (Yellow) Shrimp Goby- good citizen, great personality, good track record for survivability. They don't need the Pistol Shrimp to survive, but with the shrimp, the two are an awesome sight to behold.

 

[MCCOOL]

Avoid any of the sand-sifting gobies. They tend to slowly starve to death even in established tanks. I have even tried daily target feeding to no avail. Also, even when active, I really don't believe that they truly handle the problem for which most people buy them, i.e., cyanobacter control. Go for a reasonably sized (Yellow) Shrimp Goby- good citizen, great personality, good track record for survivability. They don't need the Pistol Shrimp to survive, but with the shrimp, the two are an awesome sight to behold.

+1, I agree with this.

 

[j-biyzle]

I'm looking for some opinions on what would be the best sand sifting goby for my tank. I'm just starting out again after a bit of a break from saltwater and the only gobies I've had previously were engineer gobies. My tank is 70g and the only inhabitants right now are 2 false percs. Any suggestions for a fish that will keep my sand nicely sifted?

If you're looking for a sand sifting goby, the best thing I recommend is to get them when their small in size. Most get pretty big in the wild. Larger specimens tend to not acclimate to captivity as well as the younger ones.

Of all the Valenciennea genus of sand sifting gobies, I think a hardier choice would be the Diamond Goby, Valenciennea puellaris. They readily eat mysis and brine and are pretty easy to come across in your LFS. Plus, their not too bad looking either

 

[Shellyfish]

Thanks, I did not realize they would starve to death, I certainly don't want that to happen. I have seen videos of the yellow goby (is it also called yellow watchman goby?) and I really liked them (and their shrimp friends). I may just get those.