Clams with Sand Sifting Gobies

[isulli01]

Hi all, I am interested in getting a couple of clams for my tank, but I am concerned that my gold head gobies will drop sand into the mouths of the clams. Will this bother the clams? Will the clams expel the sand?

I don't want to get rid of my gobies because they do a great job of sifting through the sand, but I would really like to have a couple of clams in my tank.

I have a couple of fungia's and anemones and the gobies are continually dropping sand onto these guys without any problems (I have even seen the clown fish picking up the sand on the anemones with there mouths and spitting it back out onto the sand bed which is kinda cool).

Your help is very much appreciated.

 

[mbbuna]

[welcome]

if the gobie repeatedly dumps sand on the clam it will be a problem

 

[isulli01]

Damn......I was hoping that would not be the answer.
Oh well, thanks!

 

[skinz78]

if you get crocea's or maxima's and keep up on top of the rockwork I doubt the gobies would dump sand on them would they? Do they dump the sand up on the rocks now?

 

[isulli01]

No, they only seem to dump sand on anything that is laying on the sand bed. It would just mean that I would have to make a rather large rearrangement of my current corals to make room for the clams (not much room left on the live rock).

I love the look of clams and I am tempted to take out the gobies, but they are probably the hardest fish to catch in my tank!!!! They seem to be able to fit in the smallest nooks and cranies.

 

[johnnybravo234]

I had a brown banded goby that would grab a mouthful, swim to the top of the tank and then proceed to spit sand everywhere... good times

 

[darkcirca]

I keep a Maxima and Crocea in my tank with my diamond goby. He tends to leave them alone, as I placed them on the opposite side of the tank than his home.

He als will swim up and spit sand everywhere, but usually it ends up in the leather (who in turn gets mad). I haven't had any issues with the clams, just anything that is on the ground (mushrooms usually), that end up buried. He drives me nuts sometimes, especially when you have to go fishing in the overflow