Cloudy tank/goby question

[dclaghorn]

I just got a new diamond goby about a week and a half ago, and he does a spectacular job at cleaning the sand. However, the water has been ULTRA lcoudy, to say the least. Silt is deposited everywhere and I constantly have to fan it off or just move where I do my water replacements each day.

My question is, will this clear up eventually on it's own, or will it just take a lot of filter cleanings and water changes to remove the suspended (colloidal?) silt?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Jeremy_holt]

Are you saying that the goby is causing the sand storm or are your water replacements causing the cloudy water?

 

[nikski9098]

I have a question bout the diamond goby as well.... is he eating when he is sifting the sand? because mine is 2 skinny i think

 

[iwishtofish]

This seems to be a popular topic lately! Maybe I just never noticed it until I got my Diamond Goby about 9 days ago...

My tank was a MESS for about a week after I got the fish. All the fine, silt-like detritus and ultra-fine sand particles were stirred up by the fish, and I found myself having to install a filter sock and turkey-baste the rocks at least every evening. Once the majority of the fine stuff was "chomped" out of the top layer of my sand and filtered out, the tank cleared up considerably. Now I only have to blow silt out of my rocks occasionally.

I have read that it doesn't take long for a diamond goby to deplete a sand bed of its micro-organisms. From watching how much sand mine goes through daily, I can believe it! I think unless you have a huge sand bed and an attached refugium, it is imperative that the fish eat supplemental food. It took about a week until my diamond gained confidence and started to pluck mysis out of the water column. It is now eating frozen food with an insatiable appetite.

Dave, I think your water will clear up a lot once the fine stuff gets filtered out.

nikski9098, its really important to get the goby to eat offered meaty foods.