Compatibility - Longnose Hawkfish & Neon Goby

[chessmanmark]

I have a longnose hawkfish in my 90 gallon display. It has been in my tank for two weeks. Today I purchased an ORA Neon Goby and I'm not 100% convinced the hawkfish won't eat the goby. I think the goby is large enough, it's about 1 1/2 to 2" big, while the hawk is probably twice it's size at 4". I want to keep the hawk well fed so it doesn't consider eating the goby, but then again if he grows quickly he might get big enough to actually eat the goby.

I'd like to get some feedback on what other hobbyists think about the compatibility of these two fish.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I love hawkfish. IME, a longnose will try to eat anything it can and small fish are part of its natural diet. They are not above taking a chomp out of a fish that may be too big to eat either. I think a skinny little neon goby is just what this hawk is sitting & patiently waiting for.

 

[MCCOOL]

I love hawkfish. IME, a longnose will try to eat anything it can and small fish are part of its natural diet. They are not above taking a chomp out of a fish that may be too big to eat either. I think a skinny little neon goby is just what this hawk is sitting & patiently waiting for.

Agreed. I'd say the gobies days are numbered.

 

[snorvich]

I love hawkfish. IME, a longnose will try to eat anything it can and small fish are part of its natural diet. They are not above taking a chomp out of a fish that may be too big to eat either. I think a skinny little neon goby is just what this hawk is sitting & patiently waiting for.

Yes, indeed. Lunch is served.

 

[chessmanmark]

Aww, you guys are bumming me out, but I do appreciate your honest opinions. It's a day later and so far the goby is still kicking. It's mostly sticking onto the side of the overflow. The hawk seems mildly interested and checks it out for a while and then swims to the other side of the tank. I've been feeding a little more often to keep everyone's appetite in check. I probably should try to net the goby now, but I'm going to give it a little longer to see what develops. I really hope I don't regret this move, or non move so to speak.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Aww, you guys are bumming me out, but I do appreciate your honest opinions. It's a day later and so far the goby is still kicking. It's mostly sticking onto the side of the overflow. The hawk seems mildly interested and checks it out for a while and then swims to the other side of the tank. I've been feeding a little more often to keep everyone's appetite in check. I probably should try to net the goby now, but I'm going to give it a little longer to see what develops. I really hope I don't regret this move, or non move so to speak.

Well, on the bright side; if you regret it, the hawkfish won't. BTW, I doubt you'll see the hawk really chase the goby, they are the ultimate ambush predator. Just sitting on their perch, biding their time.......

 

[snorvich]

Well, on the bright side; if you regret it, the hawkfish won't. BTW, I doubt you'll see the hawk really chase the goby, they are the ultimate ambush predator. Just sitting on their perch, biding their time.......

Yes indeed. The red flame hawkfish are also ambush predators but not as good as the long nose. For amusement watch his eyes . . .

 

[MrTuskfish]

Yes indeed. The red flame hawkfish are also ambush predators but not as good as the long nose. For amusement watch his eyes . . .

Yeah, they follow you all over the room. My pair of Flames have as have more personality than any other smallish fish I know of. A very under-rated group of fish, IMO.

 

[xxtriggermanxx]

Why didn't you ask this question before you bought the fish ? did you tell your lfs what was in your tank already? if so and they still sold it to you I'd look for a new store... not trying to bust on you , but it is soooo much cheaper learning from other peoples mistakes than your own .

 

[snorvich]

Why didn't you ask this question before you bought the fish ? did you tell your lfs what was in your tank already? if so and they still sold it to you I'd look for a new store... not trying to bust on you , but it is soooo much cheaper learning from other peoples mistakes than your own .

Absolutely. Great advice all around.

 

[chessmanmark]

Why didn't you ask this question before you bought the fish ? did you tell your lfs what was in your tank already? if so and they still sold it to you I'd look for a new store... not trying to bust on you , but it is soooo much cheaper learning from other peoples mistakes than your own .

I find the best way to know if something works is to try it yourself. One of my first purchases in this hobby was a Remora skimmer because it got rave reviews online. Once I got it I quickly found out it was a terrible skimmer. Then I was told not to keep a flame angel in my SPS reef because it would pick at the corals. Never happened. So far the goby and hawkfish are cohabitating. The hawkfish seems trained to look for food at the surface. Maybe one day it will eat the goby, especially with the hurky-jerky movements of the goby who is now swimming out in the open.

I read in Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfishes that Neon Gobies are suppose to be noxious, however in the anecdote the Hawkfish ate two Neon Gobies.

Like I said earlier, the Neon goby is full size while the hawkfish is well fed and only twice it's size. I had a longnose hawkfish before, but only in a nano so it didn't have the opportunity to encounter as many other fish as in my 90.

I'll come back and let you know if the hawk eats the goby, but I'm not as anxious as I was at first. Each experience can be different, although I understand the risks involved in this situation.

Just realize that to each "gospel" of information there is an exception. I'm not saying that this will be the case here but only time will tell.

 

[chessmanmark]

P.S. I wouldn't go to the LFS for advice on your tank. I've never found a store to give good advice. You're better off asking for multiple opinions on RC.

 

[MrTuskfish]

P.S. I wouldn't go to the LFS for advice on your tank. I've never found a store to give good advice. You're better off asking for multiple opinions on RC.

Sad, but true. I remember when a LFS was a great source of info. But the internet and Mega-Stores has pretty much left the good old Mom & Pop stores out of business. Since I've been on this forum; I'd bet that 90%+ of the really dumb stuff I've heard has originated at a LFS. The rest are online opinions that are re-stated as fact. ( I suppose, some of mine included.)

 

[xxtriggermanxx]

P.S. I wouldn't go to the LFS for advice on your tank. I've never found a store to give good advice. You're better off asking for multiple opinions on RC.

well i guess you answered my question . if you don't trust the information given from your lfs why then would you shop there? weren't the items there housed in their systems? i guess i'm just lucky .. enjoy your tank. i just found it odd you asked questions after the fact. seems a waste of everyone's time including yours if you do that. what's the point it's done.. guess that's just me :/

 

[chessmanmark]

Asking questions is a waste of time? I don't think so. I like to get the opinions of others. What I hope for is to hear about someone else's personal experience.

Sadly, I don't trust any of the LFS. They are retailers, not hobbyists and just don't know enough about all of the organisms they sell. Luckily we have a terrific reef club in my area to support each other.

FWIW, the fish were never in the LFS system. They special ordered the items directly from ORA for our club. My intention was to put the goby in my 20L softy nano, but when I saw the size of the fish I decided to place it in my main SPS display. I've purchased neon gobies from Reeftopia in the past and they were small and skinny. This fish from ORA is much bigger and healthier.

I hope that I can enjoy them both in the same system. My thinking is that if I keep them well fed they will coexist peacefully. I may be wrong on this way of thinking, but if I am I will learn something along the way from my own personal experience.

If anyone has their own personal experience to share I am willing to listen.

 

[chessmanmark]

The Goby found a hiding spot. Safe for now.

 

[chessmanmark]

I found this short video on Youtube tonight. At first I thought maybe the Neon Goby was hiding from the Hawkfish, but it seems to be typical behavior for these gobies. At first the goby was hanging onto the overflow, but now it is making a home in the rock. The ones I had before always stayed on the overflow and would end up in the overflow chamber on a regular basis.
Check out this vid. It's spot on for what I am seeing with my new goby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xzlvN7AeUk

 

[chessmanmark]

So far these fish are not a problem together. The goby is getting more comfortable and swims out in the open. The hawk fish doesn't seem interested in the neon. I feed the hawk 3 times a day and it seems satisfied.

 

[chessmanmark]

It's been a month now and I have to say these two are getting along just fine. The neon goby actually cleans the hawkfish. It lands on the fish and cleans its sides. Amazing behavior!

 

[Karthalin]

Snap a video of it if you can! My neon Goby has just started coming out of his hiding cave into the open. Hes not so brave to go play with any of his mates yet though. The orchid Dottyback sometimes comes over and he doesnt seem to mind her. Then again I have read that the Dotty might be trying to push him out of "her" cave, hopefully the Dotty doesnt take a chunk out of the Goby.