Diamond Goby--Beneficial or Harmful?

[jerod89]

I really like the personality of diamond gobies and the fact that they keep sand beds nice and white, but do they cause more harm than good? I've heard that they can decimate a sand bed of all beneficial life-- is this true? I'm currently cycling a 180 reef with about a ~3" sand bed and 200 lbs of rock. I'm planning on getting a pair of mandarins once my tank if fully established so I want to make sure there's plenty of organisms for them to eat. Would getting a diamond goby be a bad idea?

 

[PirateToast]

No, not at all! Diamond Gobies are great reef tank inhabitants. Super peaceful, keep your sandbed clean, and provide activity/character on the lower levels of your tank. Theyre super common, my LFS always keeps them in their display tanks, and pods typically like rockwork anyways.

 

[alton]

I love Diamond Gobies and I have had great luck in pairing them. The only downfall is they don't live long (3 to 5 years). I miss my pair that I had in my 300.

 

[pktech]

I'd like mine to sift through more of the sand - he keeps going back to a few spots & eating out of the water column, haha ... it's already the boss of the tank too. Very bold ...

 

[accordsirh22]

love diamond gobys. if you get them small they can be paired pretty easy it seems. larger ones tend not to pair well. i have still have tons of life in my sand bed. best sand bed maintenance critter hands down. also the most fun to watch with the most personality

 

[Washout]

I have 2 sifters in my tank, a diamond goby and a sleeper goby. The sleeper is about 3 X the size of the diamond however the diamond motors through the sand WAAAAY faster. He's probably my favorite fish.

 

[jerod89]

Thanks for the responses. I'll add one to my list!