Gobies & Boxfish - Compatible?

[skyrye7]

I've seen various fish compatibility charts and all of them states that gobies and boxfishes can be mixed with caution

I am definitely getting a longhorn cowfish...but is there any gobies that are compatible with them?

I want a goby that can help sift my sand to keep it clean

 

[rssjsb]

I would imagine that a goby that's too big to be eaten when the boxfish is grown would be fine.

 

[Hal]

I had a longhorn cowfish with my diamond goby for many months before my longhorn died. No problems at all between the two.

 

[ilikefish34]

They should be fine together. Even if the curious Cowfish wanted to nip at the Goby, they're incredibly slow. Also, those kind of charts account for all members of the family and may not like the mix of neon gobies and boxfish because of the cleaning nature of the gobies and the toxicity of the boxfish. There is a thread (i'll leave a link at the bottom) I saw on here recently that was about the whether the Longhorn Cowfish are reef safe or not and saw to debunk the "myth" that Longhorn Cowfish release toxins. I don't know the difference between between Cowfish and Boxfish when it comes to this topic.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2052567

The short answer... I think they would be just fine.

 

[MLZ]

They will be fine and as a former cowfish keeper (and once again soon to be), I honestly hope you enjoy your cow. They're awesome fish and very personal. Just fyi, do recognize that longhorns need around 125g+ when they approach their full grown size.

 

[Bratyboy2]

I have always wanted a blue boxfish...kinda the same thing! Neat fish

 

[skyrye7]

thanks! so what are some of the recommended sand sifting gobies which are more docile?

 

[small alien]

Many sand sifting gobies can be hard to keep weight on. How big is your tank? What boxfish species are you considering. Boxfish can also be a challenge to get feeding. I don't think you'd have compatability issues but that's just my best guess.

 

[skyrye7]

Mine is about 160 gallon excluding sump volume.

Any recommendations?

 

[ilikefish34]

To touch on Small Alien's comment about the gobies keeping weight, I think the most common factors are having a well established sand bed and feed them hearty foods (not a brine shrimp diet) like blood worms, mysis and quality pellets. Also, don't overstock them! One Orange Spot (also my recommended fish) can take care of a 125gal by itself. If you are going to get more than one, I would definitely get as established pair and plan on the supplemental DAILY feeding. And finally, is to quarantine quarantine quarantine. The are quite susceptible to internal parasites and could benefit greatly from some prazipro. Good luck!

I'm not sure what the footprint is for a 160, but you could probably get away with a pair as long as you address their feeding habits.