I want to get a Goby but.....
- Thread starter jd371
- Start date
GimpyFin
Active member
I have a banded sleeper in my small cube tank and he can be kinda messy. golden heads can be as well especially as they get bigger. The twin spot gobies are pretty small and don't make much of a mess sifting, but they are on the difficult side to keep around long term (Especially in smaller tanks.)
Greybeard
New member
I have a yellow prawn goby... it's not so much him, as it is his pistol pack'in partner that shovels sand around, but yeah, they do push it around.
In my tank, it's not a problem. There's 1 brain and a clam on the sand, everything else is up in the rocks. The brain can un-bury himself pretty quick... the clam, even quicker. They buried my fighting conch, but I don't think he cared.
The first few days, it caused some cloudy or milky water... just put a sock in it, cleared right up. No problems since then.
In my tank, it's not a problem. There's 1 brain and a clam on the sand, everything else is up in the rocks. The brain can un-bury himself pretty quick... the clam, even quicker. They buried my fighting conch, but I don't think he cared.
The first few days, it caused some cloudy or milky water... just put a sock in it, cleared right up. No problems since then.
Greybeard
New member
Don't know about small scale... my 1.5" tiger pistol turns over every grain of sand in my 60g cube about once a week. Industrious. Doesn't bother me, though, i like the little guy. Don't have to worry about keeping the sand looking good, anyway!
ThRoewer
New member
Yes, tigers do that. I have one that moved all the sand and rubble to one end of the tank.
But randalli are different. I have 4 in my 18" cube and you wouldn't know it. There is some gravel movement around the entrances of their burrows, but no massive sand and gravel movements like you see with tigers.
SoloChromis
New member
Any of the shrimp gobies are pretty stationary, cleaner (neon, sharknose, goldline etc.) don't fool with the sand at all, trimma gobies are in the same boat. Sand sifters really aren't suited for captivity anyways, and most of the one's I've seen have unfortunately wasted away after raiding the sandbed of all beneficial fauna. Some of my very favorite gobies are - Randall's shrimp, yasha, bluespot watchman (big boys), and the classic neons. Good luck :dance:
I love my highfin red banded goby and candy cane pistol shrimp! Do neat to watch and they don't make a mess at all. Like someone said earlier they just rearrange sand and do not stir it up. Completely reef safe as well. I have has nassarius snails crawl down their hole and the pistol shrimp picks it up and places it outside delicately
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jd371
New member
I'd love to get a paired goby and shrimp, but I'm worried about my Melanarus going after the shrimp. I had some Aptasia and bought 2 jumbo Pepppermints and as soon as I put them in the Melanarus ate one, I was able to save the other and is now in the fuge. I have a cleaner and fire shrimp that he doesn't bother with, but they were in the tank before the Melanarus and are huge.
If I decide on a Goby can you QT them without sand in the tank, will it be okay?
If I decide on a Goby can you QT them without sand in the tank, will it be okay?
bat21
New member
When you say you want a goby, do you mean sand dwelling goby? Because there are also gobies that hang out on rocks and never touch your sand. Like clown gobies, neon gobies, etc. I have both. Great little fish. I also have a watchman without a shrimp partner and he is very entertaining. He spends most of his time in the sand but doesn't move the sand around at all. Since he doesn't have to worry about protecting his shrimp he moves all over and hovers above the sand well out of his cave.
