QTing Yasha Goby?

[SauceyReef]

Hello RC friends,

I currently got a Yasha Goby from Divers Den a few days ago. I had a QT tank setup for a couple weeks in preparation for the fish, but now I am having second thoughts after the yasha has been in the QT a few days.

First off, it is smaller than I expected and I am scared that even a slight push of the PVC during water changes can crush her.

Furthermore it does not seem to be eating. I know it has only been a few days, but now I am concerned I don't have the right environment setup for the Goby and cant keep up with big water changes in fear of crushing and stressing the fish (I have prime with me).

Any ideas on what my next step of action should be? What would you do.
Thank you for any help! The DT is a Fluval 13.5 gallon setup for 3 months. This will be my first and only fish as of now.

 

[g_langley]

If your QT has only been setup for a couple of weeks, then it wouldn't have cycled properly I would think, and if your DT has been up for 3 months and is cycled and the water tests OK I would acclimate the Yasha to the DT. Seems a bit overkill to QT a fish when you have no others and aren't planning to for a while?

 

[SauceyReef]

Sorry - I forgot to mention that majority of the water for the QT was used from my cycled and fishless DT. Also I put in media from my DT that was cycled for beneficial bacteria into the HOB for the QT. I was told by many others in the BRS group that this was more than suitable for the QT. I appreciate you chiming in though and hope others will as well.

 

[g_langley]

How is your Yasha doing?

 

[SauceyReef]

Many other fellow reefers from a more active forum (BRS) recommended I add in DT seeing it is my first fish and a Goby. I definitely messed up not having liverock and sand in the QT to make the fish makeshift burrow.

After introduction into the DT yesterday things went great at first. The fish found the burrow I made and was sharing it with my golden coral banded shrimp (very small). They seemed to like each other. In fact she even ate some food!!

Things turned last night though.. I am not sure what happened but as soon as I turned the lights off (maybe a slight pH swing or the lights off stressed the fish?) I heard splashing from the tank. Literally all night last night the fish was hugging the top of the tank and intake trying to jump out. I did not prepare enough AGAIN and had nothing to block the fish going through the intake (the fish is so small). SO real quick I took the lid off and made a make shift sponge block over the intake grids. While doing this the fish jumped out 3 times.. I felt awful trying to pick up such a small fish ( I think I did some damage ). I also tried to coral it back into the burrow with a glass cup but it just ended up jumping out a couple more times. I thought it was going to die for sure last night, but I woke up this morning to find the little Yasha scooting about the sides of the tank. Found a nice darker corner and seems to be relaxing. I am blown away but even through all the stress last night it ate a little food this morning.

I am really hoping this fish makes it!

 

[g_langley]

I think a picture of your DT would help now, do you have rock in there so the Yasha can hide around the base of a rock and the sand, and you really do need to feed the shrimp (they will not be choosey if hungry and can pick on your fish), what is your flow turnover?

 

[SauceyReef]

Ahh I forgot how to do the photos on Reef Central. My DT is 3 months old, fishless, and housing many corals all successfully (having a little trouble with a couple zoa frags).

I have been making sure to spot feed all the shrimp and hermits, emeralds near every day a bit to ensure no aggression or coral nipping. The goby was hanging with the shrimp all day yesterday. They clearly were getting along I think the Goby even thought it was a pistol. I was literally watching for most of the day haha. The GCBS would freak if a hermit came near but seemed to enjoy the fish getting close to it (no fin nipping).

Once the lights started dimming down to near off, the GCBS ventured out of the burrow and into the tank. Then when lights turned off a few minutes later I started hearing splashing, and when I turned the lights on the GCBS was on the other side of the tank where he was moments before. At this point I am thinking the GCBS is innocent 100%.

I am not sure about the number on flow turnover but I am running higher flow for my tank due to a small cyano bout I have been dealing with the past month. I am running a fluval evo 13.5. I replaced the return pump with a Jebao, got a custom head, and also added a hygger mini. Seeing the fish get stuck in the intake I have turned everything down. It seems to be doing okay today. Hoping it stays this way. Going to get some live food at the LFS to entice more eating/comfortability.

 

[SauceyReef]

Again the exact same thing happened tonight. I even ramped the lights longer.. As soon as the blues went off the fish just started swimming all over the sides and trying to shoot out the top. I found out it can still make it through my mesh lid :sad2: Luckily I was watching when it happened. Covered it with extra mesh.
I wonder why this is happening..

 

[g_langley]

It sounds like something is spooking your Yasha when it's lights out time, sounds like you have quite a few creepy crawlies in there. Could be any one of these.

 

[SauceyReef]

I appreciate you sticking with my post and speaking with me. Each night as the lights turn off I am sitting there watching. I have pin pointed the exact problem - this Yasha Goby is afraid of the dark! :rollface:

Literally the fish is fine and undisturbed in a new burrow it found all day. The very second the moonlight blues turn off on my tank, the fish starts surfing at the top trying to jump out. I even tested it by turning the lights back on and the fish would settle back to the bottom. I looked it up and found a few others agreeing that if lights go completely out certain gobies get spooked. I had lights on all last night because I could not figure out my AI prime and the fish did great. I am going to get some form of moonlight at night and see if this helps + the addition of the pistol shrimp

 

[SauceyReef]

Good news! Night #3 is a success so far with the added night light

 

[g_langley]

That is good news indeed! I used to have a Yasha myself, for just over 3 years, lovely little fish, very peaceful. Didn't know they were jumpers, I've got 3 gobies at the moment and don't have this, maybe because my tank has a closed hood!

Cheers

 

[SauceyReef]

Yes thank you!! Made it through the whole night in the same spot no problems

More than half the gobies I ever get are horrible jumpers. I make sure to ALWAYS have a lid on my tanks now because so many fish have jumped in the past. YWG and Yasha's are the worst for me. This Yasha is so damn small it can even get through the tiny grids through the top. 5/6 jumps the guard stopped the fish though. Each night I cover the gridding with some plastic so it cant go through. After a few weeks of successful nights of non jumping I will start removing the plastic.

Once I can get this candy cane pistol shrimp I imagine things will for the goby will be much easier. None of the LFS or online stores are selling the past couple weeks due to there being storms in the Gulf where they are collected.