Quarantining sandsifter gobies

[DamnPepShrimp]

I am trying to figure out what fish to add to my tank and I have always wanted a sandsifter goby (sleeper goby) to help stir up the sand. I have liked the yellow sleeper headed gobies, they get somewhat big. How would you QT a fish that needs to sift live sand in order to survive? I am almost done battling ich, hopefully for the last time. I have had my display fishless for more then a month now and my fish have about 4 weeks or so to go of hypo until I will be ready to add them back in. If you use copper or hypo, you will kill the sand bed. So how should I QT these types of fish? Should I just put in a sand bed, use hypo, and feed him mysis shrimp and other frozen foods?

 

[tapm]

I have a diamond spot sand sifting goby in a bare bottom QT right now. It eats food off the bottom fine. I think these types of fish prefer to have sand to sift etc but it won't kill them to be without for a little while. As long as the fish isn't stressed out by not haveing any sand in the tank they should be ok. I have some plastic plants and some pvc pieces and mine is doing great.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

I have a 55g QT tank set up right now, I have multiple pvc pieces in there but also 3 big angels. So I would wait until they are done QT and get the sandsifter goby. I have heard that dragon gobies are the best at sifting. I just didn't know if it was ok to not have a sand bed, or have one even though it will die? I would do hypo as a treatment. Anyone else?

 

[Kalied20]

I got my Golden headed sleeper goby in QT right now trying to get rid of ICH in my DT. He eats the food that makes it to bottom and is doing fine. He is in there with three tangs and 3 clowns.

It is a 50 gallon though.....

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Wow, I thought I was crowded with 3 angels. All the tangs get along ok? How long has everything been in QT? Keep me updated on how the goby does. I will probably QT mine for 40 days.

 

[Kalied20]

I will keep you posted. The tangs are all about 3-4 inches so not huge yet. I just put them in yesterday, so only time will tell. I am going for 35-40 days myself.

 

[arizona tech]

i bought my golden head from petco i qt in a 25 gallon qt tank with about 1/2" of sand no problems

 

[andrewsmart]

you can put sand in a shallow container on the bottom.

that way you can remove it if you have to medicate.

think tupperware.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

I will medicate the fish regardless. Even if it doesn't seem sick, I will hypo it anyway just to be safe. Thus killing the sand bed. I can still put a small container in the tank when I do QT, but the sand bed will die. I will just have to feed him shrimp and hope he gets some. ANyone actually QT a sandsifter goby using hypo or copper?

 

[arizona tech]

i used cuparmine copper on my goby, no problems i used copper cause i got him from petco and he was flashing for the first week, i dont like hypo

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

I didn't like hypo but it is a lot safer for the fish, more effective and easier to maintain. So you had a sand bed in there for him to sift, even though the bed was dead? I guess they just need it because that is how they eat. I will just have to put some shrimp in the sand bed during feeding time. Then when I am done, I guess I will have to just get rid of the sand bed.

 

[arizona tech]

the sand bed i left in the qt tank i removed the copper with water changs he was sifting the dead sand, and took frozen food after a week

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Sounds good, whenever I get my goby, I will try the dead sand bed and feed him frozen shrimp.