sand sifters

[pkirby]

I'm looking for a sand sifting fish to add to my tank, but am hoping there is one that will stay close to the sand while sifting. I currently have a yellow head goby in my first reef tank and it does a great job keeping the sand bed aerated and clean! Unfortunately, he likes to get a mouth full of sand and dust over all of my corals... or even better, swim up to one of my powerheads and spit the sand out into the flow!

Is there a type of sand sifting fish/goby which is more likely to stay low in the tank when sifting?

 

[jakearoe]

Lots of ppl don't like them, but my diamond is perfect in my 120. I don't keep any corals in the sand, so he is never messing with anything. Sifts sand right on the bottom. My Melanarus creates more havoc when he dives into the SB every night.

 

[jayelblock]

What size tank do you have? Some of the ss gobies get pretty big.

 

[Lorenz725]

I think it is one of those things where every fish is different.

 

[gradth]

Diamond gobies or the like are great, but they can be jumpers. Mine does a great job and does not make a mess of my 180.

 

[pkirby]

sorry about not listing the tank size. it's 75 gallon display tank with a 29 gallon as the sump. The sump is ran with only 15 gallons in it though...

 

[djkms]

+1 diamond goby

I have one in my 125 and the little guy works, a lot. He pretty much keeps the whole substrate clean. Dont recommend having corals in the substrate though, they will eventually get covered.

 

[Indymann99]

+3 on the orange diamond goby.

he almost never leaves the sand bed but is a tireless sand sifter.

http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/?action=view&current=Gobyclean1.mp4

NOTE eggcrate DOES NOT keep them from jumping out of QT... RIP

I would NEVER have believed a fish of this size could get through the eggcrate cover on my QT... I was SHOCKED to find this on day 3 of QT... :thumbdown

I doubled the eggcrate (offset on top of existing) and the 2nd goby made it the 5 weeks in QT fine.

 

[Jennifier615]

+4 on the DG, but +100 on the covering the tank.

 

[blennielove]

I have a Tiger Wardi Goby and he does a delightful job sifting sifting and sifting. Adorable personality and very entertaining too...that is, if you enjoy watching him make very complex cave structures in addition to the sand sifting. I too do not keep corals on the sand in this particular tank. And make sure you have either double egg crate or those quarter inch netting because I too, lost my first "big boy" by him jumping through and he was 4 1/2 inches long!

 

[glenns]

Diamond gobies or the like are great, but they can be jumpers. Mine does a great job and does not make a mess of my 180.

Are they safe for a DSB?

 

[Jim.mer]

A Watchmen Goby is my choice