spotted gobie

[gilly1969]

Got my new 54 gal tank set up and running good. I decided to get a gobie to help clean the sand bed. The problem I'm having is he gets the tank dirty. He has even gone as far as covering a rock with the sand and has made a home under the rock. Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them and if he will settle down over time.

 

[thegrun]

You want to research your livestock before you add them to the tank. Yes, it is normal for any sand sifting/tunneling gobie to deposit sand all over the rocks.

 

[uncleL]

They are diggers and can create a problem depending on your aquascaping.

 

[gilly1969]

Is there anything I can do with the tank to help keep it cleaner. I'm at a loss and can't find anything out. Just wondering if anyone has some suggestings

 

[shesacharmer]

In what way is it "dirty"? You have a tank filled with salty mineral filled water and sand and rocks filled with bacteria, fish, and snail poo. You need to be more specific about what you mean to clean. How long has it been running? It's normal for a new tank to go through a period of dirty looking sand due to diatoms and algae outbreaks after the tank cycles. Did you cycle the medium you put into the tank before you added the fish? We need more info to help you with your desired task.

 

[sepulvd]

You can get some snails and fighting conch to sift the sand

 

[sepulvd]

my fighting conch sifting some sand

 

[gilly1969]

It's mostly from the gobie playing in the sand. I knew that he cleans the sand just didn't know that he would move as much sand and make the tank cloudy.

 

[thegrun]

The dust cloud will disapate over time, the sand he drops on the rocks and corals will not.

 

[gilly1969]

I'm OK with him moving sand. Was just wondering if the dust cloud would stop over time. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Reefer4evaa]

I always had problems keeping them longer than 8 months ..eventually they starve to death for me.

 

[Sk8r]

Cloudy is not a problem. As the sand acquires a bacterial coating, it will sink and settle, so it will not kick up like that.

That it is kicking up like that indicates you've put the little fellow in too early in your tank's development and he's continuing to hunt all over because he's starving. There's not enough to sustain him. Get some Formula One Sinking pellet, smallest size, and drop it near his burrow.

 

[gilly1969]

Thanks sk8r I got him food. I really line watching him just didn't think he would make the tank so cloudy.