Twin Spot Goby

[mmittlesteadt]

I recently acquired a Twin Spot Goby from my LFS. I had been observing him there daily for the past month. Active, apparently feeding (definitely sifting) and look very healthy. However I know that my LFS is in no position to really give it personal attention and care so leaving it there would make it less likely to survive than in my tank (however long that may be). I did not get him on impulse and I've researched him before getting him and I know I can do better for him than it living in the tank at the LFS.

I already realize the poor track record of keeping them in home aquaria. I also understand that their feeding habits and food source is extremely problematic. So this is not a thread posing a question as to whether or not I should keep him or return him. I'm more interested in any information anyone can share with me about helping him live as long and as healthy as possible. I have scoured the internet and read absolutely everything I can possibly find on them.

I have him in a 40 gallon breeder reef tank. Tank is only going on 2 months (fully cycled with no ammonia, nitrite and less than 5ppm nitrates) and it has a 65 gallon sump with a 27 gallon refugium with chaeto and copepods. It currently has no competition (and never will) for food. There are two Ocellarus Clownfish and one Firefish in the tank. There are ample caves in the rockwork even under the sand (rockwork is directly on the bottom). The firefish made a cave in the middle section and the Goby has made two caves on each end of the tank under rock ledges (that are under the sand).

He is only about 1 1/2" long and is very active morning and evening (that I can tell...I'm not home during the day). I have been target feeding him Reef Chili every morning and night. I make a super concentrated batch of it and I'm injecting it about 1/2" into the sandbed and on it, all around the two rockwork caves he inhabits. Some gets out into open water and my corals and other fish love it.

By sticking the bottle tip into the sand bed and making a trail in it while I dose the Reef Chili, I can see where I put it. I've seen him come out and follow this trail actively sifting. From what I can see the sand is coming out as he sifts, but not any of the plankton in the Reef Chili. I can only assume he is gobbling it up as he is sifts along this trail. I also have New Life spectrum sinking pellets that settle on the sandbed in little eddy's around his caves where there is very little water flow. I can't verify that he is eating them though.

It is my understanding that these Twin Spot Gobies do not eat the larger copepods found in rockwork, but rather the smaller zooplankton in the sand.

I'm doing the best I can for it, and honestly he isn't going to get more personal attention anywhere else and the feeding schedule is not a bother to me. I'm also making sure my skimmer is handling the feeding. Is there any more I can do for him? Any suggestions on anything else I can do for him are appreciated.

Here's a pic of him in my tank near one of his caves. He's not fat, but he's not wasting away either. Pic is a bit distorted due to taking the pic at a severe angle from the side of the tank.

 

[scooter31707]

I don't have any experience with them, but did read that they are a little difficult to keep. Good Luck, beautiful fish, always wanted one!!

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Thanks. Don't get me wrong...I love this little guy and he is my favorite fish. But I would not have purchased him if I thought he had a better chance where he was. It wasn't necessarily a rescue because he was doing well at the LFS, but I also know he was not getting the personal attention he needs. Definitely no target feedings there, just living off whatever else was fed the tank and perhaps in the sandbed.

 

[scooter31707]

True, cool with me. I respect that because that's a fish to let go to waste. Really don't see them much in the LFS.

 

[A sea K]

Can't really help with any specifics but I would suggest posting this over in the Reef Fishes forum rather than in the New to Hobby forum.
There are some pretty serious fish keepers there that I'm sure may have a tip or two.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Really this little guy was stuck between a rock and a hard place (figuratively speaking). Leave him there and hope some customer would take on the responsibility? He might have ended up in a better situation than with me, but having managed two LFS's the percentages favor a customer just thinking he was so cute they had to have him and he would have surely died (sooner?) being fed flake or pellet food. Or the LFS could have kept him. I know the guys at my LFS and I know they'd try to do right by him, but...they have other tanks and things to tend to besides him.

I already know more about him than they do. So we shall see. The more information and help I can get the better.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Can't really help with any specifics but I would suggest posting this over in the Reef Fishes forum rather than in the New to Hobby forum.
There are some pretty serious fish keepers there that I'm sure may have a tip or two.

Thanks. Will do.

 

[heathlindner25]

His stomach looks pinched to me... Good luck with him and try to feed heavy with all your pumps off.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

His stomach looks really pinched to me... Good luck with him and try to feed heavy with all your pumps off.

Yeah, he is not full looking by any means. He's not to the point that his belly is concave and the pic is at a weird angle that tapers him more in the image than he really is (it was awkward photographing him there as I don't have much room on that side of the tank). I will post more close-ups of him as I go along...at least for some documentation. He is active and not exhibiting any visible health issues (but such is the case with these kinds of fish, even as they may be wasting away).

Yes, circulation pumps are off for a while when I feed. He's getting fed directly twice daily by me (whereas there was no target feeding of him at the LFS). I know that even twice daily for a constant grazer/sifter is insufficient, so I'm researching other methods. I'm trying to do what's right for him.

I'd rather nobody even sells this species, but he was already there. With any luck, research and a lot of effort on my part (hopefully with some input from others too) I can give him the best quality of life possible (short as it may be).

Just fed him again...Here's a pic of him and the firefish out after a feeding...

 

[scootshoot]

Good Luck! Not to hijack your thread as it will be my only response on the matter, I did same with a Green Mandarin and considered it a rescue. Was a lone guy lookin bad and really skinny at the LFS so against peoples wishes here (LOL) I have him in a 30 gallon getting personal attention. We'll see how this turns out months/year down the road and I'll be better prepared to chime in (based off experience) with future Mandarin hate threads. Thus far I have witnessed him eating plankton, brine shrimp and baby brine and being fed 2-3 times a day. Am using Paul B's idea of target feeding contraptions.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Good Luck! Not to hijack your thread as it will be my only response on the matter, I did same with a Green Mandarin and considered it a rescue. Was a lone guy lookin bad and really skinny at the LFS so against peoples wishes here (LOL) I have him in a 30 gallon getting personal attention. We'll see how this turns out months/year down the road and I'll be better prepared to chime in (based off experience) with future Mandarin hate threads. Thus far I have witnessed him eating plankton, brine shrimp and baby brine and being fed 2-3 times a day. Am using Paul B's idea of target feeding contraptions.

Thanks. Do you have a link to Paul's feeding techniques?

I COMPLETELY understand people's sentiment to return the fish, but I feel its my duty to give it it's best shot and it was NOT going to get that at the LFS and it's been my experience (having managed two pet stores) that more customers than not wouldn't have a clue how to care for it.

Oh...and don't feel it as hijacking my thread in any way. Mandarins have their own sticky, but these guys have nothing to help them, so any info you can share about your Mandarin would probably be beneficial to me (and thus my Twin Spot) even though they are slightly different feeders.

 

[scootshoot]

This is the pic of Paul B.'s, he also posted in the Mandarin thread as well. Essentially all it is a round container with a top. The one I got was for electrical tape. All you need is that container and fine netting (some use panty hose). Cut circular opening on top, place food inside, close the top that will also hold the netting in place. Food stays inside and your guys can pick at it as they please away from the competition.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

This is the pic of Paul B.'s, he also posted in the Mandarin thread as well. Essentially all it is a round container with a top. The one I got was for electrical tape. All you need is that container and fine netting (some use panty hose). Cut circular opening on top, place food inside, close the top that will also hold the netting in place. Food stays inside and your guys can pick at it as they please away from the competition.

Thanks. I'm not worried about any competition for the food, only worried that it will float away and the Twin Spot feeds by sifting, not by swimming about for it or rock climbing.

I might have to modify the design a bit...perhaps bury the container into the sand so the top is level with the sand. I'll be thinking on it. Thanks again.

 

[heathlindner25]

This is my experience with this species, as a rookie years ago I picked up a mated pair. After a week of not eating what I assume was the female jumped out, the male did nothing but search for the female until he perished...unpleasant memories at best.

 

[bobbychullo]

i bought one when i first started the hobby on the suggestion of an LFS employee (i hadn't done any research previous). it lasted 2 days, my tank was 6 to 8 months in if i remember and had numerous copepods (almost too much, they would irritate my zoas). i may have done a poor job acclimating it since i was so inexperienced. definitely not a good "beginner" fish.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I'm only a beginner at keeping corals. I've kept FOWLR salt before and I've kept freshwater aquarium fish and plants for over 35 years. I've researched and designed habitats and kept more exotic creatures than I can remember. I know animal husbandry so this is not a new game to me.

This species is though. I'm in it for the long term to give this guy the best life he can have in captivity given his circumstances.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

It remains to be seen how long he will live and how healthy he will remain. All I know is his best chance at good health and a long life remains with me. There is some science behind his care, but this isn't quantumphysics. He has some well defined needs I have to find a way to meet, but beyond that this is not an impossible to understand task.

I just want as much information I can possibly get to aid me in his care.

 

[juniorrocketdad]

I just would like to add although I agree with what your doing just a comment, a rescue is very different from this a escape is a fish that will die in one or two days due to complete neglect or bullying, for example I have a petco rescued ruby red dragonet that was about a half inch long and I've never seen one so skinny, he was also in a tank with two clarkia clowns I believe if I'm remembering correctly and he was very shy due to getting bullied into one corner of the tank. Now I have him fattening up a bit and his personality is coming out. I'm confident if I left him there he would have died within the next two days, this is a rescue, your goby though I think your doing everything right, just make sure you frequently are putting food into the sand and I would maybe try a few types of coral food with zooplankton and such in it so you can train him to eat a variety of foods

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I just would like to add although I agree with what your doing just a comment, a rescue is very different from this a escape is a fish that will die in one or two days due to complete neglect or bullying, for example I have a petco rescued ruby red dragonet that was about a half inch long and I've never seen one so skinny, he was also in a tank with two clarkia clowns I believe if I'm remembering correctly and he was very shy due to getting bullied into one corner of the tank. Now I have him fattening up a bit and his personality is coming out. I'm confident if I left him there he would have died within the next two days, this is a rescue, your goby though I think your doing everything right, just make sure you frequently are putting food into the sand and I would maybe try a few types of coral food with zooplankton and such in it so you can train him to eat a variety of foods

I have several different things to feed. I have frozen Mysis (doesn't seem to matter for him anyway), New Life Spectrum sinking pellets (that sink to the bottom and due to my waterflow, actually settle into eddy swirls in the sand right next to his rock caves). I can't verify if he is eating them however. I also have New Life Spectrum flakes, but those pretty much stay suspended in the water column. I have copepods in my tank and my refugium. Can't tell if he is eating them. I also target feed him Reef Chili which has a lot of zooplankton, and it is injected right into the sandbed and it appears he is eating that.

Haven't tried Paul's Mandarin can feeder that sits on the bottom sand, but I'm looking into rigging something like that up for him with some modification (plus setting it deeper into the sand so the top is level with the sandbed).

The biggest problem is the type of feeder he is. Mandarins will feed on copepods in the rockwork. Twin Spots are never ending sand sifters of smaller zooplankton in the sandbed. That is the problem. Getting him to eat something else might be possible but there is little documentation as to its success.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I found a little more information from some online scientific journals...

"They take large mouthfuls of sand sifting it through their gill openings. Stomach analysis of three specimens, indicates that the species feeds primarily on interstitial copepods, but also takes in large numbers of nematodes, foraminifera, ostrasods and small amounts of sand."

I'm curious if some sand ending up in their stomachs aids in digestion? Curious. Some birds require small gravel for digestion, while others do not.

Interstitial Copepods - Animals living in the spaces between individual sand grains in the soil or aquatic sediments.

Nematodes - Essentially Roundworms. They represent 90% of all life forms on the ocean floor.

Foraminifera - Shelled Amoeba.

Ostrasods - Seed Shrimp.

All of these life forms are found to be either planktonic (drifting in sea waters) or benthic (living on the ocean floor).

So you can see that the Twin Spot Goby feeds primarily on the tiniest of benthic creatures. This is not something we're going to replicate in our aquariums. The copepods that Mandarins feed on must be planktonic if they are to live in refugiums and make their way to the display tank via the water flow.

Twin spots are difficult indeed.