which goby

[razataz5]

Which Goby will do a better job in shifting or stirring up the sand bed in a 75g
I was thanking of the following
1. Engineer goby
2. Orange Spotted Goby
3. Diamond Watchman Goby
4. Yellow Prawn Goby
I have read that the engineer goby is active when juvenile but when it matures it will just stay in its burro and not do much?

 

[bequvaious]

The Diamond Watchman gobies are really good sifters and they usually go down pretty deep. Orange Spotted Gobies are supposed to be good too, though they're from the "hover goby" genus so they might make a mess over any corals near the bottom. I've never seen a yellow prawn sift and the convict goby doesn't really sift so much as dig, though for getting your sand turned over digging may be all you need.

 

[SushiGirl]

My orange-spotted doesn't sift sand. It's also known as a prawn goby & its mouth is shaped differently than a Diamond Watchman or other sifter. My 6-spot is a sifting machine, though (as were the Diamonds I had in the past). The orange-spot lives in a burrow the 6-spot built, and won't let the 6-spot (or any other fish or emerald crab) near it.

You want them to have a mouth shaped like this (as well as the more protruding gills they sift through):


As opposed to this:


Edit: My orange-spotted doesn't hover either...maybe it's defective? LOL

 

[razataz5]

I will look for a Diamond

 

[bequvaious]

My orange-spotted doesn't sift sand. It's also known as a prawn goby & its mouth is shaped differently than a Diamond Watchman or other sifter. My 6-spot is a sifting machine, though (as were the Diamonds I had in the past). The orange-spot lives in a burrow the 6-spot built, and won't let the 6-spot (or any other fish or emerald crab) near it.

You want them to have a mouth shaped like this (as well as the more protruding gills they sift through):
View attachment 137948

As opposed to this:
View attachment 137949

Edit: My orange-spotted doesn't hover either...maybe it's defective? LOL

I guess i didn't read about the orange-spot in particular as much as the genus (Amblyeleotris) which i read would pick up a mouthful of sand and then swim up a little bit (the hover part) and chew it up. Oh nevermind i just googled it again and it's Amblygobius that sifts and hovers not Amblyeleotris. I knew i should have taken latin in highschool lol.

 

[small alien]

People looking for fish to stir the sand bed are often doing so to combat what are ultimately symptoms of poor husbandry like cyano, detritus build-up, etc. These sand sifting gobies often starve in all but the very largest and most established tanks. I think a 75 is likely too small to sustain one long term.

I would suggest increasing flow and more water changes to combat a grungy sandbed.

Your sandbed isn't grungy because you don't have a sand sifting fish if you get my drift.

If you do want something to turn the sand, try nassarius snails, cerith snails, or a tiger tail cucumber.

Forgive me if I've misunderstood your situation. And good luck!

 

[SushiGirl]

I guess i didn't read about the orange-spot in particular as much as the genus (Amblyeleotris) which i read would pick up a mouthful of sand and then swim up a little bit (the hover part) and chew it up. Oh nevermind i just googled it again and it's Amblygobius that sifts and hovers not Amblyeleotris. I knew i should have taken latin in highschool lol.

My boyfriend read that they're sandsifters too, so it probably wouldn't have mattered if you read more or not LOL.

I like gobies because I like their personalities, constant source of entertainment! I don't much care one way or the other if they sift sand.

I had 2 different Diamond Watchman gobies for 2 years each (tank power outage while I had fish sitters killed everything the first time, grape caulerpa going sexual killed everything the 2nd time). They were both fatties. My orange-spot is a fattie, as well, even though it hides to eat, and the 6-spot is a pig come feeding time. Have to feed him twice a day though, because he burns up so much energy.

 

[snorvich]

People looking for fish to stir the sand bed are often doing so to combat what are ultimately symptoms of poor husbandry like cyano, detritus build-up, etc. These sand sifting gobies often starve in all but the very largest and most established tanks. I think a 75 is likely too small to sustain one long term.

I would suggest increasing flow and more water changes to combat a grungy sandbed.

Your sandbed isn't grungy because you don't have a sand sifting fish if you get my drift.

If you do want something to turn the sand, try nassarius snails, cerith snails, or a tiger tail cucumber.

Forgive me if I've misunderstood your situation. And good luck!

I too am on board with this post. There is a very subtle pun in there as well . . .