3rd day of crazy diamond goby! Help!!

PrimaryQwilfish · Mar 23, 2019

I recently got a Diamond Goby from the lfs, he was healthy, he ate when the store fed him, and he ate when I fed him the first day he was home. He has also made a burrow and does munch sand, and I do have a live sand bed with fine sand. He is still healthy, no weight loss, and his only tank mates are 2 small hermits and a flame hawkfish who doesn't even acknowledge his presence. My tank parameters are all good at 0 except nitrates around 5...

But, every morning for the past 3 days he has been trying to jump!!! ALOT. It wakes me up (tank is next to my bed). My tank is thankfully fully covered, but I am scared he will hurt himself, and I have had to get him out of the fuge on the back once. I've blocked the only openings in the tank with sponges so he can't carpet surf, but I really want him to settle in.

Folks who have kept Diamond Gobies, is this normal? Do they eventually stop? I've read some say this lasts for a week online but I'd like to know what other owners know. He was at my lfs for a month (2 weeks quarantine, two weeks display) is he just freaked over the change in light cycle? Idk Im coming up with a million theories.

Jesterrace · Mar 23, 2019

Have you compared the salinity levels between your tank and your LFS? Sometimes LFS run their salinity low to help hide parasite issues and it could be an issue there. Also is there a temp difference between their tank and yours? It could just be that you have a spaz of a fish (Gobies can be scared of their own shadows in some instances).

PrimaryQwilfish · Mar 23, 2019

Jesterrace said:
Have you compared the salinity levels between your tank and your LFS? Sometimes LFS run their salinity low to help hide parasite issues and it could be an issue there. Also is there a temp difference between their tank and yours? It could just be that you have a spaz of a fish (Gobies can be scared of their own shadows in some instances).

I've bought from their store before, their parameters are pretty close to mine. I usually ask them to tell me their temp and salinity before I buy a fish. He may be a spaz or skittish, I got to watch him this morning, he panics when the hawkfish swims by. The hawk isnt even looking at him, just being a busy body but the goby topedos when the hawk comes by. Will he ever grow out of it? Ive seen these gobies in tanks full of busy fish with no issue. He built a new burrow today and has since dived in it. He swam around and filtered some sand beforehand too.

Jesterrace · Mar 24, 2019

I would give it a couple of weeks and see if he settles in. I've had a couple spend a few days hiding in the sand and my second one ended up in my overflow once.

LostInTheDark · Mar 24, 2019

I have the opposite issue. I bought mine a few weeks ago and rarely see him. I know he's alive because the borrow stays clear but he never comes out when I'm around. 32 gal is a small area compared to where he came from. It might be a normal reaction akin to getting stuck in a tidal pool and trying to find the wide open ocean again. I'm sure yours will settle in once he realizes escape is futile, if he doesn't get a concussion first.

JenniferMcK · Mar 24, 2019

Mine did this. He's in quarantine right with copper. I gave him sand in a small Tupperware and he moved all the sand out of it into a pvc pipe he claimed as his home. He then moved all the sand all over the qt. He settled down for a few days and hid in his pipe. Then he went crazy for about a week straight at like 2-3 am every morning. He was so loud thumping on the sides of the tank and the lid it'd wake me up from a dead sleep. So I'd shine a light in there just to make sure he didn't somehow get out. He eats like a pig and is otherwise very healthy. He stopped going crazy after about a week and has been fine since. I think it has to do with being in a new place, so I'm sure that he's gonna do it again when I move him to the dt. I have to say though he has the most character out of all my fish.

Floedog · Mar 15, 2022

PrimaryQwilfish said:
I recently got a Diamond Goby from the lfs, he was healthy, he ate when the store fed him, and he ate when I fed him the first day he was home. He has also made a burrow and does munch sand, and I do have a live sand bed with fine sand. He is still healthy, no weight loss, and his only tank mates are 2 small hermits and a flame hawkfish who doesn't even acknowledge his presence. My tank parameters are all good at 0 except nitrates around 5...

But, every morning for the past 3 days he has been trying to jump!!! ALOT. It wakes me up (tank is next to my bed). My tank is thankfully fully covered, but I am scared he will hurt himself, and I have had to get him out of the fuge on the back once. I've blocked the only openings in the tank with sponges so he can't carpet surf, but I really want him to settle in.

Folks who have kept Diamond Gobies, is this normal? Do they eventually stop? I've read some say this lasts for a week online but I'd like to know what other owners know. He was at my lfs for a month (2 weeks quarantine, two weeks display) is he just freaked over the change in light cycle? Idk Im coming up with a million theories.

Did it ever get better?

131696 · Mar 15, 2022

He is wild caught will take some time to get used of being a prisoner..lol. Everytime you open lid before you put lid down make sure he is still in tank if you turn your head he could jump out to back and you will never know. try to calm him sing to him...

Floedog · Mar 18, 2022

125 said:
He is wild caught will take some time to get used of being a prisoner..lol. Everytime you open lid before you put lid down make sure he is still in tank if you turn your head he could jump out to back and you will never know. try to calm him sing to him...

Any suggestions on songs? I'm pretty sure my singing voice will make him jump to his death... haha

Lyss · Mar 18, 2022

I realize this is a 3yo thread that was bumped, but I recently added a few little nano eviota gobies to my tank. They were captive bred so never tried jumping or anything like that but they were freaking out any time one of the clowns or my blenny got near. They would FLY away into hiding. Three weeks later they’re out and cool w/everything. I even see them in the water column w/those bigger guys now during feeding time. Sometimes fish just need patience while they adjust to a new environment.

i cant think · Mar 19, 2022

125 said:
He is wild caught will take some time to get used of being a prisoner..lol. Everytime you open lid before you put lid down make sure he is still in tank if you turn your head he could jump out to back and you will never know. try to calm him sing to him...

Actually, even then these should still stay at the bottom. This is not normal even for a new goby, usually the cause of this is aggression. The only reason a fish will avoid its habitat and go up is if it’s startled by a predator.

I doubt this guy got better as they need a VERY established (5+ year old) sandbed to get food from. They rarely eat pellets or frozen from the water column and usually eat it from the substrate. I have found these often wither away and die when they’re brought into captivity and are put in the wrong tank.