Diamond Goby causing havoc.

[Roy 9121]

I just bought a diamond Goby, and he is digging holes everywhere. Is this going to continue, or will he find a good shot and settle in. My tank is looking like a constant dust storm.

 

[Mark Gray]

I just bought a diamond Goby, and he is digging holes everywhere. Is this going to continue, or will he find a good shot and settle in. My tank is looking like a constant dust storm.

That's my worry I have never owned on but thinking about one I would say this is what he is going to do

 

[FFFishy]

My Diamond Goby was a maniac for the first 6 months. The amount of sand that guy relocated every day was huge! At this point (just over a year in my DT) he is pretty calm. There's an area behind/below the rocks that he stays within. He still sifts sand, just not very much. He eats what the others eat, grabbing food from the water column, or picking up what's left on the sand.

 

[Roy 9121]

That's my worry I have never owned on but thinking about one I would say this is what he is going to do

This is what I get for buying a fish on an impulse. I told the lady at my LFS that I wanted a sand sifter, and this is what she recommend. I should know better then to listen to these people.

 

[kristinarenee]

I couldnt see in my tank for 2-3 weeks after getting mine. I almost took him back but after a couple weeks the water cleared up. Mine dug holes everywhere until he found his home. Now he just digs his entry out every morning and covers it back at night. You will need to find a way to make sure he gets well fed as they usually starve to death in less than 6 months. Spot feed him.

 

[Roy 9121]

My Diamond Goby was a maniac for the first 6 months. The amount of sand that guy relocated every day was huge! At this point (just over a year in my DT) he is pretty calm. There's an area behind/below the rocks that he stays within. He still sifts sand, just not very much. He eats what the others eat, grabbing food from the water column, or picking up what's left on the sand.

Thanks, that's encouraging. I guess I'll give him a couple months and see what he does.

 

[kristinarenee]

I love mine now. My sand is so white. Im glad i gave him a little longer. Once all the fine particles got filtered out everything went back to normal. He doesnt like the hermit crabs. He picks them up in his mouth and relocates them to the opposite end of my tank. Fun to watch.

 

[james983]

Mine settled into one hole that he keeps covering and digging up again. He collects every broken shell and coral that he can haul back to his house, like a junk collector. He's really funny to watch most of the time.

 

[Mark Gray]

I want to ask all of you guy's that have one are they bad about covering your coral?

 

[Tallison]

I want to ask all of you guy's that have one are they bad about covering your coral?

Yes. He seems to do it on purpose because I'll relocate it and find it covered or knocked over 6 hrs later

 

[Zack K]

I can Contest to both Kristina and James. They will keep your sand a white as the beaches in the Caribbean, and move the large pieces back to his home. They will relocate anything they think needs to be moved. This includes crabs, small rocks, frags on the sandbed, Fragplugs, mine enjoys sand worm tubes. Definitely a keeper. The fine particles will go away eventually.

-Zack, whose goby has done more good than harm.

 

[kristinarenee]

I want to ask all of you guy's that have one are they bad about covering your coral?

Yep but the only coral that i had on the sandbed is my zoas and i moved them up on a rock.

 

[JMetaxas]

I too just got one. Mt tank was very cloudy for a few days, but he's doing his job very well. The sand has never been cleaner.

After a few days he now walks on the rocks and sucks on them.

He's very entertaining, and hard working too.

 

[BigHildy53]

I want to ask all of you guy's that have one are they bad about covering your coral?

Yes. Keeping corals on the sand can be a challenge, especially frags. I've found that securing them to smaller peices of rock and burying in the sand work well.

 

[Cae]

This is what I get for buying a fish on an impulse. I told the lady at my LFS that I wanted a sand sifter, and this is what she recommend. I should know better then to listen to these people.

It's not her fault you didn't do your research. You should have looked on the Internet before you went to the pet store. A sandsifter will sift sand.I don't know what you thought you would get asking for one. I'm sorry if I sound abrupt but can't let you blame someone else for your bad decisions .

 

[jd371]

I wanted a sifter for my tank and heard about the Diamond and what kind of havoc it can cause so I was on the lookout for another sifter. A few months ago my lfs got some Rainfords in and I watched them sifting, so I bought one. He sifts the sand all day without making a mess and I have that very fine sugar type sand. He doesn't swim into the water column when sifting so it doesn't blow around, he stays close to the sb. The worst it gets is a light dusting on the corals on the sb that eventually gets blown off with the current, I've never had to dig out any corals.

Not a good video but here he is at work.

 

[madweazl]

The cloudy water is a good thing; you've neglected the substrate so detritus has built up and the fish is kicking it back up into the water column. That is a win win, less maintenance for you (though little has been done it sounds like), food for the corals, and removal of excess to the sump/skimmer/what have you. In time, all of that will be removed and your sand will remain clean. Unless you have corals on the sand that are easily moved (e.g. on frag plugs), everything will be fine. I wouldn't trade my diamond goby for anything; does the intended job extremely well.

 

[._Z_.]

It's not her fault you didn't do your research. You should have looked on the Internet before you went to the pet store. A sandsifter will sift sand.I don't know what you thought you would get asking for one. I'm sorry if I sound abrupt but can't let you blame someone else for your bad decisions .

Gotta agree, she gave you exactly what you asked for

 

[timnem70]

This is what I get for buying a fish on an impulse. I told the lady at my LFS that I wanted a sand sifter, and this is what she recommend. I should know better then to listen to these people.

She reccommend correcy. Cause That's what he's doing though. No? Just didn't expect that huh? Lol
They are notoriously industrious little fish. Some chill afyer a while, mine still thinks he's a miner. cool fish. Hope yours mellows

 

[Brien]

It all depends on the type of sand you use. I have a large grain size and subsequently don't have any problems with my diamond goby. The finer the grain, the more apt he is to move it all over the place.