Diamond goby in uncovered tank?

saltyhog · Dec 12, 2017

I've had wrasses jump out while I was standing there doing maintenance. I wouldn't do it.

I don't think my mesh covers are an eye sore at all. They are only visible if you are looking down on the tank.

Kelsey Fletcher · Mar 8, 2018

I have four firefish gobies, two clown gobies, and a diamond goby and it is mostly covered with a glass top but there is about half of the back that is open and they have never tried to escape!!

paphater · Mar 8, 2018

My tank is 22" tall and I never see it more than 10-12" off the surface. It's 96" long so that may play a part but the only time mine routinely swims more than a couple inches up in to the water column is to snag some LRS Fish frenzy.

becks · Mar 8, 2018

I had a goby jump out the only small hole next to my job filter on the QT tank, I have a second now that’s completely sealed. I also have a screen cover kit arriving for my DT solely for this fish as they are prone jumpers, prior to this I’ve never had a fish jump.

GoldeneyeRet · Mar 8, 2018

I feel a responsibility to give the fish the safest environment I can. This means a mesh cover on all my tanks. Simple, cheap, effective... I can't see any reason to remove your lids.

becks · Mar 10, 2018

My diamond goby in his QT decided to build a new home, I had a full pot of sand in there for him to shift in order to limit stress, but in the space of an hour he moved half the contents

that’s some good going!

XNavyDiver · Mar 10, 2018

Daniel Waters said:
Anyone had any luck keeping a diamond goby in an uncovered tank? I have a cover on my tank and have had a diamond goby for over a year. No one bothers or would spook him, so I was curious if I could get away with removing the screen tops. I know it's always a gamble, but curious if anyone has had any similar experience.

Yes. I have. My diamond goby has never hinted at jumping and he has a ton of floor space, sand and rocks to play with in my tank. That being said, I may be just lucky.

Reef of Fillory · Mar 11, 2018

I kept a diamond goby in my 75 gallon with no top, and then switched to a 32g biocube after a move and it only took him 3 days to die on the floor.

Chrisfish · Mar 11, 2018

Just my opinion, and I’ve lost several fish due to jumping and I felt horrible, I’d cover it with a screen

Daniel Waters · Mar 12, 2018

Looks like this thread has been resurrected. I did opt for a new mesh lid top. I previously had done three 24" sections. This time is I did two 36" sections but incorporated a polycarbonate border (after screwing up using acrylic first). You can read about my DIY here.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-screen-top-project.344324/

And, as others have noted, best to keep those tanks covered- no carpet surfing zone!

Txag96 · Apr 10, 2018

I lost my first one within a few days to carpet surfing. Was a nice big one in a 60 g tank. I then went and got some egg crate and cut it to fit my tank and put some acrylic on top of it to seal it all up. A few weeks later I left the top off while feeding and went into another room. Came back and covered it back up. It was late and the lights for the room were off, but not the tank lights. Came in the next morning and he was dead on the floor. Not sure if he made it out one of the few 1 inch holes on the edges or when the top was off. I have since built a very large canopy over the tank and bought another that has been in for 4 days. Hopefully that will keep it in the tank...

I will never own another aquarium without some sort of cover. Just not worth it in my opinion.