Goby hiding under rock structure...when to pull?

JoJosReef · Nov 13, 2021

Hi all,
New high fin goby went under the main rock structure and has been there for about a week. I only saw him peeking his head out about 5 days ago. Been dropping mysis in from of the entrance. At what point do I pull up the rock to check for corpses? how would I even go about doing that with an RBT and 5 corals on it? Just up and out onto the table?

Api kit was looking ever so slightly greener and nitrate ever so slightly bluer about two days ago and I did a 20% water change. I haven't seen it move again. Note, I was also heavy reef roiding at the time since I didn't know it was more of a once a week thing, so that might also factor into the blip in the ammonia/trites.

One solid rock piece, entrance to underground cavern in the back.

i cant think · Nov 13, 2021

JoJosReef said:
Hi all,
New high fin goby went under the main rock structure and has been there for about a week. I only saw him peeking his head out about 5 days ago. Been dropping mysis in from of the entrance. At what point do I pull up the rock to check for corpses? how would I even go about doing that with an RBT and 5 corals on it? Just up and out onto the table?

Api kit was looking ever so slightly greener and nitrate ever so slightly bluer about two days ago and I did a 20% water change. I haven't seen it move again. Note, I was also heavy reef roiding at the time since I didn't know it was more of a once a week thing, so that might also factor into the blip in the ammonia/trites.

One solid rock piece, entrance to underground cavern in the back.

Leave it, this is what shrimp gobies do. They dug burrows under the rockwork, even without a shrimp buddy.

Chrisv. · Nov 13, 2021

Oh I have an answer to this one: I bought a highfin at the end of September and it finally popped out of the rocks just before Halloween. Spooked for a whole month. I was SURE he was dead.

My vote is that you're more likely to crush him if you move the rocks.

Chrisv. · Nov 13, 2021

Also: even though I think there is a 99.99999% chance that it's still alive, they are such small fish that your hermits would take care of a corpse (there isn't a corpse!).

Think about the volume of a high fin vs the volume of a cube of frozen food. They would be metabolized away by your tank without a blip.

jazzfisher · Nov 13, 2021

Those small kind of gobies tend to hide. i know it’s hard give it a bit of time. Don’t move the rock.

JoJosReef · Nov 13, 2021

Thanks! I didn't want to move the rock. But I didn't want a festering goby to nuke my 13.5g tank, either. Sounds like it's not a real concern. I'll just keep an eye on the ammonium and nitrites and do extra water changes if necessary.

Hope he/she shows up! I also added a very tiny Randall's pistol at the same time that I haven't seen, but I do suspect that one is a goner bc I found what looked like a small fleshy piece of crud on the sandbed behind the rock.