Pinkbar Goby Sifting Sand

Tristan · Apr 26, 2017

For about a week now I've noticed small piles of sand building up around the tank but I didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until today that I actually saw my pinkbar Goby sifting the sand bed. I know that other gobies such as the Diamond or sleeper gobies sift sand but I've never heard of a pinkbar Goby sifting sand. Has anyone else experienced this with their pinkbar Goby?
Sadly I do not have a video of this happening but I'll try to get one up soon.

eatbreakfast · Apr 27, 2017

Not sifting, but without a pistol shrimp is relying on itself to create it's own burrow.

Tristan · Apr 27, 2017

eatbreakfast said:
Not sifting, but without a pistol shrimp is relying on itself to create it's own burrow.

He actually is sifting. I'll see him take a mouthful of sand and sift it and watch it come out of his gills. And these mouthfuls of sand that he's gulping are all around the tank. Not just in one place. I've had him since October and he's only started doing this recently.

eatbreakfast · Apr 28, 2017

How often are you feeding? Sifting is not their normal behavior.

4FordFamily · Apr 28, 2017

I've seen one other do this at the LFS but it was around a small assumed "would be burrow". Not sure how sifting helped but it also appeared this way.

Tristan · Apr 28, 2017

eatbreakfast said:
How often are you feeding? Sifting is not their normal behavior.

Once a day with either mysis, krill, rod's or pellets. And I'll even spot feed him to make sure he eats

CoralNation · Sep 8, 2019

Tristan said:
For about a week now I've noticed small piles of sand building up around the tank but I didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until today that I actually saw my pinkbar Goby sifting the sand bed. I know that other gobies such as the Diamond or sleeper gobies sift sand but I've never heard of a pinkbar Goby sifting sand. Has anyone else experienced this with their pinkbar Goby?
Sadly I do not have a video of this happening but I'll try to get one up soon.

I purchased one as well on 9/7/2019 I too have seen it sift. Just every so often. But nothing like the Bella Goby I had which was almost all the time.