Sand Sifting Fish?
- Thread starter Tristan
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edit I read starfish duh...
redfishbluefish
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The king of sand sifting is the Diamond Goby. According to LiveAquaria, it needs a 30 gallon tank.....close enough.
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Tristan
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Oh. Lol
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Tristan
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Really? I thought it would destroy all the life in my sandbed. It's 4" by the way
Daniel@R2R
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Diamond goby. I love em
a true dsb id kinda avoid a digger and stuff that eats yer worms n bugs. you need those to dig tiny holes in the sand so water flows through and avoids large pockets of no flow.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
But would a diamond goby really go 4"down? I thought he'd sift mostly just the top layer...maybe the top 1-2"?
not 100% but they do say they get to be 6in max . in a 25g Id be leery.
NCreefguy
Valuable Member
I had a diamond goby that would completely rearrange my sand bed. I have 4-6" of sand and not a day went by that I didn't have to uncover my chalices,acans and ricordeas from being buried alive. He did this nonstop! I caught him in a trap and gave him to a friend. Of course I told him that he liked to sift sand first. My friend said that he didn't mind as long as he didn't cause his rocks to fall over as he didn't have many corals.
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redfishbluefish
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What NC states is true! You can not keep frags on the sandbed. My guy totally rearranges the sand. Areas that were maybe 1/2" are now 2 plus inches and areas that were 3 plus are now maybe 1 inch. And if I don't like that, wait a week and he'll rearrange it again. You also need to have your rock directly on the bottom of the tank, because he will undermine the rock.....he likes caves! And he builds them all over the tank. But boy, my sand is white!!!
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
LOL Well, it sounds like he wouldn't be a good idea for a DSB after all. What a shame. I love these guys! 
If one were to put the rocks on the bottom, choose a slightly thicker sand, clean it so it doesn't become a true dsb(if you dont like bugs and want to avoid anaerobic zones etc), I'd totally do it.LOL Well, it sounds like he wouldn't be a good idea for a DSB after all. What a shame. I love these guys!
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
Hectori or rainsford gobies are small, they eat algae, sift only the top layer of sand without burying everything, and are peaceful.
Diamond gobies can make a mess, and ultimately get too large for a 25g tank.
Diamond gobies can make a mess, and ultimately get too large for a 25g tank.
Empress
Valuable Member
I was debating on getting a Hectori
or Rainsford to stir up the sand bed, but I already have a YWG. Do you think the YWG would kill either one of those 2? I read that YWG's are mean to their own kind.
eatbreakfast
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Since neither hectori or rainfordi are watchman gobies, you should be fine.
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Tristan
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Okay. Thank you
