Diamond Watchman Goby not yet sand sifting

[Fringe09]

Hi Guys. I added a Diamond Watchman Goby on Saturday. I've seen him sand sift maybe three times. He doesn't seem shy or scared as I see him at different locations in the tank. Does he need some time before he starts?

 

[eatbreakfast]

That's not normal. Diamond gobies should start sifting almost immediately. How course/fine is the sand? Did you treat for internal parasites?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Hi Guys. I added a Diamond Watchman Goby on Saturday. I've seen him sand sift maybe three times. He doesn't seem shy or scared as I see him at different locations in the tank. Does he need some time before he starts?

He's probably stressed out from the move, give him some time and he should start going to town on your sandbed :) As long as he's acting normal and you're able to get him to eat I wouldn't be to concerned, mine took a couple days before he started really sifting through the sand.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

You need to tell him that he's a sand sifting Gobie and that his job, his one job, is to sift the sand. Maybe he forgot.

 

[Fringe09]

That's not normal. Diamond gobies should start sifting almost immediately. How course/fine is the sand? Did you treat for internal parasites?

Did not treat for internal parasites. He was at the LFS for at least three weeks and was sand shifting with them.

I forgot the type of sand. Doesn't like very coarse or very fine.

 

[Fringe09]

He's probably stressed out from the move, give him some time and he should start going to town on your sandbed :) As long as he's acting normal and you're able to get him to eat I wouldn't be to concerned, mine took a couple days before he started really sifting through the sand.

Never owned one before so I don't know what normal is. He hangs on the sand bad and moves around the tank. Not breathing heavily. Just chills.

I feed my fish mysis shrimp with garlic. Hasn't really attempted to eat. Not sure if he is eating what is left over afterwards.

 

[Legal Reefer]

Any pics of him?

 

[Legal Reefer]

Mine started sifting immediately, readily took mysis from a feeding tube and off the sand bed.

 

[Fringe09]

Any pics of him?

Here is one picture.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Here is one picture.

That goby is thin, there must be something wrong with it.
My Goby start goes insane with the sand shifting right after I introduced it into my system and actively killed the other goby overnight that LFS said they are mated pair lol.

 

[Crabs McJones]

After seeing the picture, I agree with Yuki Rihwa, he is thin. Best bet would be to get him into qt

 

[Fringe09]

That picture makes him look think. The guys is pretty fat looking.

I think It’s because of me. He gets shy when I’m in front of the tank. I sat on the floor, waited about 5 minutes. He started moving faster and started putting sand in his mouth. Not a whole lot, but something.

Great, now I have to enjoy my tank on the floor like a voyeur. [emoji3]

 

[Legal Reefer]

Mine was a little shy at first but did sift sand and eat. Of course my sand bed needed cleaning badly so he had plenty to eat. Yours doesn't look any thinner than mine to me. Of course quarantining a new fish is always a good idea. Side pic for comparison.

 

[Fringe09]

Mine was a little shy at first but did sift sand and eat. Of course my sand bed needed cleaning badly so he had plenty to eat. Yours doesn't look any thinner than mine to me. Of course quarantining a new fish is always a good idea. Side pic for comparison.

Mine looks like yours. May a bit thicker. I’m Still hanging out on the floor. Trying to see if his behavior changes more.

He’s just so chill. He’ll move quickly, do something with the sand, and then chill again. Not sure what a sick Goby should act or look.

 

[Legal Reefer]

Mine was really busy at first because I had so much algae in my sand. He cleaned the sand bed spotless, cleaned a lot of rock work, and even cleaned the back glass some. Now that the sand is so clean he sifts a little here and there but not like when the sand was dirty. He works on his massive tunnel system in the rock most of the time but comes out to the front of the tank when he sees me. He does eat a lot of mysis and pellets now.

 

[Bug235]

They are great workers the only flaw is that they tend to lose weight extremely fast my eats all the time but I can’t keep the weight on him

 

[Legal Reefer]

I was thinking that also. Mine eats like a little pig and never refuses food but isn't fat at all.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Mine was very busy making sand dune everyday, it the first one come to the front when it seeing me around and beg for food, its love to eat frozen mysis and brine shrimp :)
The reason I trapped it out of my tank because it was an insane sand shifter and pit sand over everywhere on rock work, burring corals, stealing frags and pit sand at the filter intake and clogged the filtration...

 

[Fringe09]

All good. Observed him for about 30 minutes. Sifting sand around. I'm already seeing glass bottom at the area he's hanging out at.

 

[Fringe09]

....and he has started to eat mysis shrimp.