Goby death

[Striike]

Hey guys, I picked up a Yellow Headed Goby Tuesday along with a Blenny to add to my tank. The Blenny is doing fine, as are the 3 damselfish I already have in there. The goby disappeared after I added him, which I can understand thinking he needed to get comfortable in the new environment. Today I did a water change. After I was done, the goby came out to the front of the glass. He was just laying on the sandbed, and appeared to be almost gasping for 'air.' After about a minute of this, he started twitching around, like he was suffocating, and then died.
I'm kind of disappointed about this, and was wondering if anyone had any ideas. I can take him back, but am hesitant to get another one until I have a good idea about what happened. I think he choked, but on what, I have no idea. The sand bed is argonite sand, which is not the fine playground size, but a little bigger. Could this have been the cause? Also, is this a freak accident?
Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Striike]

Just in case the question comes, Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates are all showing 0.

 

[ironman]

first guess would be the damsels, You dont want any damsels in your tank. They are super agressive and will chase a fish till it dies from stress. If for some reason it wasnt the damsels and all the other fish are healthy I would say the fish was stressed or sick already when you got him or was stressed in the aclimation process. the gobies are fine with any substrate, but prefer to cave in finer substrate. Im would put my money on the damsels though

 

[Striike]

I got another one. I didn't think of the damsels as I've never seen them even acknowledge each other. I knew damsels were aggressive, but read these were the least aggressive, and getting them in groups of 3 or more helps to alleviate them being so territorial. I'll keep a close eye on them now. If they do end up being a problem what would you recommend? Put them in the sump?
The new goby did like the first and disappeared in the rocks again. I hope this one fairs better.

 

[ironman]

What type of damsels did you get? The only time ive seen or heard of damsels not being super territorial is when they are in a massive system where they cannot make the whole tank there territory. I dont know of any true damsels that are not aggressive, especially toward non agressive fish like a goby. watch his fins really close, if they start to look ragged at all he is being chased, also take some time and watch the tank from a distance, keep an eye on the damsels and see if they try to chase around the goby. Alot of times they will chase the goby within the first few hours and then the goby just finds a hole in a rock and doest come out. unless for some reason you have some type of damsel that is uncommon or isnt really a true damsel.

 

[ironman]

Just my opinion, I would get the damsels out no matter what. Everytime you add fish you will have issues, Damsels are great for cycling a tank, but just arnt worth the headache unless you are keeping only aggressive fish in the tank.

 

[Striike]

The are called Yellow Tailed Blue damselfish.
Here is link Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Reef Aquariums: Yellowtail Damselfish
I bought from Petcare Warehouse. I thought I had researched them fairly well, so I'm a little upset to hear the problems with them. Is this a 'true' damselfish?

 

[110reef]

The are called Yellow Tailed Blue damselfish.
Here is link Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Reef Aquariums: Yellowtail Damselfish
I bought from Petcare Warehouse. I thought I had researched them fairly well, so I'm a little upset to hear the problems with them. Is this a 'true' damselfish?

Yes, they are damsels. Damsels can be a pain, especially when they get larger. But I currently have 3 blue devils in my tank, and they don't bother a thing. How big is your tank? In my experience, they are more territorial in a small tank, in a larger tank they seem to be more peaceful.

Also, remember that clowns are damsels also, and they can also be a pain. I had a tomato that would attack me (it hurts a little, but surprises you a lot when a 2" fish attacks your hand!) every time I put my hand in the tank, yet plenty of people keep clowns. I'd say if your damsels aren't causing you any trouble, leave them be.

My guess is the goby you bought was already sick. Good advice to check the fins and see if they are getting nipped. If so, then blame the damsels. If not, probably sick when you got it.

 

[Sikryd]

What was the salinity of the water from the bag the fish was in?

What is the salinity of your tank?

How long was the acclimation and how did you do it.

Generally fish are kept in a salinity of around 1.015 from LFS's and stuff to help prevent disease.
Our tanks around kept at ~ 1.026

Fish can't handle the change in salinity from low to high (1.015-1.026) unless it is done slowly over a long period of time. It has to do with how their cells react to the amount of salt in the water.

Most people kill fish and have no idea since they don't test the water of where they are coming from and just throw them into their tanks.

 

[Striike]

@110reef
75 gallon w/130 lbs live rock (lots of hiding spots).
@Sikryd
I'm at work, but it reads middle of the range (salinity 30, spec gravity ~1.026 I think). I don't know what the fish store keeps it at.
Acclimation was done using drip method with an IV line. About 2-5 drips per second for 90 minutes. Scoop out some water from time to time. The method recommended by Drsfostersmith.com

 

[110reef]

That tank is a good size.

I don't know if the goby was sick when you got it or not, but some tips I can give are:
Watch the fish for any signs like scratching.

• Look at how fast it is breathing.
• Will it eat in the store.
• Look at the transparent side fins. If you see blotches there, the fish has ick. They should be completely transparent.
• Quarantine tanks are a good idea if you have one, especially in a reef tank where you can't use copper to treat a sick fish.

If you buy on-line you are kinda at the mercy of the vendor. I personally only buy fish I can watch for a while before I buy. Even when taking these precautions, sometimes fish die. They may not acclimate well, or whatever, but sometimes they die. Remember in 99% of cases, these fish have been recently plucked from their ocean environment, been transferred halfway around the world, and transferred from tank to bag to tank countless times by the time it gets to you. Its amazing that as many survive as they do.

 

[ironman]

several issues, Be very careful buying fish from petcare wharehouse. You need to watch the fish very closely. Anytime you are dealing with a pet store and not a local fish store you usually find health issues with alot of the fish. I dont typically buy from petcare cause I rarely see fish that are healthy when im there. I still would put my money on the damsels. yellow tails are very aggressive just like most damsels. Im sure there are a few that are peacful for whatever reason, but it is not there nature. A 75 is not what i would consider anywhere near big enough to safely keep damsels. they will have the whole tank as there territory unless there is other aggresive fish to share with. alone they are ok, but any other fish that they dont want in the tank and it wont take long for them to take care of it. It could still be the fish just wasnt healthy. But like I said I just dont see why it would be worth the risk to keep them. Its all my opinion of course. but after 15 years of watching people put the wrong fish in tanks you usually get a pretty good track record for what works! LOL! good luck man, I hope you figure the problem out without losing to many more fish.

 

[110reef]

Wanna see a bunch of damsels in a tank?

Louisiana Reef Club • Login

 

[Silveradositn]

Damsels WOULD BE MY GUESS ALSO AND PETCARE SOME OF THERE FISH JUST DIE FOR NO REAL REASON

 

[ironman]

110reef: what other fish do you keep in your tank with the blue devils, and what size tank is it? I have seen a few tanks in my life that were full of countless different damsels and clowns, but if you looked closely at the tank you would notice there were no passive fish in the tank.

 

[jules11vb]

I have some books you can borrow if you want. They go into detail about all of the different kinds of fish and which fish do well together and stuff. I don't know if you already have some books like that to look through, but the internet is a good source too. I would see if you can trade the damsels in for some green chromis...they are not agressive at all and within the same price range and size...also pretty hardy.

 

[Striike]

Hey guys, have some update, and thanks to all for the feedback.
Exchanged another Goby who seems to be doing great. He was out exploring until I decided to clean the front glass today, so now he's in hiding. It seems as though I did get a sick fish.
I just finished setting up my quarantine tank. Its a 10 gallon that's inline with the DT, but with a valve I can isolate it for new arrivals or sick fish. That way parameters in the quaranteen will be identical to the DT. Any special advice on this would be appreciated.
The 3 damsels kind of keep to the left side of the tank, but thanks to Ironman, I will be keeping a close eye on them. I've talked to my wife, and we've been thinking of putting a smaller tank in our bedroom, so maybe they'll go in there if I start to have any issues.
Good to know about Petcare, I've been real suspicious of them anyway, but the only fish stores I'm aware of is the place on East Brainerd and 5th day. Are there any on this side of the river (I live in Soddy)?
Good point brought up about Clowns being damsels. Longer term I had intended on the Clown/anenome combination. Am I to understand my chances of keeping a Goby in there are low?
On another note, I rechecked some web sites on compatibility. I'm not doubting your experience, Ironman, but do have any web site recommendations that you check out before buying? Liveaquaria.com has damsels and goby's getting along just fine. I'm just trying to weed out my chances of putting stuff together that will not get along. Here's the link I was referring to, and thanks all for the help so far.

Live Aquaria - The Page You Have Requested Cannot Be Found

 

[Striike]

I have some books you can borrow if you want. They go into detail about all of the different kinds of fish and which fish do well together and stuff. I don't know if you already have some books like that to look through, but the internet is a good source too. I would see if you can trade the damsels in for some green chromis...they are not agressive at all and within the same price range and size...also pretty hardy.

Hi Jules, as you see by my previous post online seems to not be so great some times, lol. Rather than borrow the books (as I'd like some to have for reference), would you mind sharing the titles?
I would be interested in the concept of trading them, but where would I look to do something like that? I have no idea where to start.

 

[wam67]

Fishmania in East Ridge is a nice little store. Fair prices (for Chatt) and very nice staff

 

[ironman]

the three store listed are about it.

here are a few peoples experiences:

I've had my yellow tail damsel for almost a year now, it was the first fish in my tank. I've had fish come and go in my tank due to various reasons, but my yellow tail has held on thick and thin and is by far the hardiest fish I've ever had. However, he is aggressive with new fish, though only shortly after he "tells them he's boss". My damsel is cautious and loves swimming in and out of my rock. He is getting "lighter" in color as he gets older. This is a great fish starting out and isn't that aggressive.
Kate
2009-02-18

Damsels are best kept by themselves, unless you can purchase a 'family' plucked off a reef, for which you will pay a fair bit for.

Understand also that you cannot keep damsels with other fish, unless the other fish are much larger and wont tolerate any crap (make sure they wont EAT the damsel). Damsels are often reffered to as 'little sharks' around here.
__________________
James
Don't do it!

I have 5 in my 135 reef, and they are a PITA! They harass everything... including each other. Yes, they're great color, but they severely limit the other fish. (As a result, I ended up with a much more aggressive tank than I wanted.)

I do think that one is worse than 4, though.
Danielle


those are the first three threads that pulled up on a google search of "yellow tail damsel"

I can keep going down the list of complaints if you want. LOL! Im really not saying that you WILL have a problem with them. But it isnt likely that you wont have a problem with them. It is very possible your fish goby died of illness, especially from the store he came from. But my opinion still stands the damsels need to be kept with great caution. I may have a different opinion than some other hobbiests, but I always stock my tanks with a basic view of the fish i would like to be able to keep in the future. adding damsels makes it impossible to add the more colorful and delicate fish I like to keep. In my early years in the hobby I added yellow tail damsels to my tanks. They would live through anything, and they were not ugly at all. But I lost so many fish due to there agression I learned it just wasnt worth it.
Good luck man