Goby Question!

[TashaB98]

Hello everyone!!!

I have a question regarding gobies, specifically Watchman Gobies (but not necessarily exclusively).

My partner and I have a tank, approx 200-225 gallon, 3’ tall and it currently does NOT have a lid. We have specifically chosen fish that are no flight risks due to the fact that we do not have a lid however, we are very interested in a watchman goby.

My question is, for a tank of our size and depth, is a lid TRULY necessary? We saw a bunch of gobies at one of our LFSs and they did not have lids so that is what led me to make this post.

I would like to make it VERY clear that if the answer is yes, lid is necessary or highly highly recommended, we would either not get the fish or eventually invest in a lid so we can get the fish at that time but if people have had the opposite experience then we may bite the bullet on the lil guy!

Thanks everyone and happy aquarium-ing!

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

If something spooks them they hit the glass, swim up, and keep going, usually straight out of the water. I've already found one Goby crisp on the floor and now I have a lid on every tank I own.

 

[TashaB98]

If something spooks them they hit the glass, swim up, and keep going, usually straight out of the water. I've already found one Goby crisp on the floor and now I have a lid on every tank I own.

Ah gotcha okay that makes sense!! In my mind the jumping was more of a “shoot straight upwards” than a “glide up the glass” type of thing so I was a bit confused on how a little goby could shoot up 3’ (edited my post as i realized i got my measurements wrong lol) so this makes a lot more sense.

Thank you for the info!!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've had lidless tanks for 20 years, I have 4 of them now, I've had maybe a half dozen jumpers in my time. I've had a watchman goby for almost 6 years, he just stays near his cave and doesn't really wander.

 

[TashaB98]

I've had lidless tanks for 20 years, I have 4 of them now, I've had maybe a half dozen jumpers in my time. I've had a watchman goby for almost 6 years, he just stays near his cave and doesn't really wander.

Okay!! And if you don’t mind my asking, were your jumpers fish that are notorious jumpers like gobies, blennies, etc or just kind of random flukes?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Okay!! And if you don’t mind my asking, were your jumpers fish that are notorious jumpers like gobies, blennies, etc or just kind of random flukes?

They were new purchases that jumped within the first few days. For “known” jumpers I’ve even put on a temporary lid just in case for a few days. But once they are settled I find the risk goes down. I also keep under stocked tanks with lots of tight rockwork which I feel is an important part of minimizing the risk.

 

[Jdale78]

Hello everyone!!!

I have a question regarding gobies, specifically Watchman Gobies (but not necessarily exclusively).

My partner and I have a tank, approx 200-225 gallon, 3’ tall and it currently does NOT have a lid. We have specifically chosen fish that are no flight risks due to the fact that we do not have a lid however, we are very interested in a watchman goby.

My question is, for a tank of our size and depth, is a lid TRULY necessary? We saw a bunch of gobies at one of our LFSs and they did not have lids so that is what led me to make this post.

I would like to make it VERY clear that if the answer is yes, lid is necessary or highly highly recommended, we would either not get the fish or eventually invest in a lid so we can get the fish at that time but if people have had the opposite experience then we may bite the bullet on the lil guy!

Thanks everyone and happy aquarium-ing!

I’ve had two Watchmans. They’ve both jumped out. 110 gallon tank. I saved my last one because I saw it happen. I now have a lid.

 

[ScottJ]

Lids are cheap insurance, in my opinion. If a fish is startled and decides to jump it, it doesn't know it may not land back in the water and hit the floor instead.

 

[TashaB98]

I’ve had two Watchmans. They’ve both jumped out. 110 gallon tank. I saved my last one because I saw it happen. I now have a lid.

Gotcha, from what I have read, they seem to be flighty little dudes!

 

[TashaB98]

Lids are cheap insurance, in my opinion. If a fish is startled and decides to jump it, it doesn't know it may not land back in the water and hit the floor instead.

You're so right! We've been looking at lids for the past while. We inherited this tank when we purchased our house (built into the wall of our basement) with about 6" of clearance between tank and ceiling so we've been humming and hawing about what would be best because our lights are VERY particularly placed based on limited space.