how long to let emo twin-spot goby sulk before intervening

easily_fishstracted · Sep 23, 2018

so just added a twin-spot goby to a RSR nano already housing a yasha goby and two clowns. tank is about 9 months old, and all inhabitants thus far happy.

he's been in there overnight and is just hanging out on the bottom, not really moving and only on occasion sifting sand. i don't think he's eaten, but will try some variety of foods later (typically just feed the whole tank mysis).

i told my LFS i would see how he gets on in there but if he does not look to be eating and is losing weight i'll bring him back (my LFS is just across the street). how long should i wait before he perks up? i remember with my yasha i didn't even see him for weeks after putting him in the tank, and even now he really only comes out around feeding time, but not sure about this one. there was another at the LFS in their main display tank which was pretty active all the time.

eatbreakfast · Sep 23, 2018

Twin spot gobies are a difficult species that need at least a 50g tank that is mature and has a lot of microfauna, as most never accept prepared foods.

easily_fishstracted · Sep 26, 2018

hey, thanks for the reply. i had not known that they need more space - liveaquatics gives them a 10g minimum, and my LFS is usually very conservative about where they put their fish (they refused to sell me a six-line wrasse because of this even before i had any fish in the tank).

anyways, the twin-spot is out and about now and seems to be regularly sifting, and it did look like it ate some mysis as well but i can't be sure. for now i'll watch his progress and if he's looking too skinny or otherwise unwell after a couple weeks i'll bring him back.

easily_fishstracted · Oct 26, 2018

so it's been a month and behaviorally nothing has changed: he's still in there doing is thing, which is mostly hanging out on the bottom, floating around and sifting sand. he does seem to actually eat (or try to eat) mysis/brine during feedings, but he does also look very skinny...

kirstyflash · Oct 26, 2018

Can you get live rotifers and try him on them?

laverda · Oct 26, 2018

This is a fun fish to watch, but one that really should not be sold in most cases. Being a bottom dweller they are more prone to parasites and should be treated for them. I kept on in a 12 gallon for a long time by putting cyclopese and other small foods in the sand bed directly. Sadly when I put it in my well established 240 i noticed he was getting thinner. I tried feeding the same way but he never seemed to find the food in the bigger tank. :-(

Lasse · Oct 26, 2018

It is a very difficult species to adapt. I have tried 2 times but have not been successful yet. I'm not sure if I will test again. If I test again - it will be with an individual that have been with my LFS for some time and showing that it is eating.

Sincerely Lasse

easily_fishstracted · Oct 30, 2018

thanks for all the advice. I will ask for rotifers.

I did however just take a magnifying glass to him, and when i did i noticed that i've got live pods all over the place on the glass down near the sand (i thought they were specs of dust or dirt).... maybe that is doing the trick.

easily_fishstracted · Nov 11, 2018

UPDATE: Twin-Spot is now missing in action for over 24 hours, presumed dead.

I also never see the yasha goby and pistol shrimp, but they were out at feeding time yesterday as usual (or at least the yasha was, the pistol was possibly eating the twin-spot)

I did a 40% water change yesterday as it was scheduled and i'm heading on a five-day trip on monday; my test kit is not super reliable and for this reason i've just been having my LFS across the street do tests for me (they do it for free), so although i could check the numbers they might not be accurate.

beyond the pistol shrimp, my cuc is 4 little hermits and 4 snails; what is the damage this little carcass could wreak on my system if he's under the rocks and i can't get him out (28g in total)?

as an aside, i also added three sexy shrimp the other day and they immediately vanished and have not been seen since.

Lasse · Nov 11, 2018

Sorry for your lost - but it is a difficult species.

Sincerely Lasse

YellowFinsReef · Nov 11, 2018

I had a pair of these a while ago. I never found these hard to keep or to get them eating. Mine always ate mysis, blackworms, and pellets. However, i did notice that when her mate died, the female died shortly after.

laverda · Nov 11, 2018

The carcus should not be a problem if you tank is well established. You pistol shrimp probably killed the sexy shrimp. They are definitely not compatible. Drpending on the size it could also have killed the twin spot.

laverda · Nov 11, 2018

YellowFinsReef said:
I had a pair of these a while ago. I never found these hard to keep or to get them eating. Mine always ate mysis, blackworms, and pellets. However, i did notice that when her mate died, the female died shortly after.

How long did you have them for?

easily_fishstracted · Nov 11, 2018

laverda said:
The carcus should not be a problem if you tank is well established. You pistol shrimp probably killed the sexy shrimp. They are definitely not compatible. Drpending on the size it could also have killed the twin spot.

that's interesting, i never figured the pistol shrimp could be a threat, especially to the sexy shrimp, which i understood rather spent their time in the open and not in caves and burrows, which is where the pistol shrimp is. the pistol shrimp is somewhere about the same size as the twin-spot was, and he's definitely been snapping more than usual in the past week or so. hmm..

norfolkgarden · Nov 11, 2018

FWIW

The tiny Randalls pistol is supposed to be ok with other things.

Lots of people have pistol and goby pairs.

I would never attempt another one again except in a nano I could rip apart easily.
Had one in a 75 gallon tank. Sounded cool. Clicked a lot.
Killed a lot too.
[emoji53]
My 'red' pistol shrimp looked great rototilled into the vegetable garden.

Just like the Pilgrims!
[emoji846]

laverda · Nov 14, 2018

easily_fishstracted said:
that's interesting, i never figured the pistol shrimp could be a threat, especially to the sexy shrimp, which i understood rather spent their time in the open and not in caves and burrows, which is where the pistol shrimp is. the pistol shrimp is somewhere about the same size as the twin-spot was, and he's definitely been snapping more than usual in the past week or so. hmm..

The goby might have been ok when healthy, but in a week state it would be easy pray.

Katrina71 · Nov 14, 2018

This makes me sad. I'm sorry for your loss

easily_fishstracted · Nov 25, 2018

thanks everyone, i kept hoping he would surprise me and miraculously appear out of nowhere, but alas. the folks at my LFS were really shocked, and did not think that the pistol would take out the twin-spot, but admitted it is possible.

anyways, there is an open spot again in the RSR Nano, but i may just leave the guys alone for a bit. they had a new dwarf moray at the LFS that looked awesome and was tempting, but I would probably have to get rid of a couple fish and figure out a lid, so i will almost certainly abstain.