New Bella goby suddenly dead

[Perpetual Novice]

I'm 99% sure the fish is dead. But just in case it's somehow stunned I'm posting this here.

Yesterday I got a 5-inch Bella goby from a local fish store. I decided not to quarantine and just did a short acclimation to the tank. Yesterday it swam around the tank and selected a cavern to set up shop and all seemed well. This morning, just an hour or two ago, I saw it was breathing heavily. I checked a minute ago and it was limp and being pushed around by the current. no gill movement. It has no signs of injury or malnutrition or disease. I inspected it closely in my hand and decided to leave it in a breeder net in the tank just in case it is somehow stunning. I have no idea how death could come so suddenly. As a sand sifter, is it possible it swallowed something it shouldn't have from the sandbed?

 

[Leslie Tabor]

It definitely sounds like it is dead. I am so sorry. There are many factors that could have caused/contributed, it is hard to know for sure.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

It definitely sounds like it is dead. I am so sorry. There are many factors that could have caused/contributed, it is hard to know for sure.

do you think there was a problem with the fish or my tank? its a 75 gallon mixed reef with a 3 ich fine sand bed. And a lot of other healthy fish. I want to add a sand sifter to the tank but not if my tank is unsuitable for them.

 

[Phycodurus]

sorry to hear about the loss. those are beautiful gobies.

i would suspect it rammed right into the glass or the top. any unusual discoloration around the head? very skittish fish esp. in new surroundings.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

sorry to hear about the loss. those are beautiful gobies.

i would suspect it rammed right into the glass or the top. any unusual discoloration around the head? very skittish fish esp. in new surroundings.

i have a glass lid. you think it died hitting its head?

 

[Perpetual Novice]

i had that happen to a powder blue during quarantine once.

 

[Humblefish]

i have a glass lid. you think it died hitting its head?

Very possible. They are relentless jumpers.

They are also very prone to internal flagellates: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/internal-issues.267419/

 

[Perpetual Novice]

given that it died so quickly to jumping head injury do you think its a bad idea to try another one? is it that likely to happen again?

 

[Humblefish]

given that it died so quickly to jumping head injury do you think its a bad idea to try another one? is it that likely to happen again?

The only way I ever got them to live (consistently) is by dosing and food soaking metronidazole in QT. That medication will kill internal parasites/flagellates.

Sand sifting gobies will also sometimes inadvertently swallow velvet tomonts (in the sandbed). And sometimes the tomonts are still viable, release dinospores inside the fish and form trophonts inside the intestines and even over the internal organs. It is also theoretically possible for a dinospore (free swimmer) to escape through the fish's anal vent (and into the water column to infect other fish) if it happened to be trapped inside the intestines.

Long story short, a sand sifting goby is a fish you always want to QT.

 

[Phycodurus]

i think it’s just dumb luck more than anything, but certain kinds of fish (e.g. gobies) are just jumpy by nature. still, i wouldn’t let that that discourage you from acquiring another.

i do recommend observing the tank parameters & yr critters at least a couple of weeks before obtaining another one ... just as insurance that it wasn’t a tank parameter.

others can chime in on this: i’m curious if there’s a notable advantage (for the sake of the fish’s “nerves”) introducing a fish at the beginning of the day vs. the evening.

i would think a typical hobbyist introduces new fish in the evening after a typical day’s work and an evening visit to the LFS.

the general acclimation procedure that i go by is to introduce towards evening & feed the tank residents as a distraction and let the new guy hide out & chill.

 

[Phycodurus]

Long story short, a sand sifting goby is a fish you always want to QT.

and a QT period removes the stress of coping with new tank mates, and just focus on strengthening their constitution.

 

[Humblefish]

and a QT period removes the stress of coping with new tank mates, and just focus on strengthening their constitution.

+1 And gobies handle QT relatively well, provided you add sand to at least 1/2 the bottom of the tank. If other fish are present in QT, target feed them mysis and other chunks of seafood using a turkey baster because they don't compete well with other fish for food.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

Ok. Usually I quarantine but in this case, like when I added my wrasses, I assumed the fish would struggle in quarantine and decided to skip it. I really trust the water at the store the fish was coming from. And it had been there a couple of weeks.

I am very well aware of how essential quarantining can be after a velvet infestation made me go fallow about a year ago. Even still ive also experienced how challenging it can be to escort a fish through quarantine. Especially delicate ones or ones with a specific diet. 3 powder blues and two leopard wrasses died under my watch waiting to get into the tank. (One of the powder blues lost to a concussion). And I only had success with those fish when I decided to risk it and skip qt.

in this case it seems I should qt this goby. I had assumed that it would starve in quarantine without an established sand bed so I didn’t even try.

if I do get another one it will definitely go through quarantine.

thanks a ton everyone!

 

[Perpetual Novice]

For the record the other fish ignored the Bella goby

 

[Big G]

Ok. Usually I quarantine but in this case, like when I added my wrasses, I assumed the fish would struggle in quarantine and decided to skip it. I really trust the water at the store the fish was coming from. And it had been there a couple of weeks.

I am very well aware of how essential quarantining can be after a velvet infestation made me go fallow about a year ago. Even still ive also experienced how challenging it can be to escort a fish through quarantine. Especially delicate ones or ones with a specific diet. 3 powder blues and two leopard wrasses died under my watch waiting to get into the tank. (One of the powder blues lost to a concussion). And I only had success with those fish when I decided to risk it and skip qt.

in this case it seems I should qt this goby. I had assumed that it would starve in quarantine without an established sand bed so I didn’t even try.

if I do get another one it will definitely go through quarantine.

thanks a ton everyone!

You can have a sand bed in a QT. Humblefish tested it to see how much copper would be absorbed and was not a problem. I put a bowl of either new sand or take some out of the display, put it into the sump for a few days, 30 would be ideal, and then put it into the QT. Here's Humblefish's thread:

Go ahead and use sand in QT

I've never liked the bare bottom QT look, and have noticed how some fish seem uncomfortable in that environment. Especially sand burrowing wrasses, gobies and other fish who utilize sand as part of their daily routine. I've also seen tangs, angels, etc. fight their reflection on the bottom...

www.reef2reef.com

Also consider using an eggcrate lid with a layer of 1/4" plastic mesh attached underneath, on your QT. Works pretty good. Just zip tie the 1/4" mesh to the eggcrate.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

Thanks!

 

[manlykady]

it got corona virus