Sand dwellers with personality.

[GreatDane_Dude]

I have a deep sand bed and would like a sand dwelling fish good for beginners, that has lots of personality. I am fine with aggressiveness I currently have a Domino Damsel.

 

[RichReef]

Blue Spot Jawfish.
YW with a pistol shrimp.

 

[GreatDane_Dude]

Cool fish do they NEED pistol shrimp?

 

[Amelanchier]

I love blennies myself, but they do often seem to go after certain corals so you’d have to look into your corals and a particular species of blenny are likely to cohabit well.


If you decide to go with blue spotted jawfish it’s worth making sure you can keep your tank cool enough for them.

From the article I linked below:
“Cool-Water Fish

As if the call for grand-size systems with few if any roommates and great bunches of sand weren’t enough, these fish are not really tropical animals. That’s right; they live in cooler water. The Eastern Pacific coast, where the jawfish is found, is cooled by the California Current, a stream of cold water from Alaska. This makes it surprisingly cooler than you might think.
The practical implication is that water off the Californias is appreciably cooler than the same latitudes in the West Pacific, with the habitat of this jawfish being mostly in the upper 50s to upper 60s, and rarely lower 70s.”

https://www.tfhmagazine.com/article...awfish-opistognathus-rosenblatti-full-article
I looked into these jawfish at one point but while there are lots of people who say they do “okay” for a few months at normal reef tank temperatures it seems that they often die much sooner than they would if they were kept at a proper cooler temperature.

 

[GreatDane_Dude]

I like bennies open to Jawfish. How cold though I keep my tank at 79F

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

jawfish are amazing, very personable fish. If the cold water is an issue for you, the yellow head jawfish is from lower south, so likes warmer temperature 78-79.

 

[GreatDane_Dude]

Looked at some photos like em I will research them.

 

[SlugSnorter]

I have a deep sand bed and would like a sand dwelling fish good for beginners, that has lots of personality. I am fine with aggressiveness I currently have a Domino Damsel.

tank size?

 

[Bucs20fan]

If youve got a 40 gallon or so get a Diamond goby. Tons of personality and will keep your sand pearly white.

 

[Doglips56]

If youve got a 40 gallon or so get a Diamond goby. Tons of personality and will keep your sand pearly white.

Just had yet another diamond goby find it’s way to the floor overnight. If you get one (and they’re amazing little fish who keep the sand so clean! Make sure there’s NO WAY OUT! I’m so sad

 

[Bucs20fan]

Just had yet another diamond goby find it’s way to the floor overnight. If you get one (and they’re amazing little fish who keep the sand so clean! Make sure there’s NO WAY OUT! I’m so sad

+1 to this, they are the greatest escape artists.

 

[GreatDane_Dude]

24 gallon but it is bigger than a bicube 32.

 

[i cant think]

I would only ever do any Valenciennea species in a 4’ tank or bigger with Atleast 3-5 inches of sandbed that’s 2-5+ years old. My reason for this is easy, they’re active and can rid sandbeds of life quite fast.

As for the Jawfish, Look into the Pearly Jawfish and Blue Bar Jawfish. Both are similar but personally I prefer the Blue Bar. These are also a warmer water species and so will more than likely manage to live their whole life in a reef.

As for YWG, these don’t NEED pistol shrimp however it’s recommended as they will build burrows with the pistol shrimp to home both of them. Also look into Stonogobiops and Amblyeleotris as these are similar but much less aggressive. In terms of gobies, I have a whole article about them if you’re ever interested in them (I've studied gobies for a good 5/6 years now so have figured out their slightly more advanced care or preferences).

 

[GreatDane_Dude]

Oh thank you! How can I find the article on gobies?

 

[FoolishWizard]

Is there anywhere to get captive bred blue spot jawfish?

 

[i cant think]

Oh thank you! How can I find the article on gobies?

If you search “Gobiidae” then it should show up with article in the title somewhere :)

Here it is as it may be hidden in many other comments involving Gobiidae though.
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/gobiidae…-a-commonly-seen-family-yet-one-of-the-most-intricate.852/