Sand shifting goby does he need to go?! Coral pros only please

[Frizzy reefnewb]

I have a big sand shifting goby and it’s a love hate relationship....he dumps sand on my corals never actually buried them except my plate coral who got over it but I got a new expensive trachy coral and he keeps dumping sand on it nothing insane but it’s constantly being hit by sand and I’m afraid to lose it as it was very expensive my question is can the coral handle it or should I get rid of the goby and go back to crappy looking sand ....ugh decisions decisions ....

 

[PeterC99]

I have a melanurus wrasse and have the same issue. He got rid of all my bristle worms but is constantly digging up the sand and getting it on the corals.

Have attached gonis and cloves to small rocks to get them off the sand. Find that I get less sand on the corals this way.

Understand this love/hate relationship but love outweighs hate because now I can remove excess chaeto from my sump and not be stung by a bristle worm.

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

I have a melanurus wrasse and have the same issue. He got rid of all my bristle worms but is constantly digging up the sand and getting it on the corals.

Have attached gonis and cloves to small rocks to get them off the sand. Find that I get less sand on the corals this way.

Understand this love/hate relationship but love outweighs hate because now I can remove excess chaeto from my sump and not be stung by a bristle worm.

You think he can irritate the coral so much it dies? I read trachy corals do not like sand constantly being dumped on him and this one is very expensive

 

[jassermd]

I have 6 trachys, 8 scolys and 5 cynarinas on my sand bed along with their nemesis, the diamond goby.
The coral have been covered completely (never more than overnight) and nearly always have some sand on them… I try to dust off the sand regularly, but it’s a daily struggle.
I haven’t lost a single coral due to sand. That’s not to say it can’t happen, but if you’re meticulous, it won’t be an issue.

 

[PeterC99]

You think he can irritate the coral so much it dies? I read trachy corals do not like sand constantly being dumped on him and this one is very expensive

May depend on the coral but I don’t think most corals will be impacted by sand blowing around. Remember this happens naturally in the wild reefs.

Suggest attaching that one coral to rock and place somewhere the flow will keep sand down/away. That has been my best strategy to deal with sand movements.

Here is a pic of my spongodes. Has some sand on it but doesn’t seem to bother it.

 

[Mikedawg]

I've also had to mount on rock/cordon off my scolys, etc. with pieces of rubble because of goby behavior; fleshy corals have to work harder to rid themselves of sand. Worth it imo, but sometimes difficult to make your corals look like they have a "natural" placement. And, there are other types of gobies....

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

Just wish there was something that could clean the sandbed like the goby

 

[Cell]

Tigertail cucumber. But not for everyone or every tank.

 

[smiley28]

Sorry for the derailing… @PeterC99 nice spongodes coral!

 

[AlexG]

I avoid sand sifting gobies in part because they dump sand on corals. If there is enough irritation it can cause a coral to start to die. The other concern is that sand sifting fish feed on mico fauna in the sand and often deplete the sand in smaller tanks. Most of the micro fauna in the sand act as natural sand cleaners which often go unseen unless you get out the microscope. I use a combination of sand stars, sea cucumbers, conchs, and nassarius snails for larger sand cleaners which will not deplete the sand of micro fauna unless you get too many for a system. I always start slow with adding sand cleaners and observe for a month or so before I add more. The micro brittle stars, pods, worms, and other micro fauna will take care of the sand as well.

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

I avoid sand sifting gobies in part because they dump sand on corals. If there is enough irritation it can cause a coral to start to die. The other concern is that sand sifting fish feed on mico fauna in the sand and often deplete the sand in smaller tanks. Most of the micro fauna in the sand act as natural sand cleaners which often go unseen unless you get out the microscope. I use a combination of sand stars, sea cucumbers, conchs, and nassarius snails for larger sand cleaners which will not deplete the sand of micro fauna unless you get too many for a system. I always start slow with adding sand cleaners and observe for a month or so before I add more. The micro brittle stars, pods, worms, and other micro fauna will take care of the sand as well.

Yea I Dk if he is irritating the trachy coral but he keeps dumping sand on it it’s not buried just constantly having sand on it ...I think he’ll have to be taken out ...sad...bye nice sand