Sand Sifting Goby

[jayke]

I’m looking for a hardy sand sifting Goby that will last. I’ve been hearing that sand sifting gobies tend not to last long because the sand bed gets cleaned and then it just wastes away. Is there any sand sifting gobies that are hardier than others? I’ve heard the sleeper head sifting goby tends to be a hardier one, but I wanted to confirm first. I own a 425 lXL RedSea tank; 112 gallons total. Thank you!

 

[VA5]

I think they also eat regular food that drops to the bottom. I may be wrong but they’re not like sandshifting star fish that are obligate to sand shifting as their sole means of nourishment

 

[Who me?]

I’m looking for a hardy sand sifting Goby that will last. I’ve been hearing that sand sifting gobies tend not to last long because the sand bed gets cleaned and then it just wastes away. Is there any sand sifting gobies that are hardier than others? I’ve heard the sleeper head sifting goby tends to be a hardier one, but I wanted to confirm first. I own a 425 lXL RedSea tank; 112 gallons total. Thank you!

Diamond goby will make your sand sparkling clean. Mine readily eats frozen PE mysis as well, he's going on 4 years in the tank no issues.

 

[HuduVudu]

@jayke the sand grain size matters for all sifters, sugar being the best. A mixed grain size is ok but the sugar needs to predominate. Also you need a fairly deep bed, I would say between 1" or 2". A mature bed is a must here because they need enough to keep them going as you work to get them on prepared food.

Once you get the fish past the initial introduction then work to get worms in the area that they are sifting. White worms work best because they live longest in salt water. Black worms are fine but they quickly die and fish need to consume them quickly otherwise they just see them as carrion. To point live worms are going to be key here. Keep working on getting the worms to the sand without scaring the sifter and eventually they will know that they are a food source and will seek them out when they "smell" them. Do multiple small attempts a day so as not to overwhelm your tank with nutrients as you first work for introduction.

Sifters are some of the easiest fish to care for. FWIW it's worth I have two signal gobies named pickles and ice cream.

 

[i cant think]

These ones you need to be cautious around are Valenciennea. These are the worst to try and keep, orange spots seem the best to try however you need a good 3” deep sand bed that’s mature (I’d say Atleast 2 years old if not 3-5).
I don’t recommend this genus as they eat much more out of the sandbed than what the other genera eat. Valenciennea really should be left for the mature and medium to large (4’+) tanks with thick sandbeds.

The easiest species to keep are Koumansetta hectori and Koumansetta rainfordi. These are much more relaxed when sandsifting but also will eat the algae that builds up on the sand so they don’t need as much of a mature sandbed as others may need. These are also relatively difficult to get feeding if you don’t already have it eating however I found mine to eat quite fast once he was in the tank with other fish.

Signigobius biocellatus is a goby I wouldn’t recommend to beginners as they’re harder to care for than most other gobies.

Amblygobius species are also great for sandsifting and don’t decimate the sandbed unlike valenciennea. They’re slightly harder to find though.

 

[jayke]

These ones you need to be cautious around are Valenciennea. These are the worst to try and keep, orange spots seem the best to try however you need a good 3” deep sand bed that’s mature (I’d say Atleast 2 years old if not 3-5).
I don’t recommend this genus as they eat much more out of the sandbed than what the other genera eat. Valenciennea really should be left for the mature and medium to large (4’+) tanks with thick sandbeds.

The easiest species to keep are Koumansetta hectori and Koumansetta rainfordi. These are much more relaxed when sandsifting but also will eat the algae that builds up on the sand so they don’t need as much of a mature sandbed as others may need. These are also relatively difficult to get feeding if you don’t already have it eating however I found mine to eat quite fast once he was in the tank with other fish.

Signigobius biocellatus is a goby I wouldn’t recommend to beginners as they’re harder to care for than most other gobies.

Amblygobius species are also great for sandsifting and don’t decimate the sandbed unlike valenciennea. They’re slightly harder to find though.

Thanks so much for your informative post. I have been thinking about a Amblygobius, since I’ve been researching and they said that it tends to be the hardier sand sifting goby. My sand bed is about 2 years old and I’m starting to have less time to keep it cleaned, so thought about getting a hardy goby. Thank you so much.

 

[vinvinaa]

Hi all,

I just setup my tank for 10 days. I am planning to put goby as the first fish after finishing the n cycle. Which one you will recommend? I only got 2-3 cm deep sand and I would like to have a goby+shrimp pair if possible.

 

[taulgrl]

I’ve had a diamond goby just under a year now. Keeps the sand around its lair super clean and eats all frozen I throw into tank. sandbed only 1” deep and tank was ~1 yr old when I put him in. Since then he has grown about 2x. I’ve heard they are jumpers so make sure you have a tank lid.

 

[i cant think]

Hi all,

I just setup my tank for 10 days. I am planning to put goby as the first fish after finishing the n cycle. Which one you will recommend? I only got 2-3 cm deep sand and I would like to have a goby+shrimp pair if possible.

It really depends on tank size (specifically dimensions).

 

[vinvinaa]

It really depends on tank size (specifically dimensions).

My tank is 100cm x 30cm x 40cm.

 

[vinvinaa]

My tank is 100cm x 30cm x 40cm.

Here is my tanks's building thread:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-rimless-narrow-tank.923807/#post-10456524

 

[BlueDamselReef]

Diamond Goby...just make sure to spot feed them when you feed the tank since they stay at the bottom/sand bed.

 

[Jesse571]

I’m looking for a hardy sand sifting Goby that will last. I’ve been hearing that sand sifting gobies tend not to last long because the sand bed gets cleaned and then it just wastes away. Is there any sand sifting gobies that are hardier than others? I’ve heard the sleeper head sifting goby tends to be a hardier one, but I wanted to confirm first. I own a 425 lXL RedSea tank; 112 gallons total. Thank you!

I have a brown bar sand sifter goby that does a great job but also it’s frozen mysis and pellets. Had it for over 3 years now

 

[vinvinaa]

Diamond Goby...just make sure to spot feed them when you feed the tank since they stay at the bottom/sand bed.

Diamond Goby can pair with a shrimp, right? Should I wait more time to add the shrimp or add them together?

 

[PeterEde]

I have a chocolate goby. It's constantly sifting sand and eats whatever else I put in. flake, mysis, brine.

 

[BlueDamselReef]

Diamond Goby can pair with a shrimp, right? Should I wait more time to add the shrimp or add them together?

No, diamond gobies do not pair with shrimps but there are other gobies that do pair with shrimps. Usually you'll see them in the fish store together and sold as a pair, so yes, you want to buy them together.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I love my Diamond Goby!

 

[vinvinaa]

No, diamond gobies do not pair with shrimps but there are other gobies that do pair with shrimps. Usually you'll see them in the fish store together and sold as a pair, so yes, you want to buy them together.

I think I mixed up diamond goby with orange spotted goby.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Diamond gobies are wonderful, they dont dump sand all over your rocks and corals. DO NOT get a diamond goby without the most Lvl 3 maximum security prison lid you can find. They will find the smallest opening and go carpet surfing. DO NOT doubt their jumping accuracy as you will lose.