Should you dig up your dead?

New&no clue

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
3,541
Reaction score
12,173
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've had a YWG for about 8 months. He lives with a tiger pistol, and I see him out the majority of the day. However, for the past 2-3 weeks, I haven't seen him once. Just recently, the shrimp has started to come out of the hole, but still no goby. I am assuming he is dead:(. What do I do now? Should I try to find his body, or just leave it. I presume the CUC crew in the tank will take care of it, but I wasn't sure if he died in the hole if they will go in to get him. I also don't want to injury the shrimp while moving rocks and digging around for him.
 

ReefGrammie

Must...stay...away...from...live...sales...
View Badges
Joined
Nov 23, 2019
Messages
2,631
Reaction score
15,866
Location
Tennessee
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I agree with the above poster. Is there any way the YWG could have jumped? Years ago, I had a goby jump and found him behind the tank...probably several days after the fact. It was a sad find. Hopefully, you can find another goby that will pair up with the shrimp. I was able to successfully pair up my shrimp again after the goby jumped.
 

wolfthefallen

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 21, 2018
Messages
136
Reaction score
150
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Don't go digging. The pistol shrimp has probably already ate him along with the rest of the CuC. Or he jumped and went carpet surfing. I would check your parameters and see if you need to do some water changes.
 
OP
OP
New&no clue

New&no clue

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
3,541
Reaction score
12,173
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks all, that is what I figured. I don't think he jumped as I have a pretty tight lid, but I had a fish in a different tank jump, and I would say it was impossible with that lid as well. I checked around and didn't see him on the floor, but we do have dogs here, so he could have become a snack. I've been looking for a new goby to add-in, but it's hard to find fish these days. My LFS doesn't have many in, so I may start searching online.
 

SteveG_inDC

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2020
Messages
383
Reaction score
545
Location
Washington, DC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not to create false hope, but if you have a lot of rockwork the fish may be alive. I've lost fish for up to 6 months, said last rites, kiddush, and all other manner of death rituals only to have it show up one day during a water change. I wouldn't expect a paired goby to leave its shrimp/hole, but I suppose they could have gotten a divorce and been banished.
 

Biglew11

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 10, 2020
Messages
1,577
Reaction score
1,882
Location
New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
it shouldn't be a problem pairing the shrimp with another goby. my candy cane pistol is currently with its 3rd partner, an orange stripe goby.
 

snowhite

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 17, 2019
Messages
387
Reaction score
360
Location
Smyrna, TN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
We had a black watchman goby assumed gone for 3-4 months or more in our 32g BioCube.

Was cleaning out the refugium in back one day with flashlight and there he was... Black on Black I just hadn't seen him back there in all that time. He was fat and happy. Was very reclusive and squinty eye'd for a while after being tossed back in the main tank area. He was small enough when we first put him in that he went through the return flow slots into the back and to stupid to find his way back out. Then grew to where he couldn't get back out.
 

ZoWhat

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
9,897
Reaction score
17,531
Location
Cincinnati Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Its the Circle of Life reality check

giphy.gif
 

Vette67

Reefing since 1997
View Badges
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
1,089
Reaction score
3,087
Location
North Olmsted, Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had a lawnmower blenny die a couple months back. I saw the body under one of my corals. I intentionally left it there as a snack for my hermits and bristle worms, as was said, circle of life. Within 2 days, there was no trace that the fish had even existed. So I would say by the 3 week mark, there is very little chance that you would even be able to find anything to dig up.
 

Daniel@R2R

Living the Reef Life
View Badges
Joined
Nov 18, 2012
Messages
37,364
Reaction score
63,260
Location
Fontana, California
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I agree with the posts above. If it's truly dead, the CUC will take care of it. He may still be alive and you'll see him pop up after you thought he was gone (my swalesi basslet did exactly that). The only time I remove any dead fish from my tank is if I see it in there and can get to it fairly easily.
 
OP
OP
New&no clue

New&no clue

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
3,541
Reaction score
12,173
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
:( How else do you think it could have died.

I’m not sure he seemed fine one day and gone the next

Not to create false hope, but if you have a lot of rockwork the fish may be alive. I've lost fish for up to 6 months, said last rites, kiddush, and all other manner of death rituals only to have it show up one day during a water change. I wouldn't expect a paired goby to leave its shrimp/hole, but I suppose they could have gotten a divorce and been banished.

it’s only a 30 gallon. So I’d think I would have noticed him by now.

We had a black watchman goby assumed gone for 3-4 months or more in our 32g BioCube.

Was cleaning out the refugium in back one day with flashlight and there he was... Black on Black I just hadn't seen him back there in all that time. He was fat and happy. Was very reclusive and squinty eye'd for a while after being tossed back in the main tank area. He was small enough when we first put him in that he went through the return flow slots into the back and to stupid to find his way back out. Then grew to where he couldn't get back out.

It’s an AIO with small returns. I thought he might have jumped at first because he seemed fine and then disappeared.
 

mucky1957

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 18, 2013
Messages
353
Reaction score
266
Location
Manchester. England
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not to create false hope, but if you have a lot of rockwork the fish may be alive. I've lost fish for up to 6 months, said last rites, kiddush, and all other manner of death rituals only to have it show up one day during a water change. I wouldn't expect a paired goby to leave its shrimp/hole, but I suppose they could have gotten a divorce and been banished.
kiddush = kaddIsh..lol
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 53 48.6%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 60 55.0%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 25 22.9%
  • None.

    Votes: 28 25.7%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 8.3%
Back
Top