Unhappy Watchman Goby, Which Tank?

[Seajellyy]

My yellow watchman goby was doing really well in his tank. He lived in a tunnel under a rock and seemed overall very happy. Two clownfish live in the tank as well.

Last night I woke up around 4 am to get a drink and noticed some stuff in the tank that shouldnt be in there (I left the lid off ‍) and I figured it was the day before water change day anyway so I decided to go ahead and do a partial change. While I was changing it I noticed the debris and little bits of stuff that had ended up in the tank had all pretty much ended up in the sand. It was 4 am and I was tired and not thinking I guess and spontaneously decided this tank didnt really need sand (before getting the goby I considered ditching the sand several times because it would just never all settle well enough).
So dig my snails out, put them into my other tank that does have sand and got rid of the sand from this tank. After I finished my water change I noticed the Goby seemed really unhappy and wasnt near his home and realized how bad the decision to remove the sand was.... I felt awful. I moved him to another tank that has sand. Hes been in there for about 12 hours and hadn't settled in or even started hiding. I think he can see his old tank because he is swimming up and down the side of his tank looking into the other one. I think he really wants to go back to his old rock.. but I can't put him back in unless I add more sand right..? I almost didnt post this because I'm not sure if I'm making a big issue out of nothing but I am new to saltwater and really wanted to put this out there and get some feedback.

 

[P-Dub]

Technically, he doesn't NEED sand. The symbiotic relationship with a pistol or like shrimp who does all the burrowing provides the home for a watchman. I have seen watchman gobies in the wild perfectly content in a small cave or opening in the rock structure. Without a shrimp to dig a burrow, I think the watchman will adapt to no sand. He likely is stressed over the move and would probably be stressed again with the move back. That is a coin-flip only you can answer.

 

[4n2xtacy]

I'm new to saltwater tanks too,but I do a lot of research before getting any of my pets. Most fish I've discovered have some sort of specific job. Gobies are known to be sand sifters. That means they love a tank with sand to sift. They eat up the algaes off the sand and sieve the sand out leaving you with a clean tank. Im sure he'll be happy in his new home with sand. Just give him a lil while to settle in. Although when a gobie is shy,they hide and when they become comfortable, they come out and sieve happily. Hope your baby gets happier, good luck.

 

[Seajellyy]

Technically, he doesn't NEED sand. The symbiotic relationship with a pistol or like shrimp who does all the burrowing provides the home for a watchman. I have seen watchman gobies in the wild perfectly content in a small cave or opening in the rock structure. Without a shrimp to dig a burrow, I think the watchman will adapt to no sand. He likely is stressed over the move and would probably be stressed again with the move back. That is a coin-flip only you can answer.

Okay thanks! If he doesnt need sand to be happy then I think i know what the answer is. He really loved his previous tank and rock but it was 4 am and everything felt urgent and rushed. I was afraid the debris that ended up in the tank accidentally could have contaminated the sand and was too worried about that at the time to consider the goby [emoji37]

 

[Seajellyy]

I'm new to saltwater tanks too,but I do a lot of research before getting any of my pets. Most fish I've discovered have some sort of specific job. Gobies are known to be sand sifters. That means they love a tank with sand to sift. They eat up the algaes off the sand and sieve the sand out leaving you with a clean tank. Im sure he'll be happy in his new home with sand. Just give him a lil while to settle in. Although when a gobie is shy,they hide and when they become comfortable, they come out and sieve happily. Hope your baby gets happier, good luck.

Yeah he was a perfect fit for my tank when it had sand. There were no pistol shrimp available at the time or I would have probably gotten one of them too. Both tanks are next to each other and the goby is used to the room and me so isnt hiding in the new tank but he stays on the side near his old one and swims up and down. I think he wants his rock back.

 

[4n2xtacy]

Yeah mine doesn't have any pistol shrimp and he's very happy. Im kinda worried about the pistol shrimps, knowing what they'll do to the inverts. I think his sand bed makes both the aquarium and gobby happy.

 

[Katrina71]

I would never have one without a pistol. The coolest relationship you can watch!

 

[Seajellyy]

I would never have one without a pistol. The coolest relationship you can watch!

Wish I could've found one when I got my goby but I live 2 hours away from any stores and when I took the trip to get my goby they djdnt have any [emoji31]