Quick Goby question before going shopping tomorrow :)

[alve]

I can't find my fish identification book at the moment and was planning on looking for a goby tomorrow at the Aquarium Showroom. Is the Diamond Watchman Goby the one that burrows a hole and stays in one spot? I believe there is another, very similar looking goby that moves around the sandbed more but can't remember the name. I am kind of looking for the one that moves around more to keep the sand bed looking nice. I know there are people that don't like them kicking up the sand but I don't mind

 

[alve]

I think that the Diamond watchman Goby is also called orange spotted sleeper goby. Could it be that the other one is just called orange spotted goby?

 

[Dyngoe]

Yes, the Diamond Watchman will build himself a little cave to hang out in as will many gobies. My engineer goby makes a series of burrows that he travels between during feeding but mainly hangs out in one. Well, I should say all this past tense since he's now in QT with his buddies and lives in a piece of 1" PVC .

BTW, here's some info on Live Aquaria:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1926+220&pcatid=220&N=0

 

[alve]

Thanks for the info Matt! I was actually just reading the page you gave me the link to. With the pilars I have now I know not to get the Diamond Watchman Goby. There would be a big chance he makes his burrow on the back of one of the pilars and I would barely every see him.

 

[Dyngoe]

Eh, I wouldn't worry. Mine (engineer) seems to like having a little 'beach' in front of his main burrow. I doubt he'd choose to be staring at a wall.

 

[phishphood]

Watchman gobies can be a PITA in terms of seeing them sometimes. Engineer gobies are a little active IMO.

Matt- watch the size of that guy. They can get pretty darn big and eat lots of things you don't want them to.

The fish called the diamond (watchman) goby (valencienna puellaris) isn't what I would call a typical watchman goby (at least IME as compared to a yellow watchman. I usually refer to them as diamond gobies, and they spend most of their time out in the open as opposed to the watchmen that I've had in the past. The diamond gobies really do spend their hours sifting sand (and keeping it on the sandbed, not your rocks/frags). This is as opposed to a golden-headed sleeper goby, which I've seen take a mouthful of sand and then swim into the water column and sift through it. The sand then gets everywhere.

Diamond goby- http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+220&pcatid=220

Orange spotted goby (Amblyeleotris guttata)- What you might be thinking about? Typical watchman style goby- http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+195&pcatid=195

Yellow/gold head sleeper goby- http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+213&pcatid=213

Random relative of diamond goby I think? Blue dot goby- http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+211&pcatid=211

 

[saltwatersig]

Alve.....be sure you take in consideration the "sand storm" effect, i purchased a couple of sleeper gobies a long while back (to stir up sandbed) and the first thing i did the following day was to return them. they were sifting the sand allright,as well as covering corals on the bottom 3rd of my tank and all you saw was what looked like a sand storm once the pumps hit the loose debri. good luck with your quest.

 

[alve]

Thanks for the detailed information phishphood and the warning about sleeper gobies Sergio! I will definitely stay away from those!

The Diamond Goby is starting to look like the better choice. Anyone have any problems with them throwing a sand storm? I had read about it but didn't expect it could be that bad. Maybe I should rethink about a goby for my sandbed since I have a lot of flow.

When I looked at the engineer goby information I thought it was a typo about them getting up to 1 foot

 

[Lyn]

I have seen engineer gobies a foot long. They are really neat for a large system - very eel-like.

 

[Dyngoe]

Oops, I don't know why I keep calling mine an engineer goby. I have a yellow watchman goby. You all got me worried for a minute there.

BTW, he's insanely social. I see him all the time.

BTW(2), If you want mine, he's all yours. I'm getting a new one tomorrow and I was thinking of trading mine in. The only reason is color, I already have a yellow wrasse and don't need two yellow fish.

 

[alve]

Thanks for the offer Matt but I rather stay away from the yellow sleeper goby after reading Sergio's experience with them.

 

[phishphood]

Alve- you should be fine with the YWG. Sergio was referring to sleeper gobies (I think) and not watchman-type gobies. I have rarely seen my diamond goby (and never saw my watchman when I had one) go more than a few inches off the substrate, and that was just to swipe some pellets/mysis. When the diamond sifts, he stays sitting on the ground for me. As have my previous 2. I can take a video once my tank lights come on, but that'll probably be too late for you.

So watchman/diamond goby - good
sleeper gobies- bad
engineer gobies- awesome in their own way. (Lyn, I've cared for 2 that were over 1')

 

[GreshamH]

There is no sand sifting goby that will stay in one place

 

[zambavi]

I had a Diamond goby in my last 75g mixed reef. Since... I have vowed not to put another one in a tank where I would keep corals or clams in the bottome third of the tank. The diamonds will grab a mouthful of sand and the swim around the bottom third of the tank dumping sand as it goes. Was responsible for completely burying a couple corals and killing a few more; also took out a clam. I like the diamond goby and its personality but would be careful of where I put corals/clams with one in the tank.

 

[phishphood]

Geesh, guess I'm the only one who's never had a diamond goby swim up in the water column with a mouthful of sand... Interesting.