Sand Sifting Madness!!!!!!

[Brandon1023]

Ok so I got one of these sleeper gobies yesterday

the one with the yellow. I got it because they sift the sand...well, my guy is so good at it, it's clouding up my tank!! The sand is flying around the tank, and while I can still see in there pretty clearly, it's definitely annoying! Will the sand settle or is this just gonna be the way it is unless I take him out??

[Matt Rogers]

It will settle down. My gobies did the same thing. Took a few days.

[Bruce]

Awsome, the colors is nice too.

[Pete]

Yes, he's a bit annoyiing at times, but there's not a harder working fish in my tank. I swear I've seen him with a hard hat on. I say keep him and give him a chance, I bet he'll become one of your favorite fish.

[JustPhish]

The sand will eventually settle, but the thing is the gobies will continue to dig it up, move up into the water column, and process the sand all over again. Soon they will start dropping it on your corals. While some will be able to slough the sand off, it will cause them to expend a huge amount of energy and could cause their steady decline.

Finally, those gobies are sifting through your sand....for food! And they'll find it. But after a while, they will strip your sand bed of all the micro fauna that is desirable and makes it live! I think you'll also find that these types of fish, while they do better in groups, will slowly waste away and die. They just don't have a good track record.

Good luck.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but these are a poor choice for anyone who wants a live sand bed and has corals.

[Brandon1023]

Hmm, I'm getting mixed responses here, hehe. I did have to move my plate coral already because he was burying it in sand. I actually like the spot the plate is in a lot better now, though. He ate a bloodworm that fell by him....oye. Well wouldn't a DSB in a fuge also contain that micro fauna? He wouldn't have access to that.... The thing is, to take him out now I would have to tear down the whole tank, almost.....and I hate that. So does my livestock. This is the only impulse purchase of mine in a LONG time. I simply wanted something to sift my sand, and the LFS was out of Sand Sifting Sea Stars. So I got him instead......I guess I will wait and see what happens, it's only been about a day. Not many other options now anyways except rip apart the tank or let it ride. I do like him a lot already, though.

[JustPhish]

Well I suppose it was good they were out then because at least you have a chance with the goby. However I believe you'll soon decide his cuteness is far outweighed by the pita he becomes dusting corals with sand and keeping the tank clouded up.

The sand sifting stars (the ones which bury themselves in the sand then surface and move to a new spot) will also clear out your sand with a quickness and eventually starve, probably underneath the surface of the sand, further fouling your tank.

Yes, a DSB in a fuge would also contain micro fauna, but there are few people I know of with a fuge that is equal to or larger in size than their main display tank. The large your sand bed is the better the benefit. If your main display has one that is cleared out of life and your fuge has one on a smaller scale you're not getting nearly the same benefits.

If you're looking for something to keep the sand turned over I would look into a simple cucumber if your tank is large enough you have the proper substrate to support one and perhaps some nassarius snails which can easily be kept fed and can turn the sand bed surface over on command if you have enough of them. The large pacific ones are even better, several times the size of the regular ones.

Again, good luck.

[Pete]

I don't want to appear to be debating this, I am an admitted newbie and humbly defer to the more experienced reefers. But, I wondered if you had read the fish of the month posting for April 06. You might find it interesting.

[JustPhish]

Originally Posted by Pete

I don't want to appear to be debating this, I am an admitted newbie and humbly defer to the more experienced reefers. But, I wondered if you had read the fish of the month posting for April 06. You might find it interesting.

I'm going to assume you're talking to me. In that event, no I hadn't seen the post you're referring to, but I did just look at it now. I don't see much info really, and none specifically about this actual fish.

It's early in the morning, I'm still at work after car wrecks all night long, so I only searched quickly on the latin name of these fish. When I get home and I have a moment to look through my books, I will try and post related info showing why I have said the things I have said.

In any event, here's some samples from an article I gotta say I was very happy and surprised to see right at the top of a search....

It's titled....The Fish Of Which Dreams (or Nightmares) Are Made:
The Genus Valenciennea

....."If you want an active, "live" sandbed, you do not want a Valenciennea.".....

......"So you don't want a live sandbed, and you don't keep corals? Great, keep reading. Valenciennea are fantastic aquarium fish!".......

The article can be found here... http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...hcs3/index.php

A good read. It makes no mention of the strigata's poor record in captivity though. But I do know it was a concern at least in the fairly recent past as I looked into these fish for my own tanks long ago. I'll see what else I can find when I am not pressed for time.

TTYL

[Brandon1023]

Well that's what I get for not taking my own advise to research an animal before I buy it. I read the article, JP, and thanks for your input. I will make a final decision after about a week and see what happens.................god I do NOT want to tear down this tank :mad: