Very Active Watchman Goby

hi i just got my first goby today together with a pistol shrimp and a skunk shrimp, and right now when the tanks light turned of because its on a timer, suddenly the goby is swimming up and down, side to side in my tank im scared he will jump out! are they normally this active at nite, now i know i have a good population of copepods but is he eating or just very active? anyone seen this behavior before?

 

Sometimes fish can go a little crazy when they're newly added, or at least in my experience. Exploring the new tank?

 

the goby now has lost its bright yellow color it looks very pale like if it were camouflaged, is this bad? i read somewhere else that they do that when they are about to spawn is this true?

 

from my experience fish change color when they are stressed. we got a couple of damsels and they changed from blue to black to white and all the colors in between, even when we move rocks they change color.

 

My yellow watchman goby turn a brownish yellow sometimes. In the evening, he will sometimes swim to the back corner of the tank and stay there vertically, as if he was about to take off and jump out, but he hasn't tried yet.

 

Be careful with the "stressed goby" syndrome. Our pinkbar took a leap onto the carpet after we added a blenny not too long ago...the most expensive fish would be the one that jumps. Thanks alot, Murphy He should calm down as he gets used to the new home.

 

Our yellow watchmen got chased out by my blenny also. We have bar gobies that have managed to live. probably cause they burrow. I wont get anymore possible jumpers until I get a hood of some sort. It's on the to do list.

 

Good News!! this morning my goby was bright yellow again, and is still hiding with the pistol shrimp, that bad thing is that i never see him only like 2 times but only his head when he is just barely looking out,, i hope to see him often! i kept searching and many people say that the change in color is due to stress, or that its a female that will spawn, or that its normal at nite and once the lite hits him he brights up again!!

 

Glad all is working out...

 

Sounds like he's on the right track. Goby's are fairly shy...especially after pairing up and not knowing there surroundings. Give him some time to learn and he'll be out and about soon enough.

I guess blennies have a thing with making gobies jump...