Fish Of The Week - Gobies
- Thread starter seffieuk
- Start date
TigerIssey
Queen TI
Yellow Watchman Goby
He is the Grumpy old man of the aquarium. Digs for England under my rockwork, am considering getting him a shrimp partner when the 6 ft is running. One of the Amblygobious shrimp gobies.
Does not get on with any other tank mate at all, just about succumbed to the Blood Shrimps cleaning habits.
Hates the Blenny and Tang with a passion and will not let anything anywhere near his burrow.
Will eat anything, but sifts the sand beautifully and leaves me with some lovely looking sand dunes.
He is the Grumpy old man of the aquarium. Digs for England under my rockwork, am considering getting him a shrimp partner when the 6 ft is running. One of the Amblygobious shrimp gobies.
Does not get on with any other tank mate at all, just about succumbed to the Blood Shrimps cleaning habits.
Hates the Blenny and Tang with a passion and will not let anything anywhere near his burrow.
Will eat anything, but sifts the sand beautifully and leaves me with some lovely looking sand dunes.
kj23502
lazy dayz
I had a pair of yasha gobies w/a red banded pistol shrimp. Exciting to see the symbiotic relationship.
And a yellow clown goby. Clown goby didn't last long though
Seems as though he wouldn't eat.
And a yellow clown goby. Clown goby didn't last long though
Seems as though he wouldn't eat.
Buddyboy67
Fish Herder
Gotta just love those yasha's .... to say i'm jealous is beyond an understatement !!!
kj23502
lazy dayz
lol thx Buddyboy
More just for you. Although I haven't seen the second goby in about a week
I fear the worst.
More just for you. Although I haven't seen the second goby in about a week
I fear the worst.
Buddyboy67
Fish Herder
Circus goby..
Shy and retiring, prefering to live amongst rockwork and popping out occasionally at feeding times..
These little 2" gobies are quite stocky and have exceptionally large mouths, used to scare off attackers, with beautiful serrated dorsal fins and obvious black and white barring...
They eat algae and most frozen and prepared marine foods
Court Jester..
Small sand and detritus sifting goby, reaching 1.5", looking more like a pygmy wrasse at times..
Will eat hair algae and any small food items offered as they have very small mouths for a goby..
Hi fin/ banded Goby..
Another small 1.5" goby but with a big attitude, have seen mine even turn the flame angel...
Burrowing species and makes a good partner for a pistol shrimp...
Has a very large mouth and will eat large food items for it's size, liking all frozen and prepared foods
Aggressive display is done by opening it's mouth amazingly wide, showing it's "fangs" and charging any fish that get to close for it's liking
My watchman..
Amblygobius stethophthalmus
Head-stripe goby....
This 3-4" sand sifter is a great sand bed cleaner and eats basically anything it sees,lol....
Shy and retiring, prefering to live amongst rockwork and popping out occasionally at feeding times..
These little 2" gobies are quite stocky and have exceptionally large mouths, used to scare off attackers, with beautiful serrated dorsal fins and obvious black and white barring...
They eat algae and most frozen and prepared marine foods
Court Jester..
Small sand and detritus sifting goby, reaching 1.5", looking more like a pygmy wrasse at times..
Will eat hair algae and any small food items offered as they have very small mouths for a goby..
Hi fin/ banded Goby..
Another small 1.5" goby but with a big attitude, have seen mine even turn the flame angel...
Burrowing species and makes a good partner for a pistol shrimp...
Has a very large mouth and will eat large food items for it's size, liking all frozen and prepared foods
Aggressive display is done by opening it's mouth amazingly wide, showing it's "fangs" and charging any fish that get to close for it's liking
My watchman..
Amblygobius stethophthalmus
Head-stripe goby....
This 3-4" sand sifter is a great sand bed cleaner and eats basically anything it sees,lol....
OP
OP
seffieuk
I used to be indecisive but now I'm not so sure!
My lovely Dracula Goby, Stonogobiops dracula
Can be paired with a Alpheus randalli
They live in a burrow and shift sand, he would eat any food I put in the tank and could often be seen showing his impressive fangs to anything that came too close to him (although never saw him use them).
Rare as rocking horse p** so if you see one for sale and can accomodate him grab him while you can
unfortunatly mine was a casualty of the move to the five footer
Pink Spotted Watchman, Leptocephalus Prawn
At about four inches he is a large goby, fearless and eats anything I put in the tank. moves the sand around alot, as he is ever on the move
Seffie x
Can be paired with a Alpheus randalli
They live in a burrow and shift sand, he would eat any food I put in the tank and could often be seen showing his impressive fangs to anything that came too close to him (although never saw him use them).
Rare as rocking horse p** so if you see one for sale and can accomodate him grab him while you can
unfortunatly mine was a casualty of the move to the five footer Pink Spotted Watchman, Leptocephalus Prawn
At about four inches he is a large goby, fearless and eats anything I put in the tank. moves the sand around alot, as he is ever on the move
Seffie x
Buddyboy67
Fish Herder
Nice seffie and the pics getting better every day now..a force to be reckoned with soon I'd say
kj23502
lazy dayz
nice photos everyone.
Buddy looks like you have quite the goby collection
Buddy looks like you have quite the goby collection
Buddyboy67
Fish Herder
Bit of a soft spot for these little guys, yep !!...
shibby
Fish Herder
Sharknose goby - Gobiosoma evelynae
much like a neon goby apparently rarer but coming avaliable alot more recently brilliant little fish great cleaner much better alternative to a cleaner wrasse! unfortunetly quite small and quick and ive been unable to get a picture of it! il edit this when i do.
much like a neon goby apparently rarer but coming avaliable alot more recently brilliant little fish great cleaner much better alternative to a cleaner wrasse! unfortunetly quite small and quick and ive been unable to get a picture of it! il edit this when i do.
OP
OP
seffieuk
I used to be indecisive but now I'm not so sure!
What does Bob Fenner have to say about Gobies:
Gobies are the largest group of marine fishes, and fresh, brackish and salt combined; and the dominant element in small-fish bottom fauna on tropical reefs. Laugh if you will at the comical, shy gobies; it is they that will have the last chuckle. Yes, someday (soon) you will plunk down your hard earned cash to buy them.
Most species live in, on, or near the bottom and are of small size. One super goby species attains a gargantuan eighteen inches, but almost all his kin are less than four inches in total length. The family contains the world's smallest fishes and vertebrate. Trimmatom nanus of the Indian Ocean females reach a mere 8-10 mm. There are other goby species only slightly larger.
Many of the gobies live in close association with invertebrates such as sponges, shrimps and sea urchins; regardless of goby size, they become the center pieces of an aquarium when maintained with them.
Diversity/Classification:
Take ten big breaths Dear Reader; if the sheer diversity and size of such families as the Butterflyfishes, Cichlids or Damsels was impressive, "you ain't seen nothing yet".
In recent times the Suborder Gobioidei has been divided into as many as six separate families. "Clarity is pleasurable", and for simplicity's sake we will stick with the historical two, the freshwater loach gobies, family Rhyacichthyidae of the Indo-Australian archipelago, & the humungous family Gobiidae. Alternatively you may find numerous families and subfamilies of "true" and fancifully named gobies in the literature and real life; the Odontobutidae, the sleeper gobies, family Eleotridae, sand fishes or sand gobies, family Kraemeridae, the obscure Xeristhmidae, worm- or Dartfishes, family Microdesmidae, and the family Schindleriidae. You'll forgive me if we don't list all the subfamilies.
All told the gobies number some 267 genera and 2,100 described species with many more to come. All but about 200 are marine; mostly tropical and subtropical reef.
We will definitely be highlighting just the most common and available types of interest to marine aquarists here, but I trust the above gives you pause to consider just how vast your possibilities are.
What's A Goby?:
The gobies are grouped together on the basis of several hard to discern characters; bones of the head, a family-unique sperm gland... but let me simply state some of the traits that are of use to us as identifiers and keepers of marine life.
Most live in or on the bottom and are aptly adapted for a demersal existence. They are roughly torpedo-cylindrically shaped, and have reduced lateral line systems coupled with enhanced vision. Generally gobies lack swim-bladders and display degrees of fusion of their pelvic fins that are located anteriorly under their pectorals and used as a sort of suction disc to help them stay in place.
In case you're asked, gobies can be readily distinguished from the numerous fellow bottom-dwelling blennies on the basis of dorsal finnage. Most gobies have two distinct top fins; Blennioids have a single long one.
Selection: General
Because of their diminutive stature and bottom orientation you have to look closely at these animals before purchasing. They really come in two qualities; sterlingly fit, and dismally doomed.
Examine the stock carefully for bloody or white markings; tanks with bloodied or dead individuals should be passed on.
Check their breathing, it should be regular and not labored; for most species kept 60-90 gill beats per minute.
Is the fish looking around, aware of it's environment and you? Gobies are heavily predated on; they are never "asleep at the wheel". If the specimens aren't alert, leave them.
Behavior:
Territoriality can be a big problem with some species, individuals. Make and use clear, seal-able containers if you don't have extra tank space to move bullies, bullied.
Predator/prey relations; oh yes, except for the species that have natural bad-tasting slime immunity (a term I just made up), like the coral, clown gobies, this group is like bite-size candy bars. Triggers, large angels, basses... most anything with a big enough mouth will suck them down.
Acclimation; maybe just a general note to place all the "colony" type species individuals all at once to reduce the likelihood and intensity of aggression.
Disease:
Gobioids for the most part are relatively disease resistant, with the exception of one type of disease, environmental. Though they have cycloid or ctenoid scales, they have about the same intolerance of harsh chemical treatments as "naked" fishes. Many more are bumped off from copper, malachite and formalin- containing medicants than from the infectious diseases they're used against.
Bob Fenner
http
/www.gobiidae.com/ Specialist Gobie site
Gobies are the largest group of marine fishes, and fresh, brackish and salt combined; and the dominant element in small-fish bottom fauna on tropical reefs. Laugh if you will at the comical, shy gobies; it is they that will have the last chuckle. Yes, someday (soon) you will plunk down your hard earned cash to buy them.
Most species live in, on, or near the bottom and are of small size. One super goby species attains a gargantuan eighteen inches, but almost all his kin are less than four inches in total length. The family contains the world's smallest fishes and vertebrate. Trimmatom nanus of the Indian Ocean females reach a mere 8-10 mm. There are other goby species only slightly larger.
Many of the gobies live in close association with invertebrates such as sponges, shrimps and sea urchins; regardless of goby size, they become the center pieces of an aquarium when maintained with them.
Diversity/Classification:
Take ten big breaths Dear Reader; if the sheer diversity and size of such families as the Butterflyfishes, Cichlids or Damsels was impressive, "you ain't seen nothing yet".
In recent times the Suborder Gobioidei has been divided into as many as six separate families. "Clarity is pleasurable", and for simplicity's sake we will stick with the historical two, the freshwater loach gobies, family Rhyacichthyidae of the Indo-Australian archipelago, & the humungous family Gobiidae. Alternatively you may find numerous families and subfamilies of "true" and fancifully named gobies in the literature and real life; the Odontobutidae, the sleeper gobies, family Eleotridae, sand fishes or sand gobies, family Kraemeridae, the obscure Xeristhmidae, worm- or Dartfishes, family Microdesmidae, and the family Schindleriidae. You'll forgive me if we don't list all the subfamilies.
All told the gobies number some 267 genera and 2,100 described species with many more to come. All but about 200 are marine; mostly tropical and subtropical reef.
We will definitely be highlighting just the most common and available types of interest to marine aquarists here, but I trust the above gives you pause to consider just how vast your possibilities are.
What's A Goby?:
The gobies are grouped together on the basis of several hard to discern characters; bones of the head, a family-unique sperm gland... but let me simply state some of the traits that are of use to us as identifiers and keepers of marine life.
Most live in or on the bottom and are aptly adapted for a demersal existence. They are roughly torpedo-cylindrically shaped, and have reduced lateral line systems coupled with enhanced vision. Generally gobies lack swim-bladders and display degrees of fusion of their pelvic fins that are located anteriorly under their pectorals and used as a sort of suction disc to help them stay in place.
In case you're asked, gobies can be readily distinguished from the numerous fellow bottom-dwelling blennies on the basis of dorsal finnage. Most gobies have two distinct top fins; Blennioids have a single long one.
Selection: General
Because of their diminutive stature and bottom orientation you have to look closely at these animals before purchasing. They really come in two qualities; sterlingly fit, and dismally doomed.
Examine the stock carefully for bloody or white markings; tanks with bloodied or dead individuals should be passed on.
Check their breathing, it should be regular and not labored; for most species kept 60-90 gill beats per minute.
Is the fish looking around, aware of it's environment and you? Gobies are heavily predated on; they are never "asleep at the wheel". If the specimens aren't alert, leave them.
Behavior:
Territoriality can be a big problem with some species, individuals. Make and use clear, seal-able containers if you don't have extra tank space to move bullies, bullied.
Predator/prey relations; oh yes, except for the species that have natural bad-tasting slime immunity (a term I just made up), like the coral, clown gobies, this group is like bite-size candy bars. Triggers, large angels, basses... most anything with a big enough mouth will suck them down.
Acclimation; maybe just a general note to place all the "colony" type species individuals all at once to reduce the likelihood and intensity of aggression.
Disease:
Gobioids for the most part are relatively disease resistant, with the exception of one type of disease, environmental. Though they have cycloid or ctenoid scales, they have about the same intolerance of harsh chemical treatments as "naked" fishes. Many more are bumped off from copper, malachite and formalin- containing medicants than from the infectious diseases they're used against.
Bob Fenner
http
/www.gobiidae.com/ Specialist Gobie site
OP
OP
seffieuk
I used to be indecisive but now I'm not so sure!
Remember, this is a shared and ongoing resource, so don't forget to pop back and update us with your new photos and experiences in the coming months
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