Goby Fever

[gummi]

My next additions will be a clown and neon goby. I think I saw somewhere that they are notorious carpet surfers.... is this true for all variations?

I dont know why but I dont want to cover the tank with net/eggcrate. It looks esthetically unsound to me....

[Alarmguy66]

Both cool fish, but an uncovered tank is an accident waiting to happen. Kind of like wearing a seatbelt, 99.9% of the time its a waste. Really nice to have that .1% of the time.

[kypatriot]

I've had a diamond watchman goby and a flame angel both carpet dive, so my tank is always covered now. In the summer I use eggcrate and glass in the winter.

The eggcrate isn't as bad if you trim it so that it fits into the frame on top (as opposed to sitting on top of the frame). It messes with the light though, so I have glass on the back half of the tank and eggcrate on the front to allow enough evaporation.

[salty55]

the clown goby won't carpet surf. he is a perching fish. mine perches on powerheads, the rock, in my frogspawn (mostly at night when the poyps are retracted) and even the glass. a very interesting fish to watch. my diamond watchman goby is contanstantly sifting the sand though. i haven't had any experienced a neon goby. but every goby has difference behavours. my next fish is a firefish goby. i am also hooked on gobies! they are amazing little fish.

[kypatriot]

Oh yeah - I have my 2nd firefish right now. The first one jumped out of my covered QT. There was a 0.5"x1.5" open place where the water returned from the powerfilter, and it jumped out through that and died.

I'd strongly recommend covering every tiny hole for a firefish. My 40g has no possible route of escape.

[gummi]

There are those tank-sized mesesh made for terrariums that look like great options, however, even though powder coated I believe they may rust...

[kypatriot]

and you can't get return lines, etc through them.

[marybeth1975]

I have a Citron Goby and I love him. I will have him a year in august. He is a tough little fish. I love to watch him perch. Not much help, just wanted to share my love of my goby!!!

[ahullsb]

My first diamond carpet surfed. I would recommend eggcrate although I am about to switch to some sort of netting because of a firefish.

[skippy2]

In the 5 yrs I have had a tank I had only 1 fish jump and that was a chromis. My ycg has been in my tank for almost 2 yrs now and only swims in the middle of the tank when she isn't perching.

[ledford1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10238696#post10238696 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alarmguy66
Both cool fish, but an uncovered tank is an accident waiting to happen. Kind of like wearing a seatbelt, 99.9% of the time its a waste. Really nice to have that .1% of the time.
I don't know about saying 99.9% of the time is a waste. Far from it IME.

I have had a wrasse jump. An eel escape. A Peppermint Shrimp jump out. And I have had a Dogface Puffer jump.

If you get a goby, or practically any fish, you're much better to cover the tank, and your fish will thank you.

[MC Lighting]

I have lost 3 of them in 6 months I am taking the idea of the DIY home made screens with a fine clear mesh....

[kypatriot]

I wish somebody sold fenestrated glass that would allow for evaporation.

[ahullsb]

Any link to the clear homemade screens? That is my next project...

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10238827#post10238827 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by salty55
the clown goby won't carpet surf.

LOL tell that to mine...

[Sk8r]

If you have a rising water current, say from a low outflow, fish tend to ride it for 'fun' and also because food in the wild often comes up on such upwellings and millions of years of evolution have combined fun, feel-good, and food for these fish. It's as important to keep upwellings from coming up near edges or hazards as it is to lid the tank, imho. But another, really good precaution is to rim the tank with a 9" false shell that's totally open on top [can support the light kit] and will dump any jumper back into the tank.