diamond goby missing...

[PirateToast]

Hi everyone… I’m beginning to worry that diamond gobies just aren’t my thing. My first one was a learning experience, I didn’t think I needed a cover, it died from carpet surfing. I bought 1/2” egg crate, picked up a second one, and he jumped out somehow. I now have ¼” clear netting in DIY screens covering the tank. I bought a third one…

I haven’t seen this one in two days. I don’t have a lot of hiding places. I’m not seeing evidence of sand sifting and his cave doesn’t seem super busy.

If he died in a rock slide, would the body come out eventually? What do you guys do when you can’t find a fish?

[Pife]

I give it some time like a week or two. Is the whole top covered. They as you know are great jumpers.

[MacWilliams]

Gobies tend to hid for a week or two until they adjust. Give it time and it should appear. I have a YWG that didnt come out for a month. Now i see it everyday all day.

[mkoop]

My Diamond actually digs out a burrow under rocks for himself. At night he covers the entrances with snail shells and some sand. If I didn't know exactly where his burrow was I'm not sure I'd ever find him. Once his burrow got set up he really only comes out to sift sand for a few hours a day and spends quite a bit of time in his burrow. Normally I see mine most active in the earlier morning hours.

[PirateToast]

I give it some time like a week or two. Is the whole top covered. They as you know are great jumpers.

Whole top is covered, the only possible way he could have jumped out is while I was working in the tank and I didn't see it. There isn't a corpse lying around the tank. Based on my past experiences, I'm super careful about this, but I do keep expecting to find him down there :/

[PirateToast]

Gobies tend to hid for a week or two until they adjust. Give it time and it should appear. I have a YWG that didnt come out for a month. Now i see it everyday all day.

I'll give it some time. The first one was a bit afraid as well, but only lasted a day. The second one lasted a week and was super active from the get go...

This one is the biggest one I've had by far. Maybe he got so big by being smart in the wild... i.e. hiding a lot!

[julie180]

If you are concerned that he has died, keep an eye on your ammonia level.

[x1C0DE1x]

I got a Diamond Goby 3 months ago and I it hid the 2nd da and I haven't seen it since.

[Jacket4256]

my yellow watchman hides most of the day, and every once in a while he will perch in front of his cave, this while the pistol shrimp throws sand everywhere fun to watch.

[Mg4life0331]

Gobies tend to hid for a week or two until they adjust. Give it time and it should appear. I have a YWG that didnt come out for a month. Now i see it everyday all day.

Same as me. The day I put him in he puttered around the back of the tank. The next day he was gone and I didnt see him for about 2 weeks. He found the tiger shrimp and decided to hide I guess.

[tthnow]

LOL! you still battling the escape from Alcatraz goby? do you have any small openings that can fit his body? mine did and jumped! and I can smell him under my desk.

the little bastards are SLICK.

[PirateToast]

LOL! you still battling the escape from Alcatraz goby? do you have any small openings that can fit his body? mine did and jumped! and I can smell him under my desk.

the little bastards are SLICK.

No, there's absolutely zero chance he escaped! I have 1/4" clear netting completely covering the top (he was fairly large as well). I find myself checking the floor all the time as well but hes not there, not behind it. I'm 100% sure he's in the tank, it's just a matter of dead or alive.

Has anyone ever had one die underneath a rock (maybe ammonia trap or rockslide) and never see his body surface either ever or just very late? I would think if he died underneath his body would surface at one point or the shrimp would take an interest.

It's so discouraging though, as it's my gf's favorite type of fish!

[PirateToast]

LOL! you still battling the escape from Alcatraz goby? do you have any small openings that can fit his body? mine did and jumped! and I can smell him under my desk.

the little bastards are SLICK.

Gah, yes, this is goby #3! I just wish I knew his fate so I could tell if I have to move onto #4.

[Spork3245]

How long has it been since you put him in? They tend to hide for several days and, initially, startle easy. Check your sand bed in the morning to see if piles are moved.

[tthnow]

DG do not hide. They are not shy, those high fins and yasha's are.

DG shows no shame when it comes to shoveling.

[Spork3245]

DG do not hide. They are not shy, those high fins and yasha's are.

DG shows no shame when it comes to shoveling.

Except that I'm referencing personal experience and am only citing the first several days of a DG being thrown into a new environment, after such time they become as you described.

[PirateToast]

How long has it been since you put him in? They tend to hide for several days and, initially, startle easy. Check your sand bed in the morning to see if piles are moved.

I put him in on Friday. Saw him alive on Saturday morning. Peaked under a rock with a flashlight Saturday afternoon and saw him under there. Since then, I haven't seen him at all.

The original entrance he used for his cave is pretty well covered and I'm seeing very little evidence of him turning any sand. So weird.

I'm going to test for ammonia tonight. I just want to know his fate so I can replace him (and get #4) if need be.

[moe458]

I had the same issue. I had a couple of them. First couple of days they were around and then they disappeared into some rocks and never found them.

I hope you find yours man I hate loosing fish like that.

[PirateToast]

I had the same issue. I had a couple of them. First couple of days they were around and then they disappeared into some rocks and never found them.

I hope you find yours man I hate loosing fish like that.

How big was your tank? The crazy part to me is that my tank is only 60 gallons without a lot of rockwork, there are only like 3 places he could be.

I'm going to peel off my backing tonight and see if he's in a cave behind it somewhere.

[moe458]

Mine is 90 gallon with 140lbs of rock. They are cave lovers. Sometimes they go in and cant seem to get out or get hurt while getting in or out and may die how many days has it been now??

[PirateToast]

Mine is 90 gallon with 140lbs of rock. They are cave lovers. Sometimes they go in and cant seem to get out or get hurt while getting in or out and may die how many days has it been now??


Last saw him Saturday afternoon. So not quite three days ago.

[moe458]

Yea i am sure just hang tight for another 2 days or so and then start the quest

[sleepydoc]

My 2nd goby died in quarantine. Actually out of quarantine. I thought I had the tank covered but he managed to jump out of the space to the right of the filter & became fish jerky on the floor. :( My current one hides under a rock most of the day but comes out when he wants; yours could very well be alive and well and out of sight.

http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q660/p-testerman/GobyHole_zpsc7bf0ca9.jpg (http://s1352.photobucket.com/user/p-testerman/media/GobyHole_zpsc7bf0ca9.jpg.html)

[PirateToast]

Just to update this saga, I ran an ammonia test and it was 0. Which is evidence (not proof) that it's not dead Inside the tank. With my bad experiences in the past, I keep doubting myself and wondering if there's a way he jumped out and the dog/cat ate him. However, they didnt touch the last two and i've been super cautious.

I also looked inside the aquarium from the back side and couldnt find any trace.

[julie180]

Some times fish just go missing. He may be hiding in your tank, or you may never find him. I once lost a 6 line wrasse. It drove me crazy for several weeks. I was outside working in the area that I dumped my water from changes and there he was. I have no idea how it got siphoned out, but it happened.
If you have already lost 3 maybe its time to take a break from diamond gobies for a little while.

[Cymonous]

Do you possibly have any brittle stars? Or you may have some other predator in there that you are unaware of.

[MacWilliams]

Have you checked your sump? I've had a few fish take the ride down there.

[PirateToast]

I actually just got my sump setup two days ago... after he went missing.

The only predators I have are a coral banded and mystery wrasse, doubt they could take him out, as he was pretty big.

Im throwing in the towel on him and will go for #4 in a week or two.

[Spork3245]

I actually just got my sump setup two days ago... after he went missing.

The only predators I have are a coral banded and mystery wrasse, doubt they could take him out, as he was pretty big.

Im throwing in the towel on him and will go for #4 in a week or two.

I may get flack for this but I've heard a lot of stories of CBS killing fish (I've heard a lot about ones whom are model citizens too, their personalities seem to vary greatly from specimen to specimen), though I'm sure you would've found remains as shrimp aren't the "neatest" of eaters.
Anyway, if by chance he's still alive you'll find out soon as two sand sifting gobies generally won't get along unless a bonded pair.

[jimnchal]

If you have an overflow I would check in there.

[PirateToast]

I'm in full blown panic mode right now. I had to move my tank around a little bit yesterday (I was installing my sump), and now my mystery wrasse has gone missing today.

It's possible I scared him into hiding, as the aquarium was shaking quite a lot when I was moving it... but the same story as before. There just aren't a lot of hiding places in my tank!

The previous two gobies jumped to their deaths AND I found their bodies. I haven't found either of these bodies. Do I have a predator in my tank somehow?????

[MacWilliams]

You could. Tho with wrasse they will borrow under the sand so he could be anywhere just give it time.

[ca1ore]

Don't believe Mystery Wrasses bury themselves in the sand. Frankly, in a reef tank, most fish that die just disappear. CUC takes care of the bodies very quickly. While it's appealing to suspect a lurking 'boogey man' (because at least it's an explanation), my suspicion is that most fish deaths are related to nutrition, handling stress or disease ..... not predation. I'd also be surprised if a single dead fish would drive ammonia to the point where it would be detectable. Massive die off, or a very large fish maybe; but a small one, doubtful.

I don't find diamond gobies to be particularly easy to keep. Absent the jumping problem, they can be tough to acclimate, and often do not get enough to eat.

[MacWilliams]

Ok i wasnt sure about Mystery wrasse. I have a Yellow Wrasse and he does it as i believe my sixline does as well. Havent seen him burrow. But he disappears at night. Could just be hiding in the rock work.

[PirateToast]

Don't believe Mystery Wrasses bury themselves in the sand. Frankly, in a reef tank, most fish that die just disappear. CUC takes care of the bodies very quickly. While it's appealing to suspect a lurking 'boogey man' (because at least it's an explanation), my suspicion is that most fish deaths are related to nutrition, handling stress or disease ..... not predation. I'd also be surprised if a single dead fish would drive ammonia to the point where it would be detectable. Massive die off, or a very large fish maybe; but a small one, doubtful.



I don't find diamond gobies to be particularly easy to keep. Absent the jumping problem, they can be tough to acclimate, and often do not get enough to eat.


I just cant imagine the wrasse suddenly dying, without showing any signs of bad health, and then not finding a body! I dont have tgat extensive or efficient of a CUC to just makr it completely disappear!

[julie180]

Fish can get a lot further away from your tank than you think. I found a small wrasse about 6 feet from the tank.
I also agree, some times they just go missing. Might get caught in a place you don't even know exists under a rock and gets consumed by cuc.

[Tom39]

Do you have a sump and did you check in there? The last YWG that I had, had a death wish and swam to the top of the tank, went through the 1/4" wide slots of my interior overflow box, got sucked down the drain tube, landed in my filter sock and I found him dead the next time when I cleaned the filter sock.

HIH
Tom G

[Spork3245]

I don't find diamond gobies to be particularly easy to keep. Absent the jumping problem, they can be tough to acclimate, and often do not get enough to eat.

My DG was the 2nd marine fish-type I bought after my 2 clowns, ate prepared food, including flakes and pellets, from day 1 (as well as pretty much anything else that floats by him...) and has given me zero issues.
Maybe I'm lucky but he's been incredibly easy and probably one of my most well behaved fish if you discount his constant picking up of nassarius and cerith snails and throwing them to the opposite side of the tank and ripping seaweed off clips for no apparent reason.

PirateToast, have you checked your levels? If they are fine and your wrasse doesn't appear soon I would consider starting to check for predators. :(

[Irishdolphin]

Any news on the DW and the wrasse?

[PirateToast]

Any news on the DW and the wrasse?

I'm positive both are dead. I chalk it up to poor planning on my part, I should have had my rocks secure and sump in place before starting the tank. I'm assuming that:

-Diamond Goby died in a rock slide
-Mystery Wrasse died of popeye as a result of rocks banging into him

I never found dead corpses, they simply disappeared. However, I added a 4th diamond goby a week ago who has been doing amazing. He's always out and about and seems stress free. As diamond gobies aren't compatible together, I'm taking this as proof the other one is gone.

I hope to replace the mystery wrasse soon, I loved that fish as well.

I guess this is all part of the pains of learning about the hobby. Sooo many things I'll do differently when I upgrade to a larger tank someday.

[Pife]

I wish you better luck with the 4th one. I hope this one makes it.

[smsadmin]

That is terrible news on the mystery wrasse, love those and hope you get to replace soon. I have a DG that I wish I could catch without destroying my tank. Has caused a rock slide which luckily didn't cause much damage, but sifts so much the water is never as clear as I want it to be. He is a little over 4 inches now.

[NeonNoodle]

I had a firefin goby go missing like two days ago. I also have an engineer goby, my only guess is the poor little guy got buried alive in his burrow during all the engineer's digging. The engineer has like 30 burrows and tunnels and the firefin seemed to use them all but they change every week so i dont even know where to start looking. oh well...

[rkh666]

...great! I just bought a diamond today. Lovely little guy has spent all day sifting and then barricading himself under a rock for the night. I have a fluval M60 with an open top, I didn't realize they where jumpers. Its just him and 2 ocellaris clowns but I guess I should get a screen tomorrow to be on the safe side.

[PirateToast]

...great! I just bought a diamond today. Lovely little guy has spent all day sifting and then barricading himself under a rock for the night. I have a fluval M60 with an open top, I didn't realize they where jumpers. Its just him and 2 ocellaris clowns but I guess I should get a screen tomorrow to be on the safe side.


Yes! Screen it up asap! Never know if you have a jumper or not. Without aggressive tankmates, your risk is lower, but just about anything can make them jump. Cover every space, use 1/4" clear screen.

[PirateToast]

For those asking, I never found the diamond goby. The mystery wrasse died of popeye (likely due to a rock slide) and his corpse was never found.

Now the good news! I have successfully kept diamond watchman #4, mystery wrasse #2, a yellow coris, a flame angel, and a pair of clowns together peacefully for a few months. The diamond has a ton of personality!

For this DW, i actually picked out a smaller one at the store, hoping hed cause less structural issues and be a bit worse at jumping. The new screen works well too!

Now if anyone could figure out my green hair algae my tank would be perfect!

[Whistl3r]

Great to hear your new goby is doing well. For what it's worth a dw will definately hide for extended periods. I have one I added to my tank that vanished on day 1. I had given him up as awol after a week and then out of the blue he appeared one afternoon 3 weeks later. He still runs for his burrow anytime he spots movement outside the tank but I see him daily now. No idea where he spent those 1st 3 weeks lol.