Sand Sifting Goby is wasting away slowly

[yoyoyoo123]

It's been in my 30 gallon for about 3 weeks, took care of all of the hair algae growing on the sand. I try to feed it brine shrimp and pellets and even cyclopeeze, but it doesn't want to eat it.

It's stomach is completely pinched and I am afraid that it will starve to death soon. What can i try to do to feed it?

I can't catch him and remove him from the tank as there is too much rockwork and places to hide.

[sloshesv]

You can try to lace the sand with Formula II, but it's best chance may be a bigger tank. I had one in a 55 that did well for about a year and a half, but i think it eventual withcame to lack of food.

[whiteshark]

You must try as hard as possible to get it to take frozen foods. Mine was definitely on its way out when it finally accepted some frozen mysis. I started by using a pipette to place some mysis in the sand bed. Now, he is one of the most agressive feeders in the tank, going up in the water column to feed with the tangs.

[sloshesv]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7627934#post7627934 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by whiteshark
You must try as hard as possible to get it to take frozen foods. Mine was definitely on its way out when it finally accepted some frozen mysis. I started by using a pipette to place some mysis in the sand bed. Now, he is one of the most agressive feeder in the tank, going up in the water column to feed with the tangs.

Nice, i wish i had known about that. Get to work, my man!

[yoyoyoo123]

ok i will try that and i hope it works, he's very shy if i get a pipette near the sand he'll burst away into the rock, then the shrimps will come get things.. ARGH...

[whiteshark]

You can also try to feed it at night. Then maybe you won't have to deal with the shrimps as much. Keep using the pipette. Hopefully it will become comfortable enough with it to grab some food as you squirt it out.

[sloshesv]

This is what RC is all about.

[Mike 1911A1]

What kind of goby is he? I have a blue diamond and he has eaten like a pig since day one. Goes up into the water column and anywhere there's food. I feed frozen mysys, kril, brine.

Mike

[DaveG99]

My orange spotted goby started eating from day one. he eats flakes and mysis. He goes after the food as soon as I put it in the tank. I am sure that yours will start to eat soon.

[rich415]

I got my twin spot to start eating by using tubifex. After it ate for a while it slowly began to eat frozen foods for salt water fish.