Sand sifter

Bernie21 · 01/12/2009, 11:21 AM

I am looking to buy a sand sifting goby or sleeper goby for my tank, I want to know if a 92 gal w a 2" sandbed is good for him to have plenty of nutrients, I am probably going to add 1 more ich of sand. Also how old should the sand be before I consider getting him? There is no other sand sifter in my tank, so its all for him. Plase help, TY!

cloak · 01/12/2009, 05:24 PM

I'd make sure it's accepting prepared food first. Flakes, frozen, fresh. Worry about the damage on the fauna later.

kelley_mc · 01/12/2009, 05:56 PM

Without a doubt, get a Dragon Goby. Excellent sand sifter and they eat from the water column. I have one and love it. He lives in my 37 gal tank.

Bernie21 · 01/13/2009, 09:08 AM

A dragon goby, is that like a mandarin, Im sorry, can you post a pic. Thanks for the info guys. Im leaning towards yes, but Im not trying to kill the poor thing. Bump for more opinions please.

kelley_mc · 01/13/2009, 09:12 AM

Here you go:

The take the sand in through their mouth and extract it out their gills just like a sand sifting goby.

The problem with most sand sifting gobies is that they only eat from the sand and they can clean a tank out pretty quickly. Most starve and die. Dragon Gobies are known to eat from the sand and from the water column. Mine sifts sand all day long but when it comes to feeding time he eats mysis, cyclopeeze, spiraluna fakes, pellets, anything. I don't worry too much about him starving to death and my sand is white and clean.

Kazza24 · 02/09/2009, 04:43 AM

I have a pair of dragon gobies that are starving to death and I am at my wits end. I have tried putting sand in the sand bed and they pick up mysis in the water column but spit it out again. I have had them for 2 months and they haven't sifted the sand much. We used to have yellow headed sleeper gobies that moved the sand so much it was annoying. They also fed from the water column. They died as they were breeding and were stressed out and jumped out of the tank.
Please help I think one goby may die tonight. i don't know what to do.
Any suggestions?

kelley_mc · 02/13/2009, 07:48 AM

Mine LOVE veggie flake food, try that and see. I use Ocean Nutrition. They also don't eat mysis but do eat cyclopeeze.

01/12/2009, 11:21 AM	#1
Bernie21 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Miami, Fl... Posts: 2,161	Sand sifter I am looking to buy a sand sifting goby or sleeper goby for my tank, I want to know if a 92 gal w a 2" sandbed is good for him to have plenty of nutrients, I am probably going to add 1 more ich of sand. Also how old should the sand be before I consider getting him? There is no other sand sifter in my tank, so its all for him. Plase help, TY!

01/12/2009, 05:56 PM	#3
kelley_mc Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,543	Without a doubt, get a Dragon Goby. Excellent sand sifter and they eat from the water column. I have one and love it. He lives in my 37 gal tank. __________________ Thank you to our troops! Current Tank Info: 37 gal AGA with 20 gal sump/refugium, Coralife Super Skimmer 125, Current Sunpaq 150 watt MH, 2 Koralia Nanos for flow, Ebo Jager 200 and 150 watt heaters, 65 lbs LR (Fiji, Caribbean, Uaniva), Chaeto, Quiet One 4000 return pump, 24 watt UV sterilizer

01/13/2009, 09:08 AM	#4
Bernie21 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Miami, Fl... Posts: 2,161	A dragon goby, is that like a mandarin, Im sorry, can you post a pic. Thanks for the info guys. Im leaning towards yes, but Im not trying to kill the poor thing. Bump for more opinions please. __________________ Reefing is an addiction rehab doesn't work for... Current Tank Info: Downgraded to a 0 Gal non Mixed Reef - Direct sun watts & 1x moon Actinics. RIO 00 return, no skimmer Skimmer.

01/13/2009, 09:12 AM	#5
kelley_mc Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,543	Here you go: The take the sand in through their mouth and extract it out their gills just like a sand sifting goby. The problem with most sand sifting gobies is that they only eat from the sand and they can clean a tank out pretty quickly. Most starve and die. Dragon Gobies are known to eat from the sand and from the water column. Mine sifts sand all day long but when it comes to feeding time he eats mysis, cyclopeeze, spiraluna fakes, pellets, anything. I don't worry too much about him starving to death and my sand is white and clean. __________________ Thank you to our troops! Current Tank Info: 37 gal AGA with 20 gal sump/refugium, Coralife Super Skimmer 125, Current Sunpaq 150 watt MH, 2 Koralia Nanos for flow, Ebo Jager 200 and 150 watt heaters, 65 lbs LR (Fiji, Caribbean, Uaniva), Chaeto, Quiet One 4000 return pump, 24 watt UV sterilizer

02/13/2009, 07:48 AM	#7
kelley_mc Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,543	Mine LOVE veggie flake food, try that and see. I use Ocean Nutrition. They also don't eat mysis but do eat cyclopeeze. __________________ Thank you to our troops! Current Tank Info: 37 gal AGA with 20 gal sump/refugium, Coralife Super Skimmer 125, Current Sunpaq 150 watt MH, 2 Koralia Nanos for flow, Ebo Jager 200 and 150 watt heaters, 65 lbs LR (Fiji, Caribbean, Uaniva), Chaeto, Quiet One 4000 return pump, 24 watt UV sterilizer

01/12/2009, 05:24 PM	#2
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	I'd make sure it's accepting prepared food first. Flakes, frozen, fresh. Worry about the damage on the fauna later.

02/09/2009, 04:43 AM	#6
Kazza24 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Point Cook,Victoria,Australia Posts: 21	I have a pair of dragon gobies that are starving to death and I am at my wits end. I have tried putting sand in the sand bed and they pick up mysis in the water column but spit it out again. I have had them for 2 months and they haven't sifted the sand much. We used to have yellow headed sleeper gobies that moved the sand so much it was annoying. They also fed from the water column. They died as they were breeding and were stressed out and jumped out of the tank. Please help I think one goby may die tonight. i don't know what to do. Any suggestions?