valuable lesson

[rockiestring]

My tank has been set up now for more than a month, I decided to finally add a fish. I have a sand bed and was looking for something to dig through the sand and keep it stirred up a little. Well the manager of the lfs sold me a diamond gobie which I thought would do the trick. I got it home, acclimated him and away he went, digging little caves and moving sand around just like I wanted. I never saw him doing his work, its when I returned home is when I noticed all the piles. I kept my eye on the tank but never could see him, I finally gave up and went to bed with anticipation of what he will have done over night. upon awakening the first thing i did was look in my tank and noticed no more work has been done. Hmmmmmm. Still cant see him. Just for the heck of it I looked on the side of my tank and there he is lying on the floor I couldn't believe that I didn't even have him for 24 hrs and kapoot. Obviously, I didnt know the fish was a jumper but the manager should have told me. I looked up that fish on google and learned about the fish and its characteristics. Yep, its a jumper and they are known for this. I wished he would have told me so I could have put some type of cover on my tank. I now have some egg crates over it.
Another thing I learned was these fish will likely perish once they go through your sand bed and deplete his food source. They say your sand bed should be established with a lot of goodies in it. So basically he sold me that fish for all the wrong reasons.
I purchased a couple of clowns to get the tank going. Im still waiting for all these little micro bubbles to disappear from my hang on skimmer. The diffuser is spilling out tons of little bubbles. I heard after break in these should disappear.

I guess in short what I need to do in the future is to do my homework before purchasing any livestock.

[dzfish17]

You said it, always do your research before buying a new fish. You should go and talk to the person who sold you the fish and explain to him that in the future he/she should also do their research and explain the needs of the fish to the customer. If they feel that it is your responsibility only than take your business somewhere else.

Dave

[tangelo_]

I think almost everyone's been there at some time. I had a bicolor that would literally jump into my arms!

[dafunkyman]

My diamond goby never has had eating problems. He will dart across the tank if he sees anything moving even if it is algae. He eats the most in my tank and he eats brine shrimp, pellets, and flakes so I would not worry about eating issues. But my first goby jumped also. I had everything covered except for a small space between the front of my biowheel filter and the llight which he managed to get through. So careful of small spaces.

[scapes]

Originally Posted by rockiestring

I guess in short what I need to do in the future is to do my homework before purchasing any livestock.

+1. we've all done it, don't feel so bad!

[Angel*Fish]

Well said Rockie!
Here's a sticky from the RC Reef Fishes forum with a long list of fishes to avoid. And also a list of fishes for experienced or knowlegeable hobbyists.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1157901

[jayk198030]

The pet store doesn't usually care. There all about business. Always do your research and ask RCer's. There great. And we all have been there. I could have literally saved thousands of dollars with some time and research.Look at my threads, i have tons of stuff for sale.

[dzfish17]

I know we tend to bash the local fish stores but to be honest I have a place where the help really does care about the livestock. They will ask about the tank that a fish is going in and make educated statements about the fishes care. I still do my research but its nice to have a store that cares about what they do.

Dave

[ashevillereefer]

They will sell you anything then act like your the idiot cause it died.

[Zappo]

If you really want a goby to sift your sand, go for it! Just make sure the eggcrate lid you made doesn't have any big holes around filters/returns/etc that the goby can get through. They seem to settle down after a while, but they're likely to find any hole in the lid in the first day or two.

My experience with diamond gobies (once I goby-proofed the lid) has been similar to Dafunkyman's. They're a little slow to catch on to the fact that the bits of stuff flying past their head is food. But once they do, they'll eat anything pretty much. It's probably the most interesting fish in my tank to watch, and they really do keep the sand moving around nicely. They're comical too. Mine still hasn't quite got the hang of catching flakes caught in the current and frequently needs a few tries to grab them.

[SwampyBill]

Originally Posted by dzfish17

I know we tend to bash the local fish stores but to be honest I have a place where the help really does care about the livestock. They will ask about the tank that a fish is going in and make educated statements about the fishes care. I still do my research but its nice to have a store that cares about what they do.

Dave

Good for you, Dave. I wish there were more responsible store owners/employees out there that were more concerned with the animals in their care & not all consumed with making a buck. My favorite LFS here in Tampa Bay has extremely helpful, knowledgeable staff, & have even refused to sell livestock not appropriate for someones tank.

I agree with others-it's always best to make informed choices on livestock; ALOT of times impulse buys end badly when we get the animal home & THEN find out about it's requirements.

[Angel*Fish]

We have a LFS like that here, but their husbandry is stuck way back in 1989.

[Sk8r]

And just for the record, for a 50 gallon tank, a yellow watchman is a good sifter. A diamond goby does well in a 100 gallon tank with well-secured rock. They're the same size fish, but very different in requirements. Now---WHY fish stores stock more diamonds than yellows? Another question. Generally, yellows should be common, diamonds a special order only. But does the industry do that? No.

[rockiestring]

thank you so much for the advice. Im gonna look into the yellow watchman.