Feeding a diamond goby

andrew jacoby · 01/20/2009, 06:26 PM

I am interested in any ideas or techniques people might have or use in feeding a diamond goby. I understand they sift through the sand to get their food and nutrients from there, but it doesn't seem to be enough. Mine looks a bit skinny and I am sure he would like more food. I currently feed flake food and mysis shrimp to my inhabintants.

Thanks

Andrew

surge19us · 01/20/2009, 06:36 PM

Mine eats mysis, rods food, or anything else he can get as well as sifting. The tank gets fed once or sometimes twice a day and he always eats. Been that way from the beginning. I always ask my LFS to feed so I can see if they take prepared food.

andrew jacoby · 01/20/2009, 06:39 PM

Does he just eat food that floats to the bottom or do you actually put food down in the sand for him?

JBuffetReefer · 01/20/2009, 06:43 PM

Your goby should be going after the frozen food when you feed your other fish.

If he is getting skinny, that could mean a parasite or he is ill. I had one that would sift the sand and eat but always looked skinny, then one day he died.

andrew jacoby · 01/20/2009, 06:46 PM

I just fed my fish and the diamond goby went after the mysis and ate some. My last one that died could of had a parasite or was simply old. He was a good 6" long. My new one is pretty small and healthy.

Thanks for the input.

surge19us · 01/20/2009, 06:54 PM

Yep they go after it. If he is really hungry he will swim up fairly high in the water column.

n2aviation · 01/20/2009, 07:33 PM

Same here. He'll (or she) will sand-sift and then go up to eat whatever I put in for the other fish like mysis.

rcgates · 01/20/2009, 08:51 PM

yipper, my sand sifter gobby is as much of a pig as all of the others when food is put in the tank. It goes after the mysis with the best of them and snacks between meals by going through the sand.

gsxr750 · 01/20/2009, 09:33 PM

yup mine swims to the top of the tank when i feed.

Playa-1 · 01/21/2009, 05:44 AM

My Goby takes the formula one pellets, both small and medium pellets seem to work well. He also eats like a pig when I feed blood worms. Goby's are known to be big eaters so I would suspect worms or illness if the Goby is not eating well or loosing weight.

Wgluther · 01/21/2009, 08:41 AM

I never had good luck with them. I had two at diff. times and both slowly wasted away even though they would eat like pigs when I fed them , which was once a day. I even tried to over feed them but they still would not thrive

L98-Z · 01/21/2009, 08:56 AM

Mine eats everything. Cut up shrimp, pellets, flakes... whatever. It has to reach somewhere near the bottom though. He also won't go after food if other fish are going after it.

Sk8r · 01/21/2009, 09:01 AM

try burying a frozen cube in the sand near his burrow.

Stray32 · 01/21/2009, 09:03 AM

Pellets sink to the bottom, easy access for him and less competition. My Diamond loves them.

ZoaFan08 · 01/21/2009, 10:54 AM

My diamond will swim almost to the top of the tank when I feed. He has also been known to chase away my yellow tang to get more food.

craftedpacket · 01/21/2009, 11:43 AM

I had a pink diamond and he would eat anything i put in the tank, he really loved the sinking pellets. But would go after anything such as mysis or flake.

01/20/2009, 06:26 PM	#1
andrew jacoby Moved On Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 100	Feeding a diamond goby I am interested in any ideas or techniques people might have or use in feeding a diamond goby. I understand they sift through the sand to get their food and nutrients from there, but it doesn't seem to be enough. Mine looks a bit skinny and I am sure he would like more food. I currently feed flake food and mysis shrimp to my inhabintants. Thanks Andrew

01/20/2009, 06:36 PM	#2
surge19us Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Willard, Oh Posts: 656	Mine eats mysis, rods food, or anything else he can get as well as sifting. The tank gets fed once or sometimes twice a day and he always eats. Been that way from the beginning. I always ask my LFS to feed so I can see if they take prepared food. __________________ Sean Current Tank Info: 120 gal 30 gal sump/fuge, ATB Econo 840 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40w, AC Jr., 2-250watt MH 20K Radiums, Lumen Max 2 reflectors, 2 tek T5 retro actinic, Prime chiller, ATO/kalk reactor, drews dosers on two part.

01/20/2009, 06:43 PM	#4
JBuffetReefer Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 510	Your goby should be going after the frozen food when you feed your other fish. If he is getting skinny, that could mean a parasite or he is ill. I had one that would sift the sand and eat but always looked skinny, then one day he died. __________________ Pour me something tall and strong, make it a hurricane before I go insane. It's only half past twelve but I don't care. It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Current Tank Info: 120 Gallon Tank soon to be reef tank & 34 Gallon Reef Tank

01/20/2009, 06:54 PM	#6
surge19us Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Willard, Oh Posts: 656	Yep they go after it. If he is really hungry he will swim up fairly high in the water column. __________________ Sean Current Tank Info: 120 gal 30 gal sump/fuge, ATB Econo 840 skimmer, 2 Vortech MP40w, AC Jr., 2-250watt MH 20K Radiums, Lumen Max 2 reflectors, 2 tek T5 retro actinic, Prime chiller, ATO/kalk reactor, drews dosers on two part.

01/20/2009, 07:33 PM	#7
n2aviation Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Owasso, OK Posts: 41	Same here. He'll (or she) will sand-sift and then go up to eat whatever I put in for the other fish like mysis. __________________ -- Serena and/or Mark "It's okay to talk to yourself. It's even okay to answer yourself. It only becomes a problem when you're talking to yourself and you go 'Huh?'" Current Tank Info: 90 gal. SW reef w/20 gal. sump, T5HO's...included in tank are fish & reef! LOL Plus, 29 gal. Peacock Mantis Shrimp SW tank w/LR&LS, & 10 gal. FO freshwater.

01/20/2009, 06:39 PM	#3
andrew jacoby Moved On Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 100	Does he just eat food that floats to the bottom or do you actually put food down in the sand for him?

01/20/2009, 06:46 PM	#5
andrew jacoby Moved On Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 100	I just fed my fish and the diamond goby went after the mysis and ate some. My last one that died could of had a parasite or was simply old. He was a good 6" long. My new one is pretty small and healthy. Thanks for the input.

01/20/2009, 08:51 PM	#8
rcgates Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast CA Posts: 319	yipper, my sand sifter gobby is as much of a pig as all of the others when food is put in the tank. It goes after the mysis with the best of them and snacks between meals by going through the sand.

01/20/2009, 09:33 PM	#9
gsxr750 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: sunnyvale Posts: 248	yup mine swims to the top of the tank when i feed.

01/21/2009, 05:44 AM	#10
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	My Goby takes the formula one pellets, both small and medium pellets seem to work well. He also eats like a pig when I feed blood worms. Goby's are known to be big eaters so I would suspect worms or illness if the Goby is not eating well or loosing weight.

01/21/2009, 08:41 AM	#11
Wgluther Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 106	I never had good luck with them. I had two at diff. times and both slowly wasted away even though they would eat like pigs when I fed them , which was once a day. I even tried to over feed them but they still would not thrive __________________ Bill Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't. Pete Seeger Current Tank Info: 90gl RR custom 36x24x24, MSX 160 skimmer , 20gl sump/fuge, dual 250 MH with two 65w cf actinics.

01/21/2009, 08:56 AM	#12
L98-Z Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Warner Robins, Georgia Posts: 1,230	Mine eats everything. Cut up shrimp, pellets, flakes... whatever. It has to reach somewhere near the bottom though. He also won't go after food if other fish are going after it.

01/21/2009, 09:01 AM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	try burying a frozen cube in the sand near his burrow. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/21/2009, 09:03 AM	#14
Stray32 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Castle Shannon (Pittsburgh) PA Posts: 897	Pellets sink to the bottom, easy access for him and less competition. My Diamond loves them. __________________ Thanks, Jared Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef, 30 Gal Frag Tank

01/21/2009, 10:54 AM	#15
ZoaFan08 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Alta Loma CA Posts: 1,211	My diamond will swim almost to the top of the tank when I feed. He has also been known to chase away my yellow tang to get more food.

01/21/2009, 11:43 AM	#16
craftedpacket Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Odessa, TX Posts: 239	I had a pink diamond and he would eat anything i put in the tank, he really loved the sinking pellets. But would go after anything such as mysis or flake. __________________ It overskims really wet with just the slightest of change in the alignment of the moon, it seems. - petes97 Current Tank Info: 140 Gallon Reef