Anyones watchman climb the corner of the tank to the top?

sikpupy · 02/02/2009, 09:36 AM

Bought a teeny tiny (compared to others I have seen) yellow watchman. I first put him into a 10 gallon, inside a floating holder Hey now, was for his protection. Yellow damsel was beating the crap out of him!. Most times he would hide in the 1/2" pipe I had for him but if he got excited, he would go to the corner of the floater, where he would then face upward to the top of the surface, like he wanted to stick his head out of the water. He would then just stay there. He has no movement and looks like he is dead and just floating in a vertical position. Come near him and he freaks out, so rest assured, he is far from dead. I have had him for about 3 months now, so it is not like he is dieing. When he was in the floating holder, he was eating food. I would drop 3-4 pellets in the tank, go away, come back an hour later to find them gone.

I then finally, after a through freshwater dip and parasite investigation, stuck him in my 90 gallon tank. I put his trusty pipe in the 90 gallon with him but he has nothing to do with that. How long will it take for him to get adjusted? Will he get adjusted? I hope soon as I have a coast to coast overflow that will be running by end of night fall. If he does not learn what the bottom of the tank is for, he is gonna be surfing a 90gal VA tank shortly.

jedheuer · 02/02/2009, 10:43 AM

I had one do this and is was cause a fish was harassing him. It was a damsel as well. He was constantly going into my overflow box and sometimes down into my sump, so what I did was to weave several passes of fishing line in and out of the teeth of the overflow. This worked well and he could not go over. I removed the harassing fish as well. With regard to the behaviour, if it is not being harrassed it could be just his personality. Some watchmans are more active then others. Becareful to cover your tank though, they will jump out especially if harrassed and swimming rapidly around the tank.

sikpupy · 02/02/2009, 01:35 PM

Thanks for the feedback. No, he is not being harrased at this time, only when I first stuck him in the 10 gallon. He was small enough i was sure the yellow damsel would not care, but, I was wrong. That was only for 3 hours when I finally stuck him in the 3x5 floating breeder container. Even then, the little yellow bastard was poking at the goby throgh the plastic. I then turned off the lights and stuck a pipe in there for him to go in if he wanted. I did not want him to get so stressed after I first got him. Through the days, I upped the household noise (was being very cautious cause the tank is on the kitchen counter) and vibrations slowly. Sometimes he would already be out of his pipe and in the corner, with his nose just under the water line, when I come to feed him. Most times he is in his pipe. Now he is in the big tank, he is back to his old self up on the surface area, but, alas, that is where the overflow is too, lol.

I know they can all have thier own personalitys, but, I was just wondering if this was useual goby behavior?

Playa-1 · 02/02/2009, 02:30 PM

My Diamond Goby climbed out of his acclimation container and hopped in the DT

He was almost finished with the acclimation process and I watched him use his fins like arms and climb up on the ledge then he hopped over. It was an interesting thing to observe.

sikpupy · 02/02/2009, 03:12 PM

That WOULD be funny to watch!

I ......... am ........al.....most.......out......of.......here....... .....just ...... a ....... little ....... further ...... to ....... gooooo ......

"then the anthem plays" * born freeeeeee*

sikpupy · 02/04/2009, 07:54 AM

I was watching this dude from my couch, he does NOT like to be on the bottom, actually refuses to go there????

Has anyone ever seen one swim? Mine looks like it has a broken back? Front half of him looks like he is swimming and his second half of his body looks like it is paralized. When he tries to float around, it just dangles there. I know they do not have a swim bladder, from what I read, but, he looks like a a fish, bent 45 degrees and floating around.

Anyone know where I can find a video of one swimming around?

corbett_n · 02/04/2009, 09:21 AM

My YWG did the same thing because he was being harassed by my purple striped psuedochoromis. I put him in my fuge and he eating well and seems to do fine with all the rock and cheato in my fuge.

sikpupy · 02/05/2009, 08:38 AM

Yea, my purple sudo picked on him so bad in the tank that it ****ed me off. I grabbed the sudo, yoked his *** out and put him in with the yellow damsel and picked on him bad. Ha ha ha, how you like it NOW mofo!?

Another odd thing was that I had some home made rock in the tank he never went for. When I put a peice of fiji in the tank I had for 5 months now, the YWG dashed right for it, from the middle of the tank, and scurried under it. Still, even with no psudo, I found him in the overflow this morning. Sure is a hard headed dumb bugger, kind of like his owner

sikpupy · 02/10/2009, 09:14 PM

Okay, so, this can not be normal. He just sits there pressed up against the top edge of the overflow, just chillin with his head just baaaarley out of the water. It not like he is trapped. If i go to touch him, he takes off like a bat out of hell. Do I need to send him to the shrink?

SNAKEMANVET · 02/10/2009, 09:58 PM

If it ever comes down to the bottom,try getting a pistol shrimp for it to pair up with.That would help in making the goby feel more secure.My ywg was real skiddish for several months,then when I placed a tiger pistol with it sits in front of tunnel looking out watching every thing that goes on in your living room.It even eats from my hand now. Good luck.

sikpupy · 02/11/2009, 11:52 AM

I am a little hesitant on getting a pistol as I hear they tear up the sand bed and I am trying to get a DSB going. This is actually, for more reasons than one (all the diggin critters I have now), starting to become more of a pain in the @$$ worry than it is worth. I might just take out all the sand and say heck with it and let everone dig away to thier hearts content

SNAKEMANVET · 02/11/2009, 04:58 PM

I know how you feel,my duo has dug in every corner and around all the liverock.They will defiantly stir up your sand bed.

DamnPepShrimp · 02/11/2009, 05:21 PM

Mine was like that when I added everything over to my 120g. He stayed at the top the first few days, in the left corner of the tank. Then he was gone. Figured he died and was eaten by my CUC. About 4 months later, I saw him under my return pump in the sump! He jumped into the overflow, thru the durso, down to the sump, thru the skimmer section, thru the refugium (stupid idea) and found a home under my return pump! I added him back in and he has a new home at the bottom of the tank where he belongs. Watch out and make sure he doesn't jump.

sikpupy · 02/11/2009, 06:47 PM

I dig mine out of the sump at least three times a night when I get home.

02/02/2009, 09:36 AM	#1
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	Anyones watchman climb the corner of the tank to the top? Bought a teeny tiny (compared to others I have seen) yellow watchman. I first put him into a 10 gallon, inside a floating holder Hey now, was for his protection. Yellow damsel was beating the crap out of him!. Most times he would hide in the 1/2" pipe I had for him but if he got excited, he would go to the corner of the floater, where he would then face upward to the top of the surface, like he wanted to stick his head out of the water. He would then just stay there. He has no movement and looks like he is dead and just floating in a vertical position. Come near him and he freaks out, so rest assured, he is far from dead. I have had him for about 3 months now, so it is not like he is dieing. When he was in the floating holder, he was eating food. I would drop 3-4 pellets in the tank, go away, come back an hour later to find them gone. I then finally, after a through freshwater dip and parasite investigation, stuck him in my 90 gallon tank. I put his trusty pipe in the 90 gallon with him but he has nothing to do with that. How long will it take for him to get adjusted? Will he get adjusted? I hope soon as I have a coast to coast overflow that will be running by end of night fall. If he does not learn what the bottom of the tank is for, he is gonna be surfing a 90gal VA tank shortly. Last edited by sikpupy; 02/02/2009 at 09:42 AM.

02/02/2009, 10:43 AM	#2
jedheuer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Sonoma, Ca Posts: 558	I had one do this and is was cause a fish was harassing him. It was a damsel as well. He was constantly going into my overflow box and sometimes down into my sump, so what I did was to weave several passes of fishing line in and out of the teeth of the overflow. This worked well and he could not go over. I removed the harassing fish as well. With regard to the behaviour, if it is not being harrassed it could be just his personality. Some watchmans are more active then others. Becareful to cover your tank though, they will jump out especially if harrassed and swimming rapidly around the tank. __________________ 120 Starphire, 2x 250 MH plus VHO, Octopus skimmer, 2x MP40, vodka, refugium, DIY 2 part. Current Tank Info: currently tankless

02/02/2009, 01:35 PM	#3
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	Thanks for the feedback. No, he is not being harrased at this time, only when I first stuck him in the 10 gallon. He was small enough i was sure the yellow damsel would not care, but, I was wrong. That was only for 3 hours when I finally stuck him in the 3x5 floating breeder container. Even then, the little yellow bastard was poking at the goby throgh the plastic. I then turned off the lights and stuck a pipe in there for him to go in if he wanted. I did not want him to get so stressed after I first got him. Through the days, I upped the household noise (was being very cautious cause the tank is on the kitchen counter) and vibrations slowly. Sometimes he would already be out of his pipe and in the corner, with his nose just under the water line, when I come to feed him. Most times he is in his pipe. Now he is in the big tank, he is back to his old self up on the surface area, but, alas, that is where the overflow is too, lol. I know they can all have thier own personalitys, but, I was just wondering if this was useual goby behavior?

02/02/2009, 02:30 PM	#4
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	My Diamond Goby climbed out of his acclimation container and hopped in the DT He was almost finished with the acclimation process and I watched him use his fins like arms and climb up on the ledge then he hopped over. It was an interesting thing to observe.

02/02/2009, 03:12 PM	#5
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	That WOULD be funny to watch! I ......... am ........al.....most.......out......of.......here....... .....just ...... a ....... little ....... further ...... to ....... gooooo ...... "then the anthem plays" * born freeeeeee*

02/04/2009, 07:54 AM	#6
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	I was watching this dude from my couch, he does NOT like to be on the bottom, actually refuses to go there???? Has anyone ever seen one swim? Mine looks like it has a broken back? Front half of him looks like he is swimming and his second half of his body looks like it is paralized. When he tries to float around, it just dangles there. I know they do not have a swim bladder, from what I read, but, he looks like a a fish, bent 45 degrees and floating around. Anyone know where I can find a video of one swimming around?

02/04/2009, 09:21 AM	#7
corbett_n Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SC Posts: 1,271	My YWG did the same thing because he was being harassed by my purple striped psuedochoromis. I put him in my fuge and he eating well and seems to do fine with all the rock and cheato in my fuge.

02/05/2009, 08:38 AM	#8
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	Yea, my purple sudo picked on him so bad in the tank that it **ed me off. I grabbed the sudo, yoked his * out and put him in with the yellow damsel and picked on him bad. Ha ha ha, how you like it NOW mofo!? Another odd thing was that I had some home made rock in the tank he never went for. When I put a peice of fiji in the tank I had for 5 months now, the YWG dashed right for it, from the middle of the tank, and scurried under it. Still, even with no psudo, I found him in the overflow this morning. Sure is a hard headed dumb bugger, kind of like his owner

02/10/2009, 09:14 PM	#9
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	Okay, so, this can not be normal. He just sits there pressed up against the top edge of the overflow, just chillin with his head just baaaarley out of the water. It not like he is trapped. If i go to touch him, he takes off like a bat out of hell. Do I need to send him to the shrink?

02/10/2009, 09:58 PM	#10
SNAKEMANVET PREMIUM MEMBER Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: TRENTON Tn Posts: 4,486	If it ever comes down to the bottom,try getting a pistol shrimp for it to pair up with.That would help in making the goby feel more secure.My ywg was real skiddish for several months,then when I placed a tiger pistol with it sits in front of tunnel looking out watching every thing that goes on in your living room.It even eats from my hand now. Good luck.

02/11/2009, 11:52 AM	#11
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	I am a little hesitant on getting a pistol as I hear they tear up the sand bed and I am trying to get a DSB going. This is actually, for more reasons than one (all the diggin critters I have now), starting to become more of a pain in the @$$ worry than it is worth. I might just take out all the sand and say heck with it and let everone dig away to thier hearts content

02/11/2009, 04:58 PM	#12
SNAKEMANVET PREMIUM MEMBER Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: TRENTON Tn Posts: 4,486	I know how you feel,my duo has dug in every corner and around all the liverock.They will defiantly stir up your sand bed.

02/11/2009, 05:21 PM	#13
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	Mine was like that when I added everything over to my 120g. He stayed at the top the first few days, in the left corner of the tank. Then he was gone. Figured he died and was eaten by my CUC. About 4 months later, I saw him under my return pump in the sump! He jumped into the overflow, thru the durso, down to the sump, thru the skimmer section, thru the refugium (stupid idea) and found a home under my return pump! I added him back in and he has a new home at the bottom of the tank where he belongs. Watch out and make sure he doesn't jump.

02/11/2009, 06:47 PM	#14
sikpupy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,431	I dig mine out of the sump at least three times a night when I get home.