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FAQs on Amblygobius Gobies, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Genus Amblygobius Gobies,
Related FAQs:
Amblygobius Gobies 1,
Amblygobius Gobies 2, & FAQs on:
Amblygobius Identification, Amblygobius
Behavior, Amblygobius Compatibility,
Amblygobius Selection, Amblygobius
Systems, Amblygobius Disease,
Amblygobius Reproduction, &
True Gobies, Gobies 2, Goby
Identification, Goby Behavior,
Goby Selection, Goby Compatibility,
Goby Feeding, Goby Systems,
Goby Disease, Goby Reproduction,
Clown Gobies, Neon Gobies, Genus
Coryphopterus Gobies, Mudskippers,
Shrimp Gobies, Sifter Gobies, |
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Summary/key points: | -
Rainford's Goby (Amblygobius rainfordi) are not really algae
eaters; needs a good deal of "interstitial fauna", eats worms,
crustaceans, etc. that reside in the algae and substrate; may
only live 6-12 months unless he has inline fishless (and
coral-less) zooplankton refugium to supplement food or learns to
eat thawed frozen food sent to him via a baster daily.
-
Banded bullet goby (Amblygobius phalaena) and sleeper gobies
sift sand for meat - supplement with live brine shrimp (fresh
hatched, Selcon soaked) and Mysid shrimp to supplement food,
several times/day as needed.
- Sixline wrasse will compete
with Rainford's goby for food. Goby needs peaceful tank; no
yellow tangs, damsels, or mean clowns; big tank with lush hair
algae growth is best for the copepods and other creatures that
live in the algae.
- Amblygobius decussatus (Orange
Striped Goby) seems to actually eat algae, not just the
crustaceans living in the algae.
- Amblygobius
semicinctus/phalaena eat filamentous algae, but mostly copepods,
Mysis shrimp, and other small crustaceans.
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Amblygobius bynoensis/Feeding 9/29/09
Hello WWM crew,
<Chris>
About 5 weeks ago, I purchased a Sleeper Byno Goby (Amblygobius
bynoensis) from Liveaquaria. The description on their site read that it
ate Cyanobacteria from the sand.
<Do not eat it, the fish feed on microfauna in the sand bed and may
appear as Cyano is being eaten.>
I also read on another site prior to buying him that these guys also
sifted microcrustaceans from the sand.
<Yes.>
My 125g tank had been suffering from a good bit of Cyano on the sand,
despite my efforts in maintaining good water quality, water movement and
proper lighting periods. The tank also contains about 100 lbs or so of
live rock. Based on the above, I presumed there’d be enough food for the
goby to forage from. However, its gotten progressively more emaciated
over these 5 weeks. It constantly sifts through the sand and nibbles on
the rockwork here and there, but ignores all flake or frozen food I put
into the tank.
<No guarantee these gobies will take prepared foods, some accept, some
do not.>
Same goes for Nori sheets. I noticed, though, that when I scrape green
algae from the back wall, it quickly rushes over and grabs a mouthful of
algae floating in the water column. So, in order to help him get
something in his belly, I use a blade to scrape algae from the back
glass once or twice a day now. Despite getting skinnier and skinnier,
it’s still active and spry. But I’m worried that it’s just a matter of
time before it succumbs to malnutrition. Any suggestions?
<Your best bet would be to get some live pods to populate the sand bed.
You will likely need to do this on a weekly basis until the population
is self sustaining.
Depending on where you live, a link to one etailer is here.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=DT-COPHS&Category_Code=livepods
James (Salty Dog)>
Chris
Rainford's Goby
I have a very nice 72 gal. bow front reef tank
that is doing very well except for two Rainford's Gobies I put in a
couple of weeks ago. The water chemistry is normal, all of my corals and
other livestock are living blissfully, but I can't get the Rainford's to
eat anything and they are getting pretty skinny.
I have tried live
brine shrimp, new hatch brine shrimp and frozen Mysis shrimp, all to no
avail. They nibble at the substrate now and then to 'sift' it. They seem
content in every other respect, they just won't eat. Any suggestions? Do
Rainford's have some special diet?
>>
Thank you for writing. These
gobies (genus Amblygobius) are some of my favorite fishes for reef
tanks... but they do need a good deal of "interstitial fauna" to keep
them fat and happy. Most folks supply this in-the-gravel food by having
robust live rock in a well-aged set-up... but how to provide it in the
short term? You do have (of course, because you state this IS a reef
tank) live rock... Do you have another system or a sump/refugium area
where you can either move the Rainford's Gobies to or move some of the
sand to them?
A few weeks ago, I was in Fiji collecting these
fish... by simply setting a net on the bottom, stirring the bottom with
my hand, and after going back to the surface for a breath of air, coming
back and "pushing" the gobies et al. into the net with my hands... They
eat worms, crustaceans, etc. that reside in the substrate...
Bob
Fenner Sandsifter gobies
Dear Mr. Fenner,
I'm furious
over misinformation that cost 2 fishes their lives. My 100 gallon tank
has not quite live sand (inoculated with copepods, baby bristle and
spaghetti worms and tiny white sand stars, but not nearly enough to get
a good start in my large tank), and covered with brown algae and
diatoms, do to poor circulation at that time. I really wanted something
that would clean the sand. Aquacon (www.aquacon.com) had the perfect
solution. They said the banded bullet goby (Amblygobius phalaena) would
keep the sand sparkling clean by sifting and eating all the algae. I
bought 2 and for 6 weeks the tank looked like a winter wonderland. Then
they died within a week of each other. I called Aquacon to order more
and the lady tried to dissuade me saying the banded gobies were short
lived. I got 2 more anyway, one didn't survive the shipping. That was
almost a month ago.
Two days ago I bought 2 beautiful yellow-head
sleeper gobies. They'd been at the LFS for over a week, and since I
trust this store and I was in a hurry I broke my cardinal rule of asking
to see the fish eat first. These guys went into my 40 gallon tank and
began sifting sand immediately, even though the huge royal Gramma was
irritated at having to share his tank.
I'm mad at myself for not
doing my homework first, but I might not have learned as much had I done
so. I went to your book (my salt water bible), and found that sleeper
gobies indeed sift the sand, but not for algae, but for meat. It dawned
on me that my poor banded gobies were short lived because they starved
to death! No wonder they're short lived--DUH!
So I took some frozen
(thawed) brine shrimp plus and bloodworms and mixed them in the sand
where the fishes are currently sifting. I don't like this very well, as
I'm fighting a nitrate problem (wet/dry system) in the big tank, but it
has a large sand star to help clean detritus. The little tank has less
good filtration, but I want these gobies to live and prosper.
This
morning I was thrilled to see the banded goby eating food with the rest
of the fish. I feel better about him. I'll continue to do everything I
can to get the yellow-heads to accept given food.
Thank you for
letting me vent. I know you are very busy and my little tirade doesn't
need a reply unless you have advice on how to feed this sweet little
pair of gobies.
Sincerely,
Linda Kuehn
<Very sorry to hear of
your losses... and I urge you to offer live brine and Mysid shrimp to
these gobies (in the absence of substantial interstitial fauna) to
sustain/fatten them... And to execute regularly (weekly) water changes
(about 20%) really helps to maintain water quality with these bottom
dwellers. Maybe decussatus should be suggested as hardier, more suitable
species of gobies... Do offer the live foods several times a day.
Bob
Fenner> Amblygobius phalaena
As ever,
thanks for a great service. From reading your site I have learned more
in the past month than I did after several years in the hobby. If I
can't find what I am looking for, I end up learning much more in the
hunt!
<Me too... I suspect this is a common "benefit/liablity" of the
way the content is arranged... by design>
I have an Amblygobius
phalaena -- I note that it has numerous "common" names -- and I am
worried that he might be losing out at feeding time.
<Yes and very
common as well>
Would the addition of Nori be helpful in his case?
<Mmm, possibly... having photographed this species a few times in the
wild, it is associated with environments that have macro-algae and
vascular plants in abundance>
He shares the tank with a Long-nosed
hawk, Fire fish, watchman goby, and blue damsel. He does wonders for the
sand but I am not certain that there is enough life for him there. He
does manage to get food at the daily feeding but he is a bit shy and
only gets the food that is carried to him in the current. I have to
admit that he is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
<Maybe try
some live foods... perhaps Mysid shrimp... consider adding a refugium, a
DSB somewhere in the whole arrangement, more live rock... to generate
more readily available, palatable food stuffs...>
For reference:
58gal Oceanic
50lbs Live sand
70lbs of rock(35 live, 35 dead reef
rock)
no nitrates, phosphates
pH 8.1/8.3
dKH 11
Calcium
400ppm
Sealife Systems Pro Series 300 Wet/Dry Plus Skimmer
I feed
a variety of frozen foods at least once a day.
<Do consider the
above... live food source augmentation>
Thanks for your time. I know
that your response will be an invaluable addition to my continuing
education. Have a great weekend.
Lee
<Have a great life/time my
friend. Bob Fenner>
Marc's Promised Pix, E. quadricolor f', Hood picture
Hi,
guys,
<whassup>
Sometime ago I promised Anthony a picture of
my 45G hood with 2 VHOs and a pair of 150W MHs. It is a corner tank
setup. So here it is with a few tank shots.
<dude... the hood is
built with a nicely open structure, but the tank is crammed into a
corner and the side mounted fan is mere inches from the wall. This
really could work better (top mounted fan for starters... assuming
you don't want to drag the tank further out from the wall... heehee>
The anemone is the center piece of the tank with some soft corals as
well. The H. crispa is about a foot across, started out as your
normal 4 inch LFS fare. Had a rough start with him but eventually
nursed him to good health.
<the anemone has nice color and
fantastic polyp extension...very fine>
It was a choice between
this fellow and a bright orange BTA. But after what I've been
through with the crispa, I couldn't part with it. The BTA on the
other hand is extremely hardy. It also has longer tentacles and
packs quite a sting. The H. crispa is much better behaved,
especially in a small tank. (I had originally had both in a 210G
tank.) The crispa does seem to prefer stronger light than the BTAs,
though.
<in the second photo I think I noticed a Rainford goby...
wow, if so we might need to talk. This fish needs a TREMENDOUS
amount of food and hair algae to survive (picking crustacea from the
algae). Most service on prepared food for 6-12 months and then die.
Do consider setting up an inline refugium for him. What a beautiful
fish. Lets talk if necessary>
I had both in the tank for a short
while; wanted to make sure one or the
other would survive the
move. Both did but the BTA was stinging the crispa. You might be
able to see a few crinkled tentacles on the back left. Should heal
up in a few days but the BTA had to go to a new home (a local
aquarist who is already having good luck keeping anemones.)
Anyway, enjoy the pics and thanks for all the advice along the way.
Marc
<thank you my friend, best regards, Anthony> |
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Re: Hood picture
Rainford goby
Hi, Anthony,
The tank is six
inches from the wall and the back of the hood (which is mostly open
anyway) is 4 inches. Seems to stay pretty cool with the fan going.
<fair enough>
I don't think I'll be dragging it anywhere ;-)
<heehee>
On the Rainford, you are correct he is in the tank. Doesn't
seem to be any skinnier than when I acquired him about a year ago but he
has only been in the new, smaller tank for about 4 weeks. He eats
prepared food quite well; think I really need to worry on this guy?
<Ahh...yes, my friend. This "challenging" fish like many others is not a
problem to feed as legend has it. Most will definitely eat prepared
foods... but they simply die of a dietary deficiency without the right
kinds of prey. Without a tremendous amount of natural plankton in the
tank, I sadly will not be surprised if this specimen goes the way of so
many others. Help him and yourself by culturing fresh hatched and Selcon
soaked brine shrimp (the only time brine is useful... fresh hatched
hours old), feed frozen mysids and Gammarus shrimp... and definitely set
up a fishless course media refugium for pod culture. Few aquarists keep
this fish through a second year let alone a first. The move to a smaller
tank will not help your cause either. Best regards, Anthony>
Thanks,
Marc |
In Search Of An Algae-Gobbling Goby...
Hi all,
<Scott F. with you today!>
I contacted previously about
Amblygobius Ranford, and realize that this is not the fish for me.
Thanks for the advice and info. I would still like a goby, and I like
the look of the Amblygobius gobies. I for article at WWM it was
indicated that some species eat algae (http://www.wetwebmedia.com./amblygobius.htm
) . I have a well established 135G tank of 3 years, with a refugium .
One of the reasons I am interested is I have heard that they will eat
hair and other filamented algae's.
(Many will. It does, however,
depend on the individual...Some simply like crustacean fare...>
I
have normal algae growth, but my tangs just won't touch the stuff.
<Annoying, I know- but some tangs may not eat all of the types of algae
that occur in captive systems>
Thanks Bryan
<Well, Bryan- I can
recommend another Amblygobius species that I have personally kept, and
actually have seen eat algae: A. decussatus, the "Orange Striped Goby".
Not always an easy on to find at most dealers, but worth seeking, IMO.
Try Marine Center or LiveAquaria. They may get these in from time to
time. Hope this helps! Regards, Scott F.> Amblygobius Ranford
diet 10/10/03
I am look into getting 1-3 Amblygobius Ranford for
my tank. I will well established 135G tank of 3 years.
<good... but
please be sure to have a mature fishless refugium too inline for
plankton production>
One of the reasons I am interested is I have
heard that they will eat hair and other filamentous algae. Is this true
or do they only eat the little guys the live in the algae?
<the
latter my friend. They comb the turf for microcrustaceans... hence the
need for a fishless (and coral-less) zooplankton refugium>
I have
normal algae growth, but my tangs just won't touch the stuff.
<use
Diadema urchins instead. Yikes... and the though of a Rainford goby with
Yellow tangs or any such bully is frightening. Do pamper this passive
fish. No damsels, mean clowns, tangs, etc. Think Firefish goby peaceful
type tank>
I am also curious if they would be suitable in groups.
Finally, I have heard conflicting reports that they always hide or are
always out, and I want to know which is most generally true.
<both -
sort of. This goby has no association with tunnels or bolt holes like
many other goby kin. They are also easily intimidated (hence no active
community fishes like yellow tangs, etc)>
Great looking fish, but
before I buy it I want to make sure
its what I'm looking for so I can
enjoy watching it and it can survive long term in its new home. Thanks,
Bryan
<this is a very difficult fish to keep. I frankly don't think
you have a prayer of succeeding with it in a mixed community fish tank.
Perhaps admire it from afar my friend if you cannot set up a species
tank for them. Anthony> Ranford questions 4/27/04
Thanks for the info, Adam. Another question regarding the Rainford. I
originally had about 2 inches of sand (not live). When I snail died I
did see a lot of tiny worms on it but I have no clue as to how they got
there.
<The best source of live sand is live rock... If you have a
sand substrate, critters that have hitchhiked on your rock will move to
the sand.>
Anyway, I decided to add 2 pounds of live sand adding it
at about an inch and a half for as much as it would cover. So now he
forages mostly on the new sand. Is there any way to tell how 'live' the
sand is and how do I know if he is getting enough without waiting till
he is malnourished?
<Watching for weight loss is about all you can
do.>
Is there a way to add crustaceans to the sand without having to
grow it myself and how often would I need to make the additions?
<Allowing the population to grow in a predator free environment
(refugium) is the best way. Also, many aquarists allow their tanks to
mature fishless in order to allow all of the crustacean populations to
grow to sustainable levels before introducing predators.>
Since it is
not eating anything other than what it forages what are the chances of
my being successful with it in such a small tank? I Know I should have
asked this before I bought it but the information I had (from the
seller) made it sound like it would eat prepared foods.
<As I said,
watch for weight loss and try a variety of prepared foods. If you have
some filamentous algae growth, this will help a lot. Do consider a
refugium also, not just for 'pod production, but for all of it's other
benefits too! Best Regards. Adam.>
Rainford goby looking for a burger 7/1/04
Hi crew, Everyone
seems to be complaining about hair algae, I could use some for my
Ranford. Is there anything I can give him in its place.
<well...
its not actually the hair algae that they eat, but rather they sift
sand and comb the turf looking for microorganisms. Hence the common
(and accurate) recommendation for only keeping these fishes in huge
tanks with lush algal turf (dense with critters) and/or mature
refugiums>
I have not had any since I bought him 3 months ago. I
have a 10 gallon (ammonia and nitrites 0, nitrates around 20 and 1
gallon change a week),
<ughhh... there is no chance IMO of this
fish surviving in a 10 gallon aquarium under any practical
circumstance. It is my strong advice that you trade, sell or donate
this fish to a larger aquarium with the means to support it. Else is
will continue to starve slowly in your tank. Can you get it to eat
thawed frozen Mysis shrimp in the interim?>
with the Ranford, a
Sixline wrasse, a clown goby and PJ cardinal.
<I cannot imagine
how this fish will/would compete with a six-line wrasse here my
friend>
The Ranford just sifts sand. Is there any way I can tell
if there is still any life left in my live sand?
<it simply is
not enough sand by volume to support and such feeder>
The
Sixline eats everything and moves around a lot but they all get
along including a peppermint shrimp. The clown and Cardinal are not
intimidated by the wrasse even though he usually beats them to the
food. They seem to agree that whoever gets it first wins and the
other one backs off including the wrasse.
<its just a bad mix of
fishes from the start <sigh>>
The clown used to just peek out
and grab food swimming by his hiding place but now he swims
(actually scoots) to the top
when the food is there. The Ranford
has one torn gill fin split in two and tattered, looked like fin
rot.
<ughhh>
It has been like this two weeks and I do not
see any improvement nor any problems with any other fins.
<do
put this fish in an isolation tank (another 10 gallon, bare bottomed
with a sponge filter and some cured live rock... then power feed it
for the next month or so until we can figure out the next move>
I've been using Melafix for a week but it has not improved.
<I'm
not surprised>
Since it is only one fin it is more likely due to
injury. Any suggestions?
<just separation, mate... get this fish
out and hope the six-line doesn't become belligerent as they are
prone to be in time>
Thanks for your help in the past and for a
great site.
<best of luck, Anthony> Rainford goby II
7/6/04
Thanks, too bad I did not know this a few months ago.
When I bought it I based it on the info of Dr. Foster which said
care is easy and listed foods it would take.
<its best to do
enough research about species you buy from non-commercial entities
to put things in perspective and get an intelligent consensus. The
overwhelming majority of hobby literature on this species states
that it is categorically a very difficult fish to keep alive>
In
their defense they did also say a mature 30 gallon set up. For
mandarins they say difficult.
<yes... good/better to hear>
Anyway, until I can find it a home I put in a tank divider, added
some new live sand and bought pods that I drop in with a baster
(while the filter is off) plus newly hatched brine shrimp.
<outstanding>
I am not sure why you do not like my fix of fish.
<it is too much for a ten gallon tank my friend... especially a tank
so young and unsupported (no refugium, mature DSB, etc)>
I spent
a number of months experimenting and switching until I got to this
setup which looks very peaceful to me.
<you have been fortunate
with the six-line wrasse so far... this wonderful little fish is
extremely territorial and has been regularly known to chase other
fishes to death in much bigger tanks>
The wrasse is very active
but he does not bother any
other fish and they have learned to
get their share of food despite his quickness.
<good to hear...
you may have a passive specimen>
The cardinal just hovers, the
clown goby perches and the Ranford has his head in the sand all day.
Is the wrasse competing with the Ranford for pods?
<yes>
I
never see him eat from the sand although he does blow at it once in
a while. Besides, he eats so much during feeding time I can not
imagine him having room for more.
<ahhh... OK. Anthony> |
Finicky Ranford Goby...
Sorry, I think that my computer
just sent my email when I tried to break it up into two paragraphs; here
is the second part.
<Oops..>
The Rainford goby has now been in a
10 gallon quarantine tank for six days and will not eat. I have tried
frozen brine and Mysis shrimp, formula two frozen and flakes, even Angel
Formula, and it won't touch anything. I also put a Tupperware of sand
into the quarantine tank to see if it would sift that. The live rock
from the main tank are too big to fit in the quarantine tank. Is there
anything else I can do for the fish? I was thinking of biting the
bullet, dipping it, and adding it into the main tank, which (and back to
the lack of foresight in my suggestion) does not yet have a refugium as
I am still saving
money for a small CPR hang on model. Please help,
and again, thanks for your time. Rob
<Well, Rob- I'd be inclined to
add some pieces of live rock from your display or another established
system into the quarantine tank for him to forage one. In addition, you
could purchase some life amphipods from a number of e-tailers (Indo
Pacific Sea Farms comes to mind) and feed these live foods to get him
going. Don't give up just yet, and try to defer releasing the fish into
the display tank until he is finished with the quarantine period. Don't
give up! Regards, Scott F.> Amblygobius
semicinctus or phalaena 8/23/06
Hi there WWM crew,
thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!
I'm emailing
about a new fish I procured at the LFS, and wanted to find more
information about it. Doing my research through the WWM website, I've
found that the "Dragon Goby" they labeled is actually a "Banded Goby",
or Amblygobius semicinctus/phalaena (not sure because the pictures
between the two look really similar).
<Are very similar in
appearance, utility>
As for now, I know that these hovering gobies
eat filamentous algae, but mostly copepods, Mysis shrimp, and other
small crustaceans, am I correct?
<Yep>
I would like to know what
to actually feed it, in order to make sure it stays healthy.
<Mmm,
usually not much of an issue... these gobies readily accept most all
foods>
So far, it looks like it has done a fine job cleaning the
sand-bed. I just want to make sure it doesn't starve for any
reason. My last diamond goby had territorial issues with an
aggressive Kole tang, and starved to death. This banded goby has
actually gotten along quite well with the Kole tang.
So, to sum up,
I'd like to know what foods I may feed it. Thanks!
Alex
<I'd
use mostly defrosted/frozen meaty foods of small-enough size, and a
baster (plastic) to "blow" these down toward the goby... about the same
place, times daily. Bob Fenner>
Ranford goby and Cladophora consumption 5/21/07
One
question. Does anyone know for sure if a Ranford goby eats
Cladophora prolifera.
<Mmm, if so, only very little>
I have
read they (R. goby) need growing algae to help survive. Is this
algae to
<too>
tuff for the little goby? Thanks All
Bob Carter
<Am a bit lost here... If you're hoping to feed
this Goby with algae, this would not be the course I would go (I
would use other prepared foods for)... And/or if you're hoping for
algal control in any degree here, I don't think this will work. Bob
Fenner> Re: Ranford goby and Cladophora
5/21/07
Thank you Bob, I was looking to purchase a Ranford
for my nano tank (24 gal.) because of its relatively relatively
small size.
<I see>
Upon my research, several internet
articles proclaimed poor results with these fish.
<Usually due
to their being starved twixt collection to retail and beyond>
Unless there was significant algal growth, because of their large
consumption of it.
<Mmm, no... perhaps folks were referring to
the benefits of such for providing (among other things) interstitial
fauna for consumption... Amblygobius are not really algae eaters>
And many aquarists have had poor success with algae supplementation.
My reef tank has zero algae because of the turbo snails, I even
supplement the snails with dried Nori. My plan was to purchase a
clump of Cladophora prolifera for the R. goby's diet as well as
meaty fare of Mysis et al.
<Well... the best is having an
auxiliary live sump (aka refugium... with purposeful DSB and
macroalgae for food production...>
One article compared this
goby to an algae blenny in its consumption of algae.
<Mmm, no.
Fishbase.org unfortunately has no linked resources here for this
species, but:
http://www.google.com/search?q=amblygobius+diet&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA
The genus really only consumes "some" algae>
However I am not
familiar with this type of algae but a LFS is selling small clumps
of it for refugiums and or tanks.
<I like other genera,
Divisions, other than the Cladophorales here... Please see WWM re
macroalgae use period, its place in refugiums... The indices, search
tool...>
Please advise on your experience with this beautiful
animal.
With Much Gratitude
Bob Carter
<You have
read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amblygobius.htm
and the linked
files above? Bob Fenner> |
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