Goby Behavior – 11/01/06
Hi guys,
<<Some sharp gals here too>>
Great website!
<<Thank you>>
I have a blue cheek goby which has been acting fairly normal.  He's made plenty of holes under our live rock, and cleaned all the substrate of algae.
<<Neat>>
However of the last few days he has started doing something (I would consider) odd.  He will build up speed, and then scrape his bottom along the sand.  I’ve seen him do it once when he was looking to lose some excrement, however on all other occasions this isn't present.
<<May have been coincidental>>
Is this normal, or is something wrong with him?
<<The “flashing” may be indicative of a parasite problem...maybe not.  As a genus these fish are generally quite disease resistant, this may be no more than a display of mood or temperament>>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
<<Have a read here on the genus (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/valenciennea.htm) and here on marine parasitic disease (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasiti.htm), as well as looking through our goby behavior FAQs starting here (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/gobybehfaqs.htm)>>
Thanks,
Andrew.  
<<Regards, EricR>>

A Dingo Ate My Baby! My goby disappeared   7/28/06
About 4 weeks ago I bought 2 electric blue hermit crabs and 1 twin spotted goby from a LFS.  The hermit crabs completely disappeared after about a week leaving only their shells behind.  They were upside down curled up in their shells the day before, which was odd, then they were gone. We completely searched the tank and checked all the unclaimed shells for any sign of them and found nothing. We don't know what happened to them.
< Were the shells piled up in a centralized area, kinda like the bones around some ghastly beasts den? >
Now the goby has disappeared.  He looked fine 3 days ago.  Now there is no sign of him.  Not even any new piles of sand from his sifting.  So we called out a search party and moved all the live rock, checked every hole, and raked the top layer of sand in search of him and found nothing.  I don't see how he could have disappeared and I am worried that he is gone for good.  It is a 55g tank about a year old with 22lbs of live rock and 20lbs of live sand.  It is lightly populated with a percula clown, a yellow tail damsel, 1 electric blue hermit about 1" big, 2 small reef hermits about 1/2 " big, and 2 turbo snails; all of whom seem to have gotten along with him and none of whom where any where near big enough to eat him. There have been no ammonia spikes.  We checked around the tank but there is little chance that he could have jumped out.  There are only 2 small gaps in the hood booth of which have filters blocking them and he never seemed to venture more than halfway up the tank from the bottom anyway.  Did he die and decompose that quickly or is there any chance he buried himself deep in the sand?
< It is possible he decomposed or was recycled that quickly, especially if whatever flipped the hermits got a crack at the fish. I am thinking along the lines of a pistol or mantis shrimp. Maybe devise a trap, and see if a nasty meanie ends up in it. >
< Good luck, and happy hunting! RichardB >

Watchman Goby/Acclimation  - 05/22/2006
Hello Crew,
<Good morning>
I just purchased a fine looking Watchman Goby yesterday from a reputable LFS, and after an acclimation period, placed him in my QT.
The QT has some base rock and I put some aragonite on the bottom to ease the transition for the goby.
I have tried feeding him a couple of times with brine shrimp but he won't eat. He stays hidden 95% of the time. I know that's how they are but my concern is his lack of eating and not swimming out from his hiding place at all since I've brought him home.
My QT ammonia level is 0.
Is this lack of eating and extreme shyness "normal" for a newly purchased watchman goby male?
<Not abnormal at all.  There are times when I won't see mine for a week.  Give it some time,
all should be well.  Do read FAQ's here on goby feeding.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/gobyfdgfaqs.htm
James (Salty Dog)>

Diamond Goby Mated Pair Behavior  - 5/12/2006
Hi Bob,
<Tim>
I've been involved with reef keeping for three years now and would like to formally thank you and the crew for providing me with an exceptional education through your website.
<A pleasure, honor to serve>
I have an interesting situation and have not been able to find any similar experiences posted on any forum website. I have a mated pair of Diamond Gobies which I've had for several months (yes they do make a mess of my DSB but my wife insisted!).
<Heee... on the gobies or the mess... or both!?>
On a daily basis for the past several weeks the pair have performed the following ritual with one particular piece of live rock:
they both dig a burrow under the rock then one of the two (how do you sex a goby?)
<Most can't be... externally>
gets underneath the rock and the other completely covers the rock with sand (what was my DSB). The first time it happened I intervened almost immediately and lifted the rock off and let the goby swim calmly away. On turning the rock over to replace some of my DSB, I noticed a fleshy mass that was attached to the underside of the rock, It didn't look to me like an egg mass, not like I've seen with my continuously spawning pair of True Percs.
<There is more diversity amongst the fishes than the rest of the vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) combined...>
I obviously don't want to lose the goby, but I also don't want to interfere with their natural behavior. Is this a spawning event? Or, is this a goby divorce?
<The former>
Thanks in advance for any input/comments that you might have on this. Best regards, Tim
<Do, please, keep good notes... consider what foodstuffs you might be able to culture, use here... to feed the young. Bob Fenner>

Watchman Goby ... beh.   4/30/06
Hi. My parents have a 60 gallon salt water tank. For the past 2 years they have had a yellow watchman goby. Just recently they bought three new fish. A Yellow Fin Black Angel, a Flame Hawk, and a Flame Tailed Flag fish.
<Too much, too soon>
There are now five fish in the tank. Nothing has changed in the Gobi's behavior, however, it's coloring is changing drastically. It now appears to be getting black markings. The markings appear to be zebra type stripes on his body and black fringing around it's fins and eyes. As mentioned before none of the Gobi's behaviors have changed. Is this something to be worried about.
Thank you.
<Just "signaling", "dominance" flashing here... from being suddenly crowded. Watch out for further stress-induced problems. Bob Fenner>

Jumping Goby & Greedy Shrimp  - 04/27/06
Hi Crew,
Two quick questions.
I just found my citron goby lying on the floor. It bounced when I touched it so I gingerly picked it up after rinsing my hands in system water (not drained back into the tank either) then cupped it in the tank. I let it catch its breath and it seemed to gain its bearings and find a place to rest and recuperate. Scared me, I love this little ball of attitude.<they are quite interesting!> I had no idea that they were jumpers and I am concerned as to why it jumped out, especially considering that there is no easy way for it to escape. Other tankmates are a skunk cleaner, 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 neon goby. Weekly 15% water changes. I have had an increase in water temp from my usual 78-80F to a higher 82F. Any insight, and do I need to do anything else for the poor fellow? <he should be alright! sounds like you keep the tank maintained well!>
Next, I am deciding if I should return my skunk cleaner. 1 month in the tank and doing phenomenally well. Has already molted 3 times, tries to clean the fish, actually cleans my hand when I let it. An absolutely greedy animal. Devours several Mysis shrimp at each twice-daily feeding plus as much Spirulina flakes as possible while swimming upside down at the surface. Actually very quick learner and has taken to harassing my frogspawn (3 heads, added 10 days ago) during feedings to steal any Mysis that may fall into it or that I place purposefully. I am concerned that the frogspawn will suffer for the "attention" and not adjust to it. I have noticed a tentacle that does not get full during the day anymore. The shrimp is over zealous, but has not directly hurt anything, not even my small xenia. Your opinion. <I would keep a close eye on this. It is a judgment call. If you feel the frogspawn
is not doing well I would definitely return either the frogspawn or the shrimp....good luck with this decision, IanB>
Thank you for the website, individual attention to emails and your two books I have purchased. Invaluable and interesting. I really appreciate my friend that introduced me to your website. Keep up the great work. <thank you and good luck to you!>
Jeff Morgan

Rainfordi hiding 2/20/06
I put my Rainfordi goby into my 42 gallon reef tank a month ago and have seen him only twice since.  Once, immediately after we released him into our tank and then once more about 2 and a half weeks later.   I haven't seen him since then (about 2 weeks ago).   Are these fish prone to hide away for that long?  My first thought was that he got sucked up, or jumped out of the tank (which they aren't prone to doing) but then I saw him swimming around just fine 2 weeks after I put him in.  I turned my back and poof, he was gone again.  I didn't think Rainford's liked to hide away.    BTW - great website.  Ken Greenwood
<<Like most similar bite-sized reef fishes, these guys actually can be quite shy.  Their shyness will be increased if they are housed with aggressive tankmates (even if the aggression isn't obvious.  Also... the more hiding places and "bolt holes" they have available, the more secure they will be to come out into the open.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Yashia shrimp goby stuck in refugium   1/21/06
Well I finally got my 30g refugium set up on my 220g tank this week. I put in a 5in sand bed, Gracilaria, Chaetomorpha, and about 5 portions of pods I bought from florida Pets.com.  Everything looks great and seems to be doing good. I see a lot of pod activity, which is my main goal for this tank. I have a lot planktivores in my main (Anthias, fairies wrasses, etc.) and I wanted to keep a suitable amount of zooplankton to feed them. Anyway, my refugium is gravity fed by one of the two overflow outlets on my hang-on overflow box. The other goes to the main sump and skimmer, the refugium also empties into the sump. The first night I set up my refugium I noticed my Yashia Shrimp Goby had not only got caught in the overflow box but made a new home in live rock rubble I set up for my pods in the refugium. I then proceeded to catch him and return him to the main tank. All was fine for a couple days, but now its in there again and loving all the new forage. I'm not only surprised he ventured into the overflow again, I'm wondering how he fit through the grid teeth and how he was so lucky to once again make it down the right outlet into the refugium. Now I know he's obviously more happy in the refugium, but I also know from your book that its no place for him. I guess my question is how much damage can he do to my pending pod population?
<Have to wait/see>
and what can i do to make him stay in the main?
<Better screening>
I have 250lbs of live rock and a live sand. There's no overly aggressive predators in the tank, so I'm wondering why it keeps venturing down the overflow. Would setting up a pile of rubble in the main tank make it more appealing?
Thanks
Brandon  
<Likely "jumping" in response to the water movement. Bob Fenner>

Re: yashia shrimp goby stuck in refugium   1/22/06
Thanks for the reply. But was that a yes or a no to leaving the Yashia Shrimp goby in the refugium?
Brandon
<Entirely up to you. Bob Fenner>

Re: Goby Dilemma   12/29/05
Thank you Bob! Well, looks like we need to take the 'surfs up' route.
We'll be sure to play 'Catch a Wave' to the fish until they get the hang of it.  The same day you wrote back I decided to enjoy some flashlight snorkeling and saw two wonderful surprises. One, we have a very clever Goby!  He's still alive.
<Ah, good>
This guy reminds me of a die hard golfer.... meaning he knows exactly when to sneak out on the course.  
<Have heard of this...>
Heh heh.  Two, I watched one of our crabs select and switch shells.  That was so cool!  Turbo tube says hi!
Thanks
Debi
<Hi back. Bob Fenner>

The case of the missing engineer goby (Hint - Check the Sock Drawer!)  11/12/2005
Hi. I purchased an engineer goby about four weeks ago. When I put him in the tank (a 40g tall tank), he immediately ran for cover in the live rock, which I expected. After that, I didn't see him for several days, though I did notice new piles of sand around the tank. When I did see him again, it was only for a brief second as he poked his head up from a hole. 
<Okay>
Since then, nothing. Nada. Zilch. I haven't seen any signs of him whatsoever in about three weeks. So.... Do you think he's still living, just not coming "up for air?"
<Mmm, nah! Has either jumped out... or died, dissolved, been consumed posthumously>
Is he going to "reappear" one day being eight inches long?
<Heeee! I do hope... but not likely>
Thanks in advance.
Kevin
<Look about for a bit of carpet jerky, smiling feline... Bob Fenner>  

Re: The Case Of The Missing Engineer Goby - 11/29/05
Hi Bob et al.,
Thanks for your response in regards to my missing engineer goby.
<<et al here, while Bob goes a-divin'>>
<<A-HA!  So *that's* where he is.  Marina>>
As a follow-up, something remarkable happened over the holiday weekend.
<<A bit early for Christmas miracles isn't it?>>
After dropping some food in the tank, I was looking along the back wall at my decorator crab when, remarkably, I saw an adult engineer goby pop his head up from between some rocks. I was a bit taken aback, since last time I saw him was a) nearly six weeks ago and b) he had the juvenile markings.
<<Interesting>>
I was able to see him pop out of his cavern a couple times over the weekend and he's probably doubled in size from 1" at purchase.
<<Wow...in six weeks?>>
So, I'm figuring that either:
A) My engineer died, his spirit could not rest, and this is the first of three fish that will visit me this holiday season, showing what the world would be like if I never existed, leading me to upgrade the food I feed my fish, forever more.
<<Ah, now "that" would be a miracle. <G> >>
B) I can expect to not see much of this guy, since his primary "cave" seems to be near the back of the tank and he won't spend much time in the open (he does appear to have a tunnel system set-up that links him with my Firefish's cave, since he briefly popped up there yesterday). Your thoughts?
<<Well Kevin, likely option 'B' is accurate, though you may see more of this fish once it settles down/feels secure.>>
Kevin
<<Regards, EricR>>

Diamond Goby Update 10/15/05
Thank you again for the response he/she appeared on the fourth day. 
<You're welcome, I’m glad everything worked out.> 
They always are right together everywhere in the tank and I also have to move clams, corals etc. due to them moving around everything in the tank. 
<Yes I also have a very zealous pair as well.> 
Thank you again just can't figure out why he continues to bury her, was afraid I may have to name him OJ =)
<Oh that’s bad….but funny, wonder if it’ll make it past our censors.>
<<Yes, it has made it past me.  Marina>>
Take care, Chris
<Adam J.> 

Shy Yashia Goby... they are  9/19/05
Hi,
<Hello Tom>
I received a Yashia Goby and Randall's Pistol Shrimp on August 8, but the fish died the next day.  On August 15, I received a new fish, and it and the shrimp have been doing OK so far (4+ weeks).
The fish and shrimp are in a quarantine tank, with a handful of mixed size coral sand and a PVC pipe structure made of small diameter short pieces connected with a few elbows and tees.  The fish and shrimp live in this pipe structure. The shrimp has arranged the coral sand to block one visible entrance to the pipe structure, and to landscape the other visible entrance.  He seems to keep this second entrance blocked most of the time, opening it briefly about once a day in the evening (that I have been able to observe).  When I see the Goby with his head out of this entrance (and usually also see the shrimp working with his coral sand) I put in a little food (usually dry flakes since they float around the tank better).  The Goby will eat a flake or two if it drifts close enough (4-5 inches) from his entrance.  But the slightest sudden motion in the room will send the Goby back into the pipe structure for a while.
<Normal>
My question is whether it is normal for this kind of fish/shrimp pair to be so shy. Will they come out more after while?
<Yes...>
  If they go into a display tank with lots of hiding places, will I never see them again?  Or will they be more comfortable in such a tank and come out more often?
<The latter>
I could put them into a 75 gallon that has live rock and 2 clownfish, or into a 20 gallon with nothing but live rock (and possibly a few VERY small crabs and pistol shrimps that hitchhiked in on the live rock).  Which would be better?
<The first>
Any thoughts?
<Few and dwindling...>
Thanks,
Tom
<I would cut short these animals quarantine, match their water with your larger tank over a few days time... by moving, supplanting the QT water with its... and translocate them. Bob Fenner>

Re: Shy Yashia Goby  11/17/05
Hi Bob,
<Tom>
This Yashia remains exceedingly shy.
<Natural behavior>
I did get him moved out of quarantine and into the 75 gallon with the two clownfish; that was in the last week of September. For a while, I might see this fish stick his head out once a day and maybe accept a little food.
<Would be better if there were more than one...>
Then it got so I might see him once a week, briefly moving around outside the burrow, and again maybe accepting a little
food. As of today, though, I am quite sure I have not seen him since late October -- more than two weeks ago.  I know the shrimp is still alive and well. Our aquarium stand has an open bottom, allowing one to look up at the glass bottom of the tank. In this way, I can see part of the shrimp's burrow, and sometimes I can see the shrimp in it.  But I've not seen the Goby. What do you suggest? Out of sight, out of mind?
<What else is there?>
Or should I occasionally lift a rock to reassure myself that the Goby is really still there?
<I would not lift the rock... too much chance of damage to all, stress to the inhabitants... I might look into adding some of the same species... Bob Fenner> 

Goby/Prawn Association...The Best-Laid Plans...  09/13/2005
Hello,
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
    I bought a Randall's Shrimp Goby about 2 weeks ago, and it hasn't been hiding very much. It picked a great spot right in front of the tank in a small cave to make its home. It has been making a little burrow for itself and I decided to add a Tiger Pistol Shrimp. As soon as I dropped the shrimp into my tank, the pair took off together to the back corner of the tank and were digging a tunnel within a minute.
<Amazing behavior, huh?>
Now, I can't see them except in a small reflection on the glass, and am wondering if I can do something to get them to move, it has only been a few hours now... Thanks for any help you could give me
<Unfortunately, this is just another one of those cases where the fish are "calling the shots"! Despite our desires, they'll do exactly what is best for them, without regards to the aesthetic issues for the hobbyist! Unfortunately, I really don't have a course of action for you. Attempting to get the animals to move would be cruel and disruptive. In a way, this is a neat situation. Let me explain: Some of the best aquariums that I've ever seen have lots of little pockets of life and activity throughout that make for fascinating viewing experiences. Very natural and very interesting! I say just enjoy it...Part of the allure of this hobby is the little things that you see in a well-established tank...Surprising little discoveries that keep our hobby exciting and fun! Enjoy it! Regards, Scott F.>

Rose BTA injury, moving Gobiosoma
Hey there hi there ho there!
<Is this Annette Funicello chiming in? 'Bout time!>
Just doing some reading on BTA in your web and BOY it is fascinating! I had acquired a "yellow" sebae and it started looking bad right away......I wrote about it. LONG story short, I took it BACK (still alive and browning, but it was a malu and NOTHING takes to it, so that was the reason the LFS gave me full credit! (their bad advice) I got a small rose BTA that was there for 3 weeks or more and eating several times a week. 
I brought it home and today fed it 1/2 a small silverback (that is how they feed it) Anyhow, I was observing my neon gobies and they had slightly frayed fins with white on them. (NOT on the body) so in my attempt to remove the little darlings to a QT, the rock that the BTA was under came dislodged and he was hit with the rock below, but at the same time I grabbed the rock, so I don't think he got whacked too hard. He shrunk a little on the side that was bumped and 1/2 dislodged from the rock. I looked at his foot and there is no tear, just a few "tiny sheets" of rock (or what was on the rock between his foot and the rock). He spit out his breakfast, as I assume is a defense mechanism (already 1/2
dissolved.. ewwww). Anyhow, I put the rock back how it was. Most of his tentacles are fine, the spot of the "injury" though I see NO sign of one, (maybe just trauma) has a couple tentacles shriveled. Now, this JUST happened. Will he be okay????
<Maybe. Hope so>
Catching neon gobies with live rock is a PAIN!
<Best to plan on removing all LR>
My yellow tang and white molly had no sign of fraying, but my royal Gramma did and his is now in QT as well. I have 2 of the 4 gobies with him. I am using an antibacterial (negative), so I couldn't treat the tank. How do I handle the rogue gobies with out killing anything!!?? Thanks! Carrie :)
<Carefully... set out containers to contain the rock... remove... Bob Fenner>

Yellow Watchman Goby
Hello Bob,
We purchased a YWG last month and he or she has established a "garage" at the base of our live rock in an L shaped pattern to patrol the front and side of our 65 gallon tank. Joe, as it is named, likes to hide most of the time which I know is normal and there are the unmistakable grooves in the sand where digging has taken place. 
This fish has been afraid for the most part of our six lined wrasse, cherub angel, blue-green Chromis and fire fish goby. However, after thoroughly cleaning all of the glass in the tank Joe has been out of his/her garage much more recently and it seems that he/she keeps looking into the glass if admiring his/her beauty. I was just wondering if this is settling in behavior or is he/she looking at the mirror image as another Goby?
Any thoughts?
<I do like the reference to Frank Zappa... his actual garage isn't far from us, my parents place here in San Diego. All sounds well with your goby... Not to worry here. Bob Fenner>

Pink Spotted Shrimp Bully - 08/14/03
<Hi Anj, PF on call today, in the still electrified PNW>
Hi! I started 72 gal reef about three months ago. After I added several snail and hermits, I added a Pink Spotted Shrimp goby. I recently saw him attacking a hermit crab. I have also noticed some of my hermits may be missing but can't really tell for sure. The other thing I noticed was 2 large pink claws with black tips laying by themselves at he bottom of the substrate. They are definitely to large to have come from any of my hermits. they look like they may have come from a crab or even a small lobster. they may have come from some on the LR. Is the pink spotted shrimp not compatible with inverts?
<Well, they are regarded as aggressive, or maybe it just doesn't like hermits. Have you pulled the claws you found out? They might be sheds, you could have an impressive hitchhiker lurking in your tank. Most shrimp gobies, are, ironically enough, predacious on small shrimp (such as peppermints). Your hitchhiker could well be eating your hermits too. Not sure what else to tell you Anj, have you tried checking your tank late at night? Get a flashlight with a red filter (red crepe paper will work) and take a look four or five hours after lights off, maybe you'll spot the culprit.>
Please let me know what you think. Thanks Anj
<Hopefully this will help, have a good night Anj.>

Nocturnal Goby Gymnastics (Jumping Gobies)
Please help, this is a bizarre one and is puzzling us but maybe its a common occurrence! Here goes!
<I'm ready...Scott F. here for you>
After unsuccessfully trying to keep chalk gobies (deteriorated despite all efforts after approx 2 months) I tried my luck with a blue cheek goby. All was going well, goby looked healthy and was eating and sifting well. One morning I came downstairs to find the goby lying dead on the floor next to the tank.  The tank has a marina hood with 2 lift up flaps for feeding, but both were closed.  There are also several cut out sections at the rear
of the hood to allow access for equipment (filter, protein skimmer and wires for heater).  The largest of these holes allows for the intake section of the protein skimmer.  I concluded that as the water level was quite high, it was possible that if chased, the goby may have leapt onto the supporting glass ledge and flapped its way out of the hole.  I found this quite unbelievable though as whenever scared the goby would retreat under a rock!
<Well, they are capable of surprising escapes...I've had gobies push through some of the smallest holes you could imagine, to make themselves "reef jerky"!>
(On enquiring at a local retailers as to why this could have happened we were told "oh, they do do that"!)
<They do!>
The only other possible explanation would be the cleverest and most fish obsessed of my 2 cats jumping onto the hood and managing to lift the flap and fish the goby out of the water.  Again I am unable to believe the goby would be in a suitable position for this to happen!
<Well, once again, gobies have some of the most surprising habits (and skills), when it comes to slithering in and out of spaces on the reef, so it's really not surprising that they can also slither in and out of trouble...or your tank, for that matter!>
Also my cats, never to my knowledge, even attempt to get onto the tank.  They would also have to have shut the flap after themselves and there were no salty looking paw prints on the hood.
<I doubt that you'd find any...Acquit the cat!>
After recovering from the shock and eventually laughing about it with friends who couldn't believe it could happen, we put it down to a freak accident. I blocked up the holes with cloths and decided to try again with another blue cheek.
All was going well and although this goby was not as brave and adventurous as the  previous and did not sift nearly as much, It was still readily coming out of hiding to feed.
This morning, approx 1 month after purchase I found this goby dead on the kitchen floor - taken into the kitchen by a cat I would assume due to teeth marks.  
<Well, the cat got it posthumously, IMO>
Again I am very shocked, upset and confused and at a loss as to how it has got out of the tank, especially as all but the smallest of gaps in the hood are blocked up and the water level is considerably lower. The goby was in a tank with several damsels (domino, humbug and neon blue) a small yellow banded maroon clownfish, a powder blue tang and a cream angel!
<Seem like compatible tankmates to me...>
Information available on gobies is quite limited so I am wondering if you can possibly answer a few questions I have to try and explain why this has happened, and to help me decide whether I should try again. - Have you ever heard of this happening before and if you have was it ever established why it happened?
<I certainly have seen this before, both in my own experience, and with others. Hard to explain why it happens...Could be just simple curiosity, attraction to light, or a desire to escape something...>
- Do gobies come out more at night and possibly even swim/float around towards the top of the tank (to support the cat catching theory)?
<Most seem to hunker down in bolt holes and crevices at night for security...>
- Are gobies particularly sensitive to increases in water temperature? -we are experiencing some rather unusually good weather at the moment and the tank temperature is creeping up but none of the other fish seem distressed!
<Not overly so...They can be found in tidal pools and other environments which undergo fairly significant changes during the day...Sure, if a fish is in distress, it is quite possible that it "launched" itself out to  escape....>
I must apologize for the long explanation and thank you for taking the time to read it,  but I am desperate to find a suitable explanation to this mystery so I hope you can help.
Thanks again in anticipation of your reply Gemma Marsh
<Well, Gemma- I must say that it's not possible to be 100% certain what caused this behavior. However, I think that some of the ideas that we discussed could be possible reasons...Short of hooking up a video camera with a night-vision lens (hey- that's a cool idea) you'll have to speculate more on this...The answers are out there....Good Luck! Regards, Scott F.>  

Nocturnal Goby Gymnastics (Pt.2)
Hi Scott. Gemma here from the still surprisingly hot and sunny UK.
<Hello again, Gemma! Glad to hear that you're getting a bit of summer weather there!>
Just a quick note this time to say thank you very much for the speedy reply to my desperate and babbling email, that was a somewhat knee-jerk reaction to the discovery of my second goby's suicide mission.
<Not desperate and babbling, at all. It is sometimes hard to understand why a perfectly healthy and seemingly adjusted fish decides to go for a jump...One of those things that we can only try to rationalize!>
After sending the email I spent some time searching your site and was amazed and I must say a little relieved and comforted to find that others have shared my experiences (both with goby hunger strikes and escape attempts!)
<Not at all uncommon, unfortunately!>
We did actually jokingly discuss the night vision camera idea after the first blue cheek 'went over the wall' so now I wish we had bothered to follow it up (hind sight is a wonderful thing).
<Ain't it? LOL>
After reading all the stuff on your site (if only I had stumbled across you sooner) and your response to my questions I might call it a day as far as goby keeping is concerned.  This is a shame because I do think they make an interesting and useful addition to a tank, but the trauma (and expense) just isn't worth it.
<I hope that you try again- perhaps with a different species of goby. They truly are interesting fishes and worth keeping...Don't get too discouraged>
Although I may try to fashion some sort of complete nook
and cranny free cover, just in case I succumb to one of my usual fish buying impulses!
<That NEVER happens, does it?>
I must commend you on your excellent website.  It is a veritable treasure trove of information, especially on subjects that up until now I have had little or no success in finding anything about.
<Really glad to hear that! We have some very special people here who work very hard trying to provide the most accurate and unbiased information possible! Thanks for your support!>
Thank you once again
Gemma
<A pleasure, Gemma....Feel free to email us again any time! Regards, Scott F>
(wasn't such a quick note after all was it?!)

Disappearing Gobies
Being a quiet observer for about 2 years now... I finally came up with a question that wasn't previously answered (OMG you guys have so much information!).. so here goes my story.  
I have a 60 gallon with about 60 pounds of live rock, 4inch sandbed, MH lights. 2x175, and VHO for what there are worth...(not much IMHO)
my live stock is as follows.
1 feather duster, very healthy
1 BTA
2 (ok this one is rough) something that looks somewhat like a BTA, but has pick "spot" at the end of each tentacle, (not Condys,)  they are brown/green/pink in color with a definite pink spot on tips...) anyhow not the point
1 pistol shrimp
20 or so blue leg hermits
20 or so astral snails.
2 percula clowns attached to all 3 inverts.
2 ? trumpet corals frags? moved in with live rock last year but they seem healthy
tank stats are good all the way around. phos, Alk, ph, nitrates, etc.....
I dose b ionic, iodine (rarely) and am a religious changer of water
so now the question
I recently cannot find my
Firefish goby ( though I hear they aren't gobies)
watchman goby
and neon goby.
all gone , no bones no bodies no nothing..
what is eating my fish,
I'm down to my clowns.
someone said isopods and I do have little things that hide under rocks and stuff that move quickly but I thought arthropods not isopods..
any suggestions?
where should I look?
tank is closed off and all pumps/skimmers have no remains!!! I can't figure it out!!!
<hmm, sounds like you may have a live rock stowaway called a Stomatopod; aka: Mantis Shrimp. By doing a quick search on Google, you can see what they look like. Then, after the lights go out in the tank, try watching with a flashlight to see if you can catch a glimpse of it.
Best, Chris>

Brown Banded Goby 1/8/04
Hello & Happy New Year! My question is this, I have a 37 gal. show tank.  Going by Scott W. Michael's Marine Fish book, I purchased a brown banded goby in hopes to keep my sand bed clean. the fish is definitely an over achiever,  and is doing a magnificent job, but in doing so, it seems to create small sand  storms throughout the tank, giving it a cloudy appearance.
<these fish are often over achievers in this regard as well as another...  They can eat all of the life out of a live sand bed pretty quickly.  If you are trying to maintain a good population of worms, pods, etc.  they can eat them down to non-sustainable numbers.>
My concern is this, I plan on keeping LPS corals, will these sand storms irritate any corals? I  did have a considerable amount of algae on my sand bed, will this pass over after it's through? I do have a Brain, Green Maze - Platygyra species, should I  be concerned?
<A few grains of sand is unlikely to be a problem, but heavy sedimentation will harm corals.  The algae may or may not come back depending on whether you have addressed the cause.>
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!  
<Always our pleasure!  Adam>

Missing Engineer Goby
Hello,
<Hi there>
I'm not sure if I'm asking my question in the normal format, but I just got an engineer goby two days ago.  It was a juvenile and the only fish in my 30 gallon tank.  The first night he settled into a cave under a large rock.  He hung out there most of the next day, but when I got home from work yesterday I could not find him anywhere, and I mean anywhere.  It looked as if some tunneling had been done underneath another large rock.  So I squirted a few live brine shrimp into each of the caves just in case and still no sign of him.  I tested my water parameters and everything is as it should be.  Should I keep putting food in there for him if he is still alive, or move the rocks around to find him???  Would he actually be living in a tunnel where I could not find him?
<Could be... but I would look around on the floor (very good "jumpers")... Do you have a cat? Is s/he smiling? Honestly, the fish may be in the tank, just hiding in a nook/cranny or the substrate in a tunnel, but if there is a large enough opening on the top, it may have left the tank. Bob Fenner>
Thanks, Shelley

Midas Blenny Dive Bombing into the Sand (5/9/04)
Hi Carson, Leslie here this evening.>
I have a Midas blenny that looks great eats everything in sight <That's Great!> and sits around watching the world go by.
<Pretty cute aren't they.>
Then for no reason that I can see he or she will start dive bombing the sand bed, it never hits any rocks just the sand. If anything can be said to trigger the action it is feeding time, but then it is a very active eater anyway. It will continue doing this for about 5 minutes.
There are other blennies, gobies, a flame angel and a few Chromis in the tank but none of them care to join in.< Party Poopers :)>  The fish is not new it has been in the tank for 5 months and just recently (last 2 weeks) started acting this way. There has been nothing new (other than water and additives) added to the tank for 2 months. I have examined it with a good lens and there is no visible problems. <Good sign!>
Any ideas??
<Well, if the scratching is just against the substrate and not against other decor, then perhaps it is a move to hopefully expose some food in the substrate. I would recommend continuing to closely observe the fish for any signs of a parasite infestation like rapid gilling, the salt grain like spots of ich or patches of pigment loss.>
Thanks Carson
<Your welcome, Leslie>

Gobies/shrimp relationships
I just picked up what is a suspected pair of Mexican red head gobies.  I had never seen this goby before but fell in love with them on site.  I am trying to figure out what would be a good shrimp to pair up.  I few facts:
Three (3), yes three gallon, micro reef tank with: the two gobies, a small feather duster, two mushrooms (one red one purple), 5 sand sifting snails, one black turbo snail, two Astrea snails, two small hermit crabs (one all white, and the other white with orange spots {yep, I know he will get probably get big just did not want him destroying my large reef tank}.  I think that is it, oh wait.  I am running 3 watts a gallon and all water param.s seem fine.
I guess I am also wondering if I need a shrimp per goby or will they be nice and share?
<I'm not familiar with exactly what goby you have.  Any way you can attach a pic of it?  Try searching fishbase.org to see if you can come up with the genus or species if possible.  The only red headed goby I've heard of does not live commensally with a pistol shrimp.>
Mario Nickerson

Gobies
Hello again. I have been wondering something. My yellow headed sleeper gobies and yellow watchman gobies are now starting to share the same hole. They are very close to one another now. Is this normal? They look rather cute.
<Not unusual or harmful. Bob Fenner>
Lianne Carroll :)

Stonogobiops MIA
Recently, I added a High Fin Gobies (Stonogobiops Nematodes) to my 29g tank.
Established in the tank already was a Blackcap Basslet (along with a True Percula). The Basslet has it's home in a cave in the live rock on one side of the tank. The gobies immediately took to the opposite side of the tank and settle right in. The gobies had no visible signs of stress, was eating and was even becoming protective of it's cave towards hermits and such.
(Yikes... these gobies are very easygoing,,,, and live in groups... and the Basslet is not a sharing sort... especially in such a small system...)
For about a week now, there is no trace of the little guy and my Basslet has taken up residence in the Gobies old home. The Basslet would never venture far from it's old home, but now seems to swim freely about the rock work.
(Doesn't sound good...)
Is there a chance the Blackcap killed the little fella? I have found no remains and my skimmer is not producing abnormal amounts of "crud". I have no ORP meter but ammonia levels are zero. Or do you believe the Stono. has been hiding out all this time? If so, do you believe it will produce itself and eat anytime soon? I would hate for the little guy to perish because of being bullied. What to do?
(Count this as an expensive lesson for you, a deadly one for the Stonogobiops)
Thanks in advance for your help!! I am sure I'm not alone when I say you are a tremendous benefit to this hobby!
(Wish we would have e-chatted ahead of your trying this combo... Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner)
Concerned about my citizens,
Kurt

The last question I will ask this year!! (Missing Goby!)
Hi bob one quick one, I have (had) a pair of scissor tail gobies in my 135 gal. reef tank now I have one!?...The thing is he has been missing for three days now...He did this once before for about six hours but three days ...could he be hiding in the rock. sick??
<Yes, or jumped out...>
giving birth?? 
<Not this>
Or did my rock or bubble tip Anemones sneak a snack with out my consent? 
<Perhaps>
Thanks again for so much help and a great site...PS I will be sending you and your crew some scuba compasses and a few scuba pressure gauges please enjoy for I enjoy your advice and so I will give a little something in return!
<Wow! Please don't go broke. My ScubaPro compass "bit the dust" a few months back, and have been missing one. Thank you. Bob Fenner>
Thanks again Joe Grunstad

Sleeping fish..... (... missing)
Greetings,
I recently purchases an Orange Spotted sleeper Goby. After coming from LFS, placed in QT Tank. All was good at that time. I then moved him to my show tank after 3 weeks with no signs of anything. My show has a 3-4 inch sugar sand substrate. It had been 1 1/2 weeks since I have seen him in my tank. Last night I even started moving some of my live rock around to try and find him, but that was becoming very hard to do with the amount that I do have. How worried should I be at this time that he has died or been crushed under sand (haven't noticed any rock avalanches in a long time)? Or, how do I get him to come out if he is just hiding? I expected him to hide a little, but this is a little beyond expectations.
<I am a bit concerned here. This is too long to go unnoticed. I strongly suspect that this fish has either "jumped out" of your system (check about on the floor or for a smiling cat), or perished in the system and subsequently either dissolved or been consumed...>
Advice for next fish would be appreciated too. Currently, 110G reef, 100+ lbs live rock. Substrate above. I currently have 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 regal tang, 1 Ocellaris clown, 1 hiding fish (see above ;)), and one Christmas wrasse. Pretty much open to anything, but looking for something that would compliment the environment.
<Let your fingers do the walking through the survey pieces, others input in the accompanying FAQs files stored on WetWebMedia.com>
Thanks for the great site and information to all of us.
CV
<A pleasure to serve. Bob Fenner>