Diamond Watchman Gobies

[AdamHorton]

Well recently I came home to a dried-out Diamond Watchman Goby laying on top of the tank cover. This is the second time one of them has managed to escape, and I thought I had taken enough preventative measures so that this wouldn't happen again -- I guess not. He escaped through a hole that was no bigger than 2"X2", and it also had my return nozzle running through it. There is also 1-2" between the top of the water and the glass cap, but obviously he still managed to get out of there.

Here's the thing, though. I really want to have a Diamond Watchman Goby in this tank: the tank can really benefit from the serious sand-sifting they can provide, and I like those guys.

My question is this: has anyone managed to keep a Diamond Watchman Goby in their tank for an extended period of time without it escaping? If so, what did you have on top of the tank to prevent it from jumping? Do you have any pictures?

The next DW I get will probably be named Harry, for Mr. Houdini.

 

[Jimbo7]

I had a one for a couple years with no top, no problems. Mine loved nothing more then to sift sand and throw crabs around all day. It all depends on the fish. Try keeping the lights off and as much light out of the tank for the first couple days. Helps them get a little acquainted and settled.

 

[robertfah]

I feel your pain with this....I bought one 2 nights ago...8pm....got him home and woke up at 5:30am for work and found out he had gone carpet surfing.....ugh! $35 bucks down the drain.....just aweful. This is one fish I will steer clear of from now on.

 

[AdamHorton]

Both times the fish had been in the tank for at least two weeks, once it was in there for a couple of months. They both had their holes dug and tricked out, and they were sand sifting machines. DW Gobies are the only serious sand-sifters that I can find locally (locally meaning anywhere between Columbus and Cincinnati)

 

[Jimbo7]

Do you have any sort of phasing in and out of your lights? like actinics on an hour before your whites? Sometimes if all your lights just switch on, it can freak them out.

Boy tell me about it. I go to university of cincinnati, the closest LFS was like 30 minutes away and it was a dive at best. Tried a couple different stores and nothing better. Not really looking forward to dealing with that again in a couple weeks.

 

[pat8you]

Jumping is usually from being startled by something. Most of the time they get startled by something walking by the tank they don't like (if you have cats or dogs this may do the trick) or when the lights turn on in the morning. If you have florescent lights they tend to turn on at 100% as soon as you click the power and this will give many fish a bit of a scare. If the tank recieves a little natural light before you tank lights turn on this tends to help since they are at least awake when the lights turn on.

 

[AdamHorton]

I try not to buy livestock in Cincinnati; mostly because the pH of the water there is a lot lower than where I live -- I just work there. I haven't been able to find many places where the livestock is worth buying, though.

My lighting schedule is like this:

4PM-10PM: actinics
4PM-8PM: whites

The timers are out of sync though, so there's about a 10-minute delay between the whites and the actinics. It was around that time of day it happened this past time, so maybe that had something to do with it?

 

[AdamHorton]

Both times happened when I wasn't home, and I'm allergic to everything else, so no other pets. There's usually some natural light before my lights come on, though.

I'm wondering if some kind of mechanical barrier would be worth it... would it be feasable to completely cover the area where my returns enter the tank? Those are the only exposed parts.

 

[Jimbo7]

I would bump the actinics to 2pm or 3pm just in case. I would also cover the top with eggcrate, if you haven't already, and get as close as you can to your returns, then any gaps still left can be covered with a mesh or bridal veil.

 

[austinsdad]

Check out this stuff... netting cover with home made frame. I got plenty of netting left.

Jumpers? I think I got it. - Fantasyreef Forum

 

[milhous3er]

Adam, I'm about 2 hrs from Cincy, and there are alot of good quality fish stores in Columbus. There is a great one in Troy also (maybe alittle closer than Cbus) that you may want to check out.

www.aquaticspecialistsllc.com Is Troy, Ohio. Let me know if you need any good stores in Columbus.

I live between Cincy and Columbus, so i've had to travel all kinds of distances to find good quality stores.

 

[mdaniel2882]

you just need a tighter top. i hae the lighting squares TIGHT around by HOB skimmer for a couple of squares and then the bird netting after that. 2x2 is a big hole. they jump at anything. I have had mine for about 4 months. he is fat and happy but i have seen him hit the screens every once in a while. he is so cool i would not even think about a tank without a diamond.

 

[six2sevenproductions]

If both your actinic and whites are turning on at 4 pm the gobies might be getting scared with the sudden light change and jumping. Try turning on actinic first then whites or now they sell LEDs which slowly turn on. They can be programmed for a 2hour sunrise.