Tips for feeding shy Citron Goby?

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emceeee

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
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I live in San Diego, right on the bay, so it's fit
Mercedes is very shy but is not being harassed by the others. I feed flakes in the morning and mysis shrimp in the evening with a net. I try to get as close to her as I can with the net without scaring her and release the food in her direction. But she usually hides and observes the feeding frenzy that goes on around her. I am concerned she is not eating enough, and I know this can be a problem with Citron Gobies. Any advice?
 
Supposedly Garlic is a feeding stimulant to get fish to eat. I have some fish food flakes that have garlic in it. Hopefully will start eating soon.
 
garlic

Thank you Melosu58 for both replies.

The Spirulina flakes I feed in the morning do contain garlic. Maybe I could add some garlic to the mysis shrimp I feed in the p.m? Just a wee bit of crushed garlic? The other fish are all little piggies and have no problem eating.
 
Flake isn't a very good nutritional food to feed as a mainstay nor one most gobies relish. I would stick with meaty food fare for the Citron and try training it towards a feeding station. I've used bivalve shells successfully. A full clam shell could even provide some shelter while it eats. Good luck :)
 
Thanks for your reply, Innovator. Can you explain what you mean by "training towards a feeding station"? Sounds like you're suggesting putting the mysis in a clam shell, hoping goby will eat from it while at the same time keeping all the other fish away???
 
You got it! Obviously, an empty clam shell at that ;) I use this same method for seahorses and pufferfish and feeding stations can be set up for virtually any fish. The goby may need to be coaxed towards the shell several times to realize where and why it is being herded.
 
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I tried putting some mysis in a shell in the area she hangs in - away from the current, but the food didn't stay in the shell and she didn't get any. I removed the shell after eating and decided to put it in the tank every feeding time so she'll associate it with food. But have to figure out how to get the food to stay in the shell. Is there anything else tiny but denser than mysis shrimp that I could put in the shell for her?

Thanks for everyone who is trying to help!
 
Citron Goby ate zucchini!

I've been putting nori on a ciip for my blenny, but today decided to try zucchini after reading about it on this site.

Tonight, when all the lights were out, I caught Mercedes (Goby) furiously munching on the zucchini. Gobies are, after all, both herbivores and carnivores. Since she won't eat the mysis shrimp or flakes, this is better than nothing. I'm going to buy some Selcon and soak the zucchini and mysis in the Selcon before feeding.

Will pursue the clam shell idea as well. Problem is that quantities of food are so small that the mysis shrimp floats away...:(

I'm also going to try some lettuce to see if she'll eat that!
 
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