Green Clown Goby

[afilter]

I know clown gobies in general like to hang out around/in coral skeletons. The one I have has been in the same small piece of coral since I added it to the tank (2 weeks ago) and has not moved other than slightly within the coral.

In QT it swam around occassionally and perched on the PVC. This is my 4 yr old daughters fish which she can hardly see and reminds me of on occassion.

Would it be recommended to pull the small piece of coral skeleton it has taken up in for a while, or should I just leave it since it seems healthy and must be getting food or I assume would be dead by now?

Any thoughts?

[jhmuse]

Double post, sorry

[jhmuse]

I have had a green clown goby for about a month and the only time I see him is during feeding time. His behaviors are very similar to the one you described. I thought that I had lost him as I never saw him for about a week, and then he was there. I would take him out if you want a visible fish as this is not one.

Just my opinion.

How a fish behaves will also have alot to do with what types of tank mates it has. It is actually quite normal for a clown goby to be reclusive but with the domino damsels in your tank, I do not think it's likely your going to see the goby all that much. With less aggressive tank mates they will actually be quite visible but they are a "perching" fish not really an active swimmer.

I would definately not suggest removing the one thing that makes it feel secure in it's surroundings. The coral piece will be it's refuge from the aggressive fish around it and removing it could easily stress it to the point of death.

Personally I think this will be a problem with any fish you add in the future while the domino's remain. They are probabley the nastiest of the species. The maroon clown and tang being a little aggressive themselves will be fine as should the chromis but not less boisterous species.

Does your profile also mention a firefish? If so, how does it fair in the mix?

Cheers
Steve

[afilter]

Yeah, I thought about that and do not plan to do anything right now. Actually, as of last night it is starting to show itself more. Also, I do not plan on adding anymore fish either as I am well aware that I am stocked at the high end and could have issues as current stock matures. Getting the goby was a weak moment with my 4 year old daughter. Now that we have found it she is quite happy to be able to see it and has appropriately named it "coral"

As for the firefish, it does great! I have read other posts where people state their firefish constantly hides. Mine is out all the time and no one seems to bother it.

I knew the damsel was a little risky when I bought it, but so far no problems. It usually hangs out by the base of an anenome or schools with the chromis from time to time.

For now the tang and pair of maroons seem to share dominance of the tank.

Thanks,

[SquishyFish]

If you want a good article on clowns check out this page...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/hcs3/index.htm

It has some "fluff" in there about the genus/order/phylum that you probably dont care about, but it has alot of behavioral information.

Squishy

[afilter]

Squishy,

Excellent link.

Thanks

[SquishyFish]

Thought you might like that!