try to pair a tiger pistol shrimp and a yellow watchmen goby?

[honeysuckle11]

hey everyone i got a yellowwatchmen goby whos been in my tank like 2 weeks now and got a tiger pistol shrimp and trying ot get them to pair up. i kinda have a thin lay of sand and was thinking to add more to it cause bottom not fully cover. could that be a reason why there no pair? i actually cant find the shrimp i think he is hiding in the live rock cause i had his claw crack last night. Whats the best way to get them to home?

 

[AquaRick]

How deep is your sand bed? Mine use up all of the 6" i have. They require a decent depth of sand to create their tunnels. Try a 3" bed and perhaps go from there? What other fish or inverts do you have in the tank?

 

[honeysuckle11]

that could be my problem i only have like half inch. Can i just make one spot like 3 inch? I have a yellow tail damsel a black and white cardinal and a dwarf angel

 

[honeysuckle11]

Well its a pgymy angel

 

[AquaRick]

Yeah 1/2" of sandbed won't cut it. I highly doubt you'll be able to keep just one mound of sand at 3". Best bet would be to cover the whole tank at around 3" and go from there.

 

[honeysuckle11]

Ok question i have is then will i get any spikes as i add the sand and will it mess with my fish as i add it?

 

[AquaRick]

you shouldn't get any spikes. Will you be going with play sand, PFS, aragonite sand, live sand etc? If it's not live sand, wash it thoroughly until the water that you're washing it in becomes clear. Add this to the tank slowly. With live sand, do not wash it. Just add it as is.

Odds are your tank will become cloudy, but it will go away in a few days.

 

[honeysuckle11]

Im going with live sand only problem i have is i have a hang on the back fliter but i have my refugium build and need to install but i wait til after the sand. So i should mess with my fish on my bubble tip anoemone

 

[AquaRick]

So i should mess with my fish on my bubble tip anoemone

Sorry not sure what you mean by this?

 

[honeysuckle11]

Sry im oh my phone and it sucks lol. It wont mess up my fish or bubble tip anemone like make them stressed

 

[AquaRick]

Ah ok! Your livestock will be fine. Just add the sand slowly.

 

[honeysuckle11]

Ok thank you i have one more question i heard live sand holds nitrites it that true? And what can i do to help prevent it?

 

[AquaRick]

No, live sand does not hold nitrites in the way you probably mean. Live sand (or any sand that becomes live over time) aids in providing space for BB to convert amonia into nitrite and then into nitrate. If you end up going for a DSB, anerobic bacteria will convert nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas that diffuses out of your tank.

 

[honeysuckle11]

So 3 inch of sand wont harm my tank

 

[AquaRick]

Nope..

 

[honeysuckle11]

Ok thank u so much i keep u update on how it goes and if they pair up

 

[honeysuckle11]

Hey i added about 5 cups of live sand and i figure i let it settle and clear up and then add more. But my bubble anemone is like fully closing up kinda is that bad or normally? He was fully open before i added the sand

 

[Thartsockpg]

Sorry to kinda ask a new question, but the thread is quite relevant to what I'm asking. If I already have a pair of the goby and shrimp, if I re aqua scape and add new sand will they be ok. Or will their tunnel system be messed up and they freak out and stress. Btw I have like a 1/2 in sand bed and they are doing fine.

 

[honeysuckle11]

That i couldnt answer for u sry, but i mean i would think they be fine and just real dig it out. I mean i got my shrimp like 3 days ago and i havent seen him since i drop him in. Im hoping he is hiding in the rock cause he just a baby he is onlt like a icnh naybe. Did ur pair up right away?

 

[bettaowner]

That will be an interesting setup.