new goby making tank cloudy

[duddi]

I got me a sand siffting goby two days ago and since then he has been going crazy siffting through my sand. This is a good thing and thats why I got him. The problem is that my tank is pretty cloudy due to him stirring up the sand so much. Is this going to be a problem? I see no ill effects so far. The fish and corals seem fine. I'm worried that my tank will always look cloudy and that this will eventually put strain on my fish and corals.

 

[austinsdad]

What kinda goby? Tell me about the tank. how old? What kinda sand and how was it prepped (rinsed?). Was it cloudy when you first set it up?

Also, I'm thinking that water changes and vaccuming the soil a few times should've dealt with the loosed dust already.

Tell me more. Tell me more. (That was a movie, right??)

 

[melosu58]

They will at the beginning esp if you have alot of dust in there. What size sand is in there?

 

[duddi]

Not sure what sand it was. It is the fine sand that came in bags with saltwater in it. The tank and sand has been set up for 1-1/2 years. It was cloudy when I set it up. I usually vaccum up the debris on top of the sand when I do water changes which also makes the water cloudy. I didn't want to do that anymore, thats why I got the goby. I'm not sure of the exact name and I can't get a pic because he is under his rock. He is a whitish-gray with orange dots. He does stir up alot of dust when he sifts the sand. So I guess its just a matter of time to let him get rid of the dust. Do you think it will affect my tank at all? Should I get rid of him? I'll try and get some pics tommorrow.
You can see some pics of my 55 gallon in the forum sick fish or coral under the title "sick mushrooms".

 

[Seepu]

I have 2 of them (Diamond Gobies) and they can cause a sand storm in the tank. It is much less now that they have stirred it up pretty well, but when they get going the tank can get a little cloudy, and a fine sprinkling of sand on my LR that I just puff off with a turkey baster.

I rinsed out the filter floss/sponge a few times a day, and it has helped. I think that eventually, there will be no more dust for them to stir up.. I can hope

If you have corals/mushrooms ect.. they may not like the sand...

 

[austinsdad]

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~maintenance_gravel_cleaner.html

Look at these Hagens. I get quite a bit of stuff from my sand when I use these type things. I'm still not understanding how you've got that much dust after a year and a half and regular PWCs with vaccuming. Wow.

 

[dizzyliz]

I have the same cloudy issue. I just picked up a bullet goby yesterday and it looks like San Francisco on a nice foggy day in my tank. Although maybe a little bit better today. He's decided to make a nice little goby pad under one the rocks. So here's a question.....assuming this goby doesn't have a structural engineering degree...... Should I make sure that my rock is touching the bottom glass of the tank so the rock doesn't fall down on him?

thanks
Liz

 

[fatboyjoe]

I had one for 2 weeks, couldn't take the cloudy water, he went back to the lfs.

 

[duddi]

sorry it took so long but here are some pics. there is one pic of the cloudy tank and one before. The difference in person is more than on the photos. I'm not sure how much I can take either, he might be going back. Everyone should think of this before getting a goby. Thanks for all the info guys and gals. Also, can someone identify the coral in the last pic please.

 

[salty27]

Yup, that's a Diamond Goby. I had one myself...very active and cool fish. Although, I found myself blowing sand off my corals housed on the sand bed at least twice a day (to avoid irritation). On top of that, my goby would constantly dig a hole under my brain coral, which it called "home", even after I kept trying to evict it by filling the hole back up or moving the brain's location.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you if the dust cloud it would kick up ever got better as the days went on. My goby decided to go explore the world outside the realm of the tank one evening. Sadly, I discovered it's dried up remains the following morning.

Should I make sure that my rock is touching the bottom glass of the tank so the rock doesn't fall down on him?

Absolutely! Of course, just be sure there aren't any fish or critters under the rock before you push it down into the bed.

 

[Vindicator]

Is that fire coral in the last pic?