Rainford's goby died

obarrera · #1 08/13/2005, 11:44 PM

I bought a rainford's goby 2 days ago and it just died, I have no idea why.
It wasn't eating but it looked healthy, I thought it was going to start eating on the third day or something.

I have a 20g reef with a royal gramma and a percula which are doing great, are these goby's harder to keep?

BTW, I acclimate it him for about an hour.
I just want to get an idea of what happened............

Reefvet · #2 08/14/2005, 12:02 AM

Amblygobius rainfordi is an awesome fish but getting one acclimated and eating can be tuff. They're pretty reclusive until they adapt and that can take a couple of weeks. Their diet in the wild would be by sand sifting, small inverts, algae and some plankton, which they feed on slowly and constantly. In a reef tank they'll often starve because they are very passive feeders.

I see them all the time in stores with a caved in stomach. They've been starved in transit, starved at the wholesaler and now are running out of time in the LFS' tank.

Sorry to hear you lost it. It's worth trying again but look very carefully to see that's it's not already starved before buying.

I've had one that lived for 7 years and was a beautiful and charismatic fish.

obarrera · #3 08/14/2005, 12:21 AM

I might try another one when I set up a bigger tank and let it mature. I really hate that I lost it so fast. I bought it from a local reefer and he said it was healthy and eating(it ate pellets and other food), so I thought it was going to eat frozen mysis, or cyclopeeze, etc, unfortunately it didn't. I tryed to feed him, put the food right onfront of his face and it just stayed there ignoring the food. Are most goby's like this?

Im afraid to try any other goby's, I don't want to loose another fish.

Reefvet · #4 08/14/2005, 12:33 AM

Hmmm, I'd be very suspect that it was eating when you bought it. I've never seen a goby that size eat pellets, that's a huge food for a fish that size. The cyclopeeze is more like it would eat in the wild. Small mysis would be ideal and you could sustain one on just that alone.

A Rainfori isn't typical of gobies in general, it's more timid initially and a picky feeder until alcimated.

Given that effort you made to acclimate it I doubt it died from the change in water chemistry or temp..

A Royal Gramma can intimidate damn near anything, even fish many times it's size. It'll keep a fish like a Rainfordi secluded for some time. They're not particularly good tank mates in a 20.

obarrera · #5 08/14/2005, 12:50 AM

Yeah I did a mistake on adding the royal gramma first instead of adding a shyer fish like the rainford's first. Do you think that the gramma will bother a midas blenny in this tank?

I want another fish, but I ain't sure which one to get, I want a nice looking fish and that won't bother any inverts/corals.

Reefvet · #6 08/14/2005, 01:07 AM

In a tank that size the Royal Gramma won't want anyone to share HIS reef. It's going to be tuff to find a compatible fish and one that has a similar body form will be the most contested by the RG.

Ecsenius Midas is another fish that wants the same habitat as the RG. They both want / need lots of hiding places in the rocks.

obarrera · #7 08/14/2005, 01:21 AM

How come the royal gramma doesn't bother my percula clown?

They've been together for like 7 months, I mean the RG does sometimes bully the clown but it never bites him or anything.

Reefvet · #8 08/14/2005, 01:30 AM

The RG's home is within the rock in your tank. The Perk is a free-swimming fish, his domain is the open water, until you give him an anemone. They will both define territories, but with little contest because of their different preferences.

The RG only nips at the Perk when he gets too close to the RG's lair.

obarrera · #9 08/14/2005, 01:38 AM

Do you have any suggestions for a nice fish that would suit my tank, actually is there even any fish that will do good in my tank???

Thanks!

Reefvet · #10 08/14/2005, 01:56 AM

Sure, there are many fish that will easily fit. The key is you want to find something that won't compete for the rock territory.

A Longnose Hawk, a Lawnmower Blenny, a Green Chromis or two, a Canary Wrasse or a couple of Bengi Cardinals all come to mind.

obarrera · #11 08/14/2005, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reefvet
Sure, there are many fish that will easily fit. The key is you want to find something that won't compete for the rock territory.

A Longnose Hawk, a Lawnmower Blenny, a Green Chromis or two, a Canary Wrasse or a couple of Bengi Cardinals all come to mind.

The longnose Hawk will eat small shrimp, the Lawnmower Blenny needs a mature tank(and it's not really a nice looking fish IMO

), a canary wrasse is not reef safe(will eat shrimp too), bangaii cardinals, umm I don't like those fish, they remind me of freshwater fish.=/

The only ones that I might think about are the green chromis, but they are not that colorful, any other suggestions?

Reefvet · #12 08/14/2005, 02:27 AM

OK, well I've kept several long hawks with both Peppermint and Blood shrimp and they never paid them any attention, much less ate them. Likewise several kinds of wrasses. These fish, if fed well, will be peaceful tank mates.

What you choose is obviously determined by your preference and what's available.

Hopefully you can find someone who is knowledgeable at your LFS to help you meet all of your criteria.