Picture night

[NicoleC]

http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/anemone.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/gbta.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/what.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/coupling.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/peek.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/neons.jpg

[surferdude141]

looks nice nicole i espically like the yellow watchmans. i have one right now and am going to try anouther to establish a pair. i read youre thread but missed the end. so the two finally are together? nice tank and will see ya at the next encino swap!
later
kevin

[Entropy]

You got the YWG's to buddy up?!?!?!? Very cool!

Nice pics too...

[NicoleC]

I succeeded with the 2nd goby. All the details here:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=347239

A few more pics:
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/blennypeek.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/rose.jpg
http://home.socal.rr.com/reef/images/feather.jpg

[warlockgp]

So tight..........

[MidiMouse]

Haha yellow watchman gobies look so funny...nice pics!

-Lam

[gooberz]

Nicole,

Great Pics, Everything looks nice.. Love the Gobies

[csunracer]

Nicole, what type of camera are you using? Does it have macro features? I really need to upgrade my digital camera. I have a sony cybershot 3mp camera without macro.

[Entropy]

Definately nice pics Nicole. I am dying to go get another YWG now. Yours look so cute together and I bet they are not as skittish together.

[NicoleC]

Actually, they are more skittish together, but I may have solved that somewhat by moving a big rock that was in front of their den. They seem to like the view better and feel safe that way.

I have an HP PhotoSmart 850. It does have a macro feature, but it's not a particularly awesome one and you can't get those super-close macro shots. I bought it for the 8x optical zoom (plus 6x digital), which was unheard of then in any other $500 camera. Also, it feels like a camera in your hands, instead of one of those tiny digital squares.

It's a great easy camera. However, I will never buy another camera that doesn't allow me to manually focus and override the exposure settings! I miss my SLR -- I got rid of some nice equipment to go digital and I often wish I hadn't :(

[SOREVIV476]

hi nicole i found a ywg 2days ago they actually had alot of them i picked one up he is very shy nothing like my bi color blenny my bi color blenny is up and down my tank the ywg just hides out alot is this normal? also i havent seen him eat i think he eats algae of my glass but not sure i feed frozen brine shrimp and formula one flakes but i havent seen him eat if you have ne tips on wht i should do i would appreciate it

[NicoleC]

YWG's are shy, yes. Gobies are highly predated upon in the wild, and so are very skittish. He will calm down with time -- give him a month or two to get comfortable and you will see him more. To be happy, he needs a sand bed of fine sand that can easily pass through his gills, and a couple of places where he can build a den -- like a natural cave in a rock right on the sand bed.

If you have aggressive and/or flashy and/or big fish, he will not be happy. Your bicolor can be very aggressive, but he's an algae eater so isn't a threat to the goby. My YWG's ignore the blenny. The lip marks you see on the glass are from the blenny -- a YWG will absolutely not eat algae off the glass.

He will not eat flake food (unless it falls to the bottom) and the brine shrimp is not nutritious. They are sand sifting gobies -- they eat animals in and on the sand bed and will not venture far from their den to get food. However, they will also eat small pieces of food on the sand near their den. (Once they are comfortable, they will snatch food out of the water column if it's close, but your guy won't do this yet.)

I assume you still have him in QT? Go ahead and build a fake den for him in the main tank by using a piece of partially submerged PVC tube, or just making a hollow near one of those rock arches on the sand bed. When you introduce him to the display, place him near the cave you built and he will probably dart right in and peek out at you.

To get mine to eat prepared foods originally, I left small pieces of Formula VHP at the entrance to his den. He got the picture when the hermit crabs descended on the food, and eventually started chasing them off or getting their first. He started grabbing food from the water column when I started feeding Cyclopeeze :)

If you want some trial food for the little guy to get him started on frozen and/or prepared foods, let me know. I have plenty.

[SOREVIV476]

thanks nicolec and i have him in my tank already he made a cave in the back under one of my rocks i see him poke his head out but i never see him eat i am new and i dont have a qt tank so i just put him in after i acclimated him for 2 hrs .. i like the pvc pipe idea!! i have 2 false percs also in the tank its a 30 gln dont plan on getting ne other fish just more zoos... what is formula vhp and where can i get it.? i think i should have read more on him b4 i purchased him and if gho lets me come to his frag swap i would love to buy some of your prepared food..

also thank you very much for all the info you have provided me with it is much appreciated .

[SOREVIV476]

o i have also seen him sift the sand i dont know if there is much life in there the sand i used is that live sand they sell in a bag at lfs with water in it ...

[NicoleC]

The sand in the bags has no life in it. If he is sifting that's good -- he wants to eat, and he's built a den so he is settling in. Building a den ahead of time for them helps encourage them to set up shop somewhere you can watch them, but he may move yet to the front. Mine had dens all over the tank until he got a mate; now he stays in the one spot.

Your YWG is a good choice for your tank, as are the clowns, and they are easy to keep and quite hardy. The blenny will probably be a bit aggressive and restless in a tank that size when he grows up, but he may be fine as well. He's a bit harder to keep but still pretty easy.

Don't wait until the swap for food. Send me a PM and you can stop by one evening this week and I can give you some VHP and other fish goodies like a bit of Cyclopeeze. No charge... I need to get rid of some of this before it gets freezer burn ;) Formula VHP or Formula 1 would be good for all your goby and clowns; Formula 2 is better for the blenny. (But they will all eat any of it!) Formula foods are in the freezer at your LFS.

Your bicolor blenny is a poop monster -- with those 4 fish, your bioload is going to be high when they start to grow up, so keep up with your water changes and skimming.

[SOREVIV476]

thanks nicolec i will send you pm