Yellow watchman goby - what a wimp

[Buckeye ME]

Well I finally got fish this past weekend. I now have two tanks set up, a 15g with 14 lbs of rock that I put two oscel. clowns in, and a 10g with only 4 lbs of rock that I put a YWG in.

The goby seems healthy, but he found a rock that is apparently completely hollow and has a perfect hiding place. Problem is I can't get within 3 ft of the tank without him diving inside. It makes feeding really hard because he won't get anything that lands too far out of his hole, and he hides too far inside to put it right at the entrance myself.

Is there any way to get him to come out further/more often other than taking the rock out? He's a really cool fish, just such a wimp.

[aguabeast]

Just give him a while to settle in; it might take a few more days, likely a few weeks. I rarely see a watchman that stays hidden forever. He will get used to you eventually, and spend more and more time in the open (though never Too far from his cave). You might try feeding him Away from his hiding spot- he will get hungry enough to venture out in the long run, and will learn its a safe place to be sooner or later.

[Thurge]

I have a watchman gobie that over a year later, still makes the dive. He will come back out but stays near his cave entrance.

[cadams]

Originally posted by aguabeast
Just give him a while to settle in; it might take a few more days, likely a few weeks. I rarely see a watchman that stays hidden forever. He will get used to you eventually, and spend more and more time in the open (though never Too far from his cave). You might try feeding him Away from his hiding spot- he will get hungry enough to venture out in the long run, and will learn its a safe place to be sooner or later.

yep, exactly. eventually he'll associate your presence with food; in time he'll come out to greet you whenever you enter the room. he's not a wimp...just a little slow.

[jbeckley69]

My fish see me coming and pratically jump out of the water at the site of the food can. They even know to differentiate from the different colored cans. My Discus dont get exited till they see the yellow tropical can and same goes for the Saltfish they know theirs is blue

[efroggies]

I recently moved a tank with a YWG among the livestock. I didn't see him do anything but th e dive into his cave until this past week. Now I see him all over the tank having a grand old time. It took about three weeks and a huge mound of sand in front of his home for him to feel secure.