Little fish, big tank

[Mark Hyman]

Looking for some advice on my small (1.25") yellow watchman goby. I added him to my 85 gal mixed reef a month ago; he settled in a burrow for a week and then disappeared. Figured he was hiding but was starting to think he had passed. This morning I found him in my sump (had checked lots of times before) and now I've moved him to an acclimation box in the main tank. Tankmates are generally peaceful (3 banggai cardinals, 2 percula clowns, and a fairy wrasse, diamond goby, midas blenny, and small tomini tang) and I hadn't seen any aggression previously. The watchman seems healthy but a bit stressed in the box; my wife wants me to release him back into the main tank.

What do y'all think? Release him from the penalty box and see what happens or make him do some time and feed him up?

 

[Roadkillstewie]

put it back in...

 

[alpenreef]

What’s your theory on how he got down to the sump?

 

[twentyleagues]

Do you know how he got into the sump? I'd say release him but see if you can fix the issue. Do your over flows have covers? Can he slip between the weir teeth? i made a cover for my overflow and used some "mesh" to limit access through the weir. In hindsight I should have designed my cover so it was not flat lost a dart goby because he jumped up there and couldnt get back in the tank. I feel terrible about it, just food for thought.

 

[Reefacist]

How big is your overflow weir?

 

[twentyleagues]

Just a comment on the title. This is my favorite type of tank. Little fish big area looks more natural than big fish in big tank, usually the big tank isnt really big enough.

 

[Mark Hyman]

The tank's a Cade 900 with a mesh cover; the weir has a surface and low intake. The low intake has a very narrow comb; really no chance he got through there. The surface comb gaps are big enough that he must have gotten through and then taken the ride down; there's really no other way. The tank's covered with a mesh lid.

I'll try to cover the weir teeth with some mesh as suggested before letting him out. Thanks!

 

[laverda]

I don't think keeping it in there is going to help anything. What i would do is put some fine mess infront of your overflow to keep it from going in there again. You could use a bit of the clear or black mesh used to make lids for aquariums.
For future info; watchman gobies will dissapear for months depending on how they decide to dig their den.

 

[Mark Hyman]

Looking at the acclimation box he was in, I realized that the slotted plastic lid was about the right size, so yesterday I grabbed some zipties and attached it to the front of the comb. It's not a perfect fit; there's a bit of room on the sides. I was feeling pretty proud of this fix, and the goby seemed happy back on the sand. Then this morning, the little ******* swam right over to my solution, perched on it for a bit, then tried to wriggle around the side into the weir. He didn't quite get there, but it's clear he probably could. Think I'll try some aquarium silicone for a better fit and hope he grows fast.

 

[Cthulukelele]

They can wriggle into very small spaces. That's their niche. Adding a pistol shrimp to create a burrow for them would give the fish a more natural outlet for that natural behavior

 

[Cthulukelele]

Mine is probably 7 or 8 years old and could still wriggle through a hole the size of the plastic part of a pushpin

 

[JayM]

They can wriggle into very small spaces. That's their niche. Adding a pistol shrimp to create a burrow for them would give the fish a more natural outlet for that natural behavior

Agreed. My YWG was crazy for a few weeks. Always swimming around the surface like he was trying to find a way to escape. Had me concerned something was wrong. I bought a Tiger Pistol Shrimp as a Hail Mary pass and it worked. They hooked up almost immediately and the YWG now acts exactly as you'd expect.

 

[dzolot]

Ya, agree with getting a pistol shrimp. I’ve had mine paired up for 3+ years and all are symbiotic in my 235g mixes reef…