i have 1 of these in my 75 gal FOWLR i also have a 3inch deep sand bed i love the way the goby sifts the sand i also feed him brine shrimp which he eats readily. can i put 2 more watchman goby in there with out a problem? my bioload is this 6 snails 1- six line wrasse and a med size powder blue tang
watchman goby
- Thread starter paul692
- Start date
- Messages
- 71
- Reaction score
- 0
I wouldn't he needs a lot of pods to eat. Most likely you don't have enough rock in a 75G to support one, much less any more.
What kind of watchman? Usually they don't 'sift', they dig a burrow but that's about it.
I've seen 2 yellow watchmen pair up, not sure I'd try 3. Having said that if you have a sifter it might be a sleeper goby or some other specie. Please post a picture so we can be sure before we offer advice.
Jenn
I've seen 2 yellow watchmen pair up, not sure I'd try 3. Having said that if you have a sifter it might be a sleeper goby or some other specie. Please post a picture so we can be sure before we offer advice.
Jenn
- Messages
- 1,106
- Reaction score
- 0
Probably diamond watchman if i had to guess.
Diamond Goby is a sleeper.
They are somewhat similar their body types are quite different if you look. The watchmen have two pectoral fins that they rest on. Like this:
alt="" />
The sleepers don't rest on their fins like that, typically, and they have a slightly different body shape. Like this:
alt="" />
The biggest difference is their behavior. Sleeper gobies sift actively, for a good part of the day. Watchmen tend to just hang out in their hidey hole, and occasionally they'll pair with a pistol shrimp.
Jenn
They are somewhat similar their body types are quite different if you look. The watchmen have two pectoral fins that they rest on. Like this:
The sleepers don't rest on their fins like that, typically, and they have a slightly different body shape. Like this:
The biggest difference is their behavior. Sleeper gobies sift actively, for a good part of the day. Watchmen tend to just hang out in their hidey hole, and occasionally they'll pair with a pistol shrimp.
Jenn
- Messages
- 1,106
- Reaction score
- 0
Huh I guess I never thought about it that way.
Jenn you should send this to LiveAquaria then!
Edit: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+220&pcatid=220
Edit: I have a diamond goby and a randalls goby. So i guess my watchmen watches my sleeper! Sorry for the bad joke!
Jenn you should send this to LiveAquaria then!
Edit: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+220&pcatid=220
Edit: I have a diamond goby and a randalls goby. So i guess my watchmen watches my sleeper! Sorry for the bad joke!
That's why I don't like common names. Scientific names are always the same.
I'd call that a misnomer. The Diamond Goby is more like the Goldenhead in its behavior: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+213&pcatid=213">http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+213&pcatid=213</a> They refer to it as a sleeper.
Not sure why they're called sleepers, they are more like shovellers.
Jenn
I'd call that a misnomer. The Diamond Goby is more like the Goldenhead in its behavior: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+213&pcatid=213">http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+31+213&pcatid=213</a> They refer to it as a sleeper.
Not sure why they're called sleepers, they are more like shovellers.
Jenn
If you have a yellow watchman that sifts constantly, that's a bit unusual. They do burrow, but their 'sifting' is usually limited to the burrow area.
Sleeper gobies sift all over the place. Some will build big piles of sand, and some will pick up every empty shell and bit of rubble and make a pile. We had one once that kept picking up the live snails and hermits, along with the empties, and piling them up. Every time a hermit tried to get away, he'd pick it back up and stick it back on the pile. Poor hermits
The watchmen and shrimp gobies (ie the Randall's) tend to pair up with pistol shrimp. I've not seen them pair up with sleepers (although I'm sure it's possible and somebody has probably had it happen). The pistol shrimp is blind, and the "watchman" is the eyes for both of them. Usually the shrimp keeps one of its antennae touching the goby most of the time, and if the goby spots danger, both it and the pistol dart into the burrow. In exchange for the lookout, the shrimp builds and fastidiously maintains the burrow. They're like little bulldozers, and the seem to work 24/7. They're fun to watch.
Jenn
Sleeper gobies sift all over the place. Some will build big piles of sand, and some will pick up every empty shell and bit of rubble and make a pile. We had one once that kept picking up the live snails and hermits, along with the empties, and piling them up. Every time a hermit tried to get away, he'd pick it back up and stick it back on the pile. Poor hermits
The watchmen and shrimp gobies (ie the Randall's) tend to pair up with pistol shrimp. I've not seen them pair up with sleepers (although I'm sure it's possible and somebody has probably had it happen). The pistol shrimp is blind, and the "watchman" is the eyes for both of them. Usually the shrimp keeps one of its antennae touching the goby most of the time, and if the goby spots danger, both it and the pistol dart into the burrow. In exchange for the lookout, the shrimp builds and fastidiously maintains the burrow. They're like little bulldozers, and the seem to work 24/7. They're fun to watch.
Jenn
