what is a good sand sifting goby

[victor626nj]

i am looking for a goby to clean my sand bed ...i dont vacume my sand cause i dont want to disturb anything but want a goby to do the work i have a ywg but he is useless and scared and stays in it cubby...i dont want a diamond cause of the sand storms......was thinking about the yellow headed sleeper goby ..what is your opinion on these and are they worth it

 

[wolfie]

Sleeper Banded Goby. The BEST sand sifting Goby... It even take in Cryno where other will not touch it. You will need some kind of rocklift.

 

[victor626nj]

oh yeah nothing thats gonna tear up my rock work please...but thanks for the wuick responce wayne

 

[wolfie]

nassarius snails are your only choice then. Anyother Sand sifting fish will mess with your rockwork from time to time.

 

[roundman]

I have had both the diamond and the yellow head. I like the yellow better but he picked up the sand and then swam around while sifting it so it got all over the rocks. The diamond will cause a sand storm for a while until he gets it clean and then it will look great. My sand always has that clean fluffy look. I would recommend the diamond.

 

[cameron]

Diamonds are much better cleaners and need frequent feeding unless you have a great sandbed. Diamonds are territorial towards other goby-esk fish as well. Golden Head gobies are laid back and don't sift nearly as much, but as someone noted they have a habit of swimming down, picking up sand in their mouths, swimming up about 6" and sifting which allows sand to get on the bottom part of your rock and corals. Goldens also a very peaceful fish and often swim together and share holes. They are also a prettier fish IMO. I get lots of compliments on mine much more than the diamond I had.

 

[budsreef]

What about a Rainsford Goby? It's not officially called a sand sifter, but it will sift it all day long and not mess with any corals. It's also a very cool looking fish, but very small.

 

[flyingarmy]

Tiger Cucumber....amazing sand sifters and a blast to watch!

 

[drnecropolis]

I bought a dragon goby about 2 months ago from marine fish, sand is white as can be.

 

[bobz]

Make sure which ever one you decide to buy that it is acclimated to eating preparred foods. I had a Dragon Goby in my 70 and it cleaned my sand great but slowly starved because I could not get it to augment with frozen foods. I tried everything I could think of and all the suggestion offered up here, but the fish did not make it. I felt terrible watching it slowly thin and die. So, make sure yours is eating other foods before you get it.....
Bob

 

[oz]

The decorator goby I saw at Optimum Aquarium in a 30G cube was a sand cleaning machine, was good looking and had a lot of personality. Anybody else like these guys?

 

[mfliin]

I have a yellow headed sleeper goby...he does a great job. He was a litle shy at first(emperor angel, tangs, etc..), but after I removed some rock and moved things around..he is doing a great job. I also have some nassarius snails in there as well (Optimum is the only place I have found these orange/white guys). Good luck, let us know what you choose!