diamond watchman goby

[Reefs rule]

Does any one have any info on this fish? Im thinkin of buying it because of the cool sand sifting behavior.

[leebca]

You should take some time and search the Internet. You can pick up some information from online vendors that sell them.

They are a particularly peaceful fish and do in fact sift through the substrate. The substrate should be of small size pieces so it doesn't get stuck in their gills. So, you have to provide a specific environment.

Having one doesn't prevent the need for a quarantine. Unless your have an extremely large and old aquarium, they will need to supplement their foods with what you feed them. For the reason of training the fish to eat foods you put into the aquarium, for the reason of making sure it is healthy and other reasons listed here: A Fish Quarantine Process you should quarantine the fish before it gets into the display.

Good luck!

[Reefs rule]

Will these fish accept frozen foods or will i have to train it to feed on them?

[leebca]

These fish find their food in the substrate. They have no interest in any food that drops from the top of the aquarium. Many slowly starve to death in the display tank.

The hobbyist thinks to get food to the fish, the food has to go to the bottom of the tank, but that would be pollution and create poor water quality.

In short, these fish need training. If you want to feed it frozen foods, (which I recommend) then training is essential before the fish gets into the display.

[Reefs rule]

I see. do u have any suggestions on how to train this fish to eat?

[leebca]

It's not too difficult. You need to consider presentation (Food Presentation), then try to feed the foods it would find in the wild, only frozen versions. Learning what the fish eats is just a part of the process to decide if the fish is one you want to have in your marine system. This is a good guide on deciding if the fish is one you can/should/would put into your aquarium. Is The Fish Healthy?

Training any fish to eat in captivity goes about the same way. It's choosing the right food and presentation AFTER removing as much stress from the fish as you can. As long as the fish is stressed above its ability to cope, it will refuse food.

The fact that you're looking for information before acquiring the fish is a very good sign that you're thinking ahead. There's a few things worth reading (the above references) and then look for specific information on the fish (from books, Internet, etc.).

[NITTINID]

i have 2 diamond watchman. THEY EAT; MYSIS SHRIMP,SEAWEED,AND PELLETS...AS WELL AS SAND SIFTING FOR ALGAE...AND YES I DROP THE FOOD TO THEM...WHEN HE KNOWS WHEN ITS FEEDING TIME....THEY WAIT BY THE GLASS TO GET HIS PORTION...SO YES THEY CAN AND WILL EAT WHAT YOU DROP THEM...IF YA DON'T BELIVE ME...ILL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU A VIDEO OF THEM IN ACTION.


iMa bE 90 YEaRs OLd DoIn a 30% wAtEr ChAnGe...cUz IMa bE rOcKiN TilL I dIe...

90 GALLON DISPLAY
IN DISPLAY;
110 LBS FIJI LIVE ROCK
90 LBS LIVE SAND
(3) 50GPH POWERHEADS
30 GALLON SUMP
IN SUMP;
40 LBS LIVE SAND
30 LBS FIJI LIVE ROCK.
PHOSBAN REACTOR
10 WATT U.V STEROLIZER (DONT HAVE AN ICK PROB)BUT JUST IN CASE
CORALIFE SUPER SKIMMER(150) IT WORKS FOR ME!
(ELITE) 200 WATT HEATER
LIGHTING;
T5 HO EXTREME NOVAS (6 BULB FIXTURES)
48 INCH MARINLAND L.E.D REEF LIGHTING(NEW)ADDED DEC 2010
LIGHTING ;
IN SUMP
30-90 WATT FLOOD LAMP
L.S...SAILFIN TANG,YELLOW TANG, 2 DIAMOND "WATCHMAN" GOBIES AND A SMALL CLEAN UP CREW...4 NOW

7 YEARS EXPERIENCED(SALTWATER)
15 YEARS EXPERIENCED(FRESHWATER)

ALL MY LEVELS ARE (ZERO) ACROSS THE BOARD!!! PH 8.5...

[leebca]

The fact is, NITTNID, is that your Gobies have been trained to eat food dropping into the aquarium. That is the point of this thread. When they are so trained, they make fine community fishes. BUT they need the training. Some catch on without any help, but it is best to train them in quarantine. Pellet foods are one of the worst foods to offer your marine fishes as noted in this post: Fish Health through Proper Nutrition
under the heading: Flake, Pellet, Stick, and Disk Foods

This is a very old thread and I'll close it. Hope your hobby experience is rewarding.