Hi all can anyone help please , i purchased a sand sifting goby a week ago and havent seen it until today when i cleaned my tank , she is looking very thin and she has a few parts of her dorsal fin missing , i think my flashback has been targeting her .I read that they get there food from sifting the sand through there gills ,but my sand and tank is ultra clean and im not sure there is enough nutrients in the sand to sustain her ,is there anything else i can subistute her with . thanks xx

Sinking foods, and if the food is being eaten by your other fish before it gets there, use a syringe to inject food at the sand level or near the gobies hiding spot/favorite hangout.

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel

thanks for that , i have some new era alga pellets i purchased some time ago i put some in tonight but as yet she hasnt touched them , poor thing i think she might be stressed ,my flashback is a bully but i cant part with her , i love her colouring and personalty but she is a total pain xx

you sure it eats algea? I thought sand sifters were scavangers, i'd try some live (frozen) foods like shrimp or worms.

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel

Mines used to come out with the rest at feeding times, it ate the Mysis and Brine Shrimp with teh rest.

And again with the frozen live food you thaw it in some tank water and insert it into a syringe and then inject it at the bottum maybe even a little under the top of the sand.

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel

There is also pellet food for bottom dwellers that you can use. I like the idea of the syringe as well. It also sounds like she is hiding from a dominent fish. Also be careful of the gody jumping and finding it on the floor. they are known jumpers. Good Luck

Consider yourself lucky. Brought home a goby and he lasted all of 3 seconds before he was eaten. I was hoping he'd find a hiding spot and learn the ways of the tank. I also brought home a mower at the same time. He was right next to the sand sifter when he got snatched. Going on 2 weeks now, and he's still in there using his hiding places. Looks like he figured out who the bully is, and keeps distance. He changes color too, way cool lil fish.

Damn Picasso trigger.

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10 gallon fresh setup with 1 giant danio, 3 placos, and 1 guppie.
30 gal bare bottom QT
55 gallon salt setup with a bunch of crabs and snails. false perc clown, diamond goby, lawnmower blenny, a green mandarin, and 1 cleaner shrimp. And a few corals
180 gallon acrylic not setup yet. (Need a few more things before it gets filled with water.)
Tanks not setup, 10, 30, 55 with stand. Either 30 or the 55 will be the sump for the 180

thanks everyone for your help ,bought some live brine shrimp this morning and put it in the tank but she didnt come out , i think the syringe idea is def a go ,and yes i agree with the bullying it is my flashback she is a total nightmare ,i have tried to catch her and place her in the quarantine tank for a week to let the other settle in ,but she is very clever and just sits inside my reef until the lid is closed ,my flashback doesnt bother my other fish and swims with the clowns and mandarin but anything new in the tank and she goes in guns blazing

Even if feeding it at the bottom solves the problem of it not getting food you still have a problem, not much point in having the fish if it hides and never comes out, the gobys are good for keeping the sand turned over and eating any rubbish left at the bottom of the tank it brings more than just looks to your tank.

You could get the Flashback (I did see you said it was hard to get) put it in another tank like you said but before you put it back move some of the rocks about so it won't be going back into the same tank it left, we know it will be but it won't if you are lucky it will set-up new territory and leave your new goby alone.

Thanks for the advice ,but im afraid my goby died this morning im gutted she was i lovely looking fish , not sure whether to get another one ,was thinking if i get a bigger one the flashback might leave it alone but i dont want to risk it with a live creature , i might just be dooming it to a stressful death again and i have a conscience a rather large one at that xx

Sorry for your loss. I was upset that mine went. I was hoping I could have had it for a while at least. With my trigger, I don't have much of a cleaning crew, and can't.

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10 gallon fresh setup with 1 giant danio, 3 placos, and 1 guppie.
30 gal bare bottom QT
55 gallon salt setup with a bunch of crabs and snails. false perc clown, diamond goby, lawnmower blenny, a green mandarin, and 1 cleaner shrimp. And a few corals
180 gallon acrylic not setup yet. (Need a few more things before it gets filled with water.)
Tanks not setup, 10, 30, 55 with stand. Either 30 or the 55 will be the sump for the 180

Sorry to hear of the loss CC. :(

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel