Engineer Gobi

[Paul B]

I once wrote that engineer gobies are kind of benign in the fact that they are reef safe and won't eat your fish. I need to re state that to they won't eat fish unless they fit into their mouth.
These eel looking fish are called "engineer gobi's" because they dig tunnels all over the place, sometimes causing the rocks to fall. They get quite large and go unnoticed because they are noctural and during the day they act like moray eels hiding most of their body with just their head sticking out of a rock.
They will eat anything and are very easy to keep.
My tank has over 25 small gobies of varying types and lately I have noticed that I am missing four of them. Two small clown gobies and a small butterfly that I collected which was a little smaller than a nickel and another fish.
The other fish was a pregnant sand sifting gobi which is a skinny fish about an inch or so long.
I was trying to take a picture of this fish and I moved a rock for the shot.
As soon as I did that, the engineer gobi darted out and grabbed the fish, head first and brought it into a tunnel.
I ran and got a large bucket and started to remove rock to find the gobi. I removed the rock on half of the tank and noticed that the engineer had a tunnel going the 6' length of the tank all the way to the bottom. It snaked under all the rocks. Eventually after about 15 minutes he let go of the pregnant fish.
The fish was too large for the engineer to swallow but 15 minutes with his head in another fishes mouth killed her.
I did a ciserian and collected the eggs but they were (of course)unfertile and will not hatch.
I am sure this engineer is the cause of the other missing fish as they were all smaller than this engineer gobi.
I had this problem before with an 18 year old cusk eel or brutlyd fish. I always wondered why I had a problem with small fish disappearing.
I will build a trap for this fish and give it away or keep it in my local water tank. If anyone wants him, let me know.
I just noticed while looking at the picture, that gobi to the right is the male partner of the pregnant fish that was killed by this engineer.

 

[lcstorc]

EEK.
I wonder if that is what happened to my neon goby. Now that I think about it I have had several small fish disappear as the engineer has grown particularly fish that like to hang out low to the ground.
One of the coolest things to watch was when we re-scaped the tank and it took the engineer 3 days to settle down and re-build his tunnels. He was swimming around the tank all day and we actually got to see all of him for more than the usual dart out for food.

 

[wazzifam]

Hmmm this is very interesting. I have one of these and noticed over the last few days that hes considerably larger than I remember him. My firefish is missing....... he loves rescaping after I rescaped. He seems to be the fish in my tank that has shown the most considerable size difference.

Thanks for sharing your info. maybe I wont be so quick to blame the Umbrella or the anen.

 

[Paul B]

See the small butterfly in this picture, there was a smaller one along with the five yellow clown gobies. Both butterflies are gone as are three of the clown gobies. I diden't think he would bother fish he can't eat in one piece but the way he dragged away this large pregnant gobi that he could not possable eat on one piece changed my mind.

 

[new reefer 03]

that butterfly is cool!
sorry to hear of you losses, i would pester the engineer goby ( when my fish are bad, i chase them down with a net ) :look:

 

[Paul B]

i would pester the engineer goby ( when my fish are bad, i chase them down with a net )

That engineer was just doing what he was supposed to do. Larger fish eat smaller fish. He doesen't care that the fish he was eating cost more than him.
I will catch him and get him a good home in a tank with larger fish.

Now I have to go and pester him with a net :hallo:

Happy Veterans Day

 

[lcstorc]

I'll leave mine alone. The only smaller fish in the tank are quite small and have lived with him for some time. Hopefully they will continue to co-exist peacefully. It will however be something I consider for all new purchases for that tank.

Happy Veterans Day.
We appreciate you and all of your fellow Veterans.

 

[Paul B]

Mine lived peacefully for a few years too. All at once I started looking for some small fish and finally figured where they went.

 

[lcstorc]

I guess as the engineer gets bigger it becomes more of a threat. Well I don't have another tank to move the engineer to. Perhaps I could move the smaller fish to the 90. There is plenty of room there. I would just have to catch them and that could be quite the challenge.
I guess it is time to put the fish trap back in the tank and be glad the couch is right there for watching and waiting.

 

[Paul B]

So far my trap works great. I have caught almost all the fish in my tank except the engineer gobi.
He must have watched me build it.

 

[lcstorc]

I have done that more than once. Each time it is the fish I want to catch that stays away and I always use the same trap. How do they know it is their turn?

 

[Paul B]

How do they know it is their turn?

Now I installed one of those ticket dispensers at the entrance to the trap.
When it is his turn, he will go in.
Last night I installed two traps. One of them is great for catching crabs.

 

[Paul B]

That engineer gobi is on his way to a new home even as we speak, or type.
A fine young serviceman came to pick him up, Bobby Bolivia a member Manhattan Reefs. He is in the Army.
There hasen't been anyone in my home in uniform since, well never. I diden't live here when I was in the service.
He is a really nice guy and I haven't been called Sir in I don't know how long. My wife almost died when he called her Maam which I am sure she hasen't been called in a long time either. (I just call her "Yo Mama, what it is". Then I get off the floor)
It's a real pleasure to see someone in uniform especially such a nice respectful person. It made my day. I was thinking that he reminded me of myself except he is much taller, better looking more polite, in much better shape, so just about everything. OK I have an older fish tank.
Bobby, I forgot to tell you, thanks for serving our country.

 

[Woodstock]

That engineer gobi is on his way to a new home even as we speak, or type.
A fine young serviceman came to pick him up, Bobby Bolivia a member Manhattan Reefs. He is in the Army.
There hasen't been anyone in my home in uniform since, well never. I diden't live here when I was in the service.
He is a really nice guy and I haven't been called Sir in I don't know how long. My wife almost died when he called her Maam which I am sure she hasen't been called in a long time either. (I just call her "Yo Mama, what it is". Then I get off the floor)
It's a real pleasure to see someone in uniform especially such a nice respectful person. It made my day. I was thinking that he reminded me of myself except he is much taller, better looking more polite, in much better shape, so just about everything. OK I have an older fish tank.
Bobby, I forgot to tell you, thanks for serving our country.

YES! Thank you Bobby!!!!!

 

[peepa]

PAUL YA GOT PICTURES OF THE TRAP YOU BUILT?
Do you wanna loan it outI'm missing 2clown gobies and 1citron.

 

[Paul B]

PAUL YA GOT PICTURES OF THE TRAP YOU BUILT?
Do you wanna loan it outI'm missing 2clown gobies and 1citron.

I don't have a picture of it, I will see if I have time to take one. I am in the middle of painting my bedroom and waiting for the first coat to dry.
You can build the thing in five minutes. It's just some window screen rolled into a cylinder and glue gunned to stay. One end is sealed and the other end is a funnel made of screen with the hole a little larger than the fish you are trying to catch. Tie a string on it, throw a rock in and some bait. and wait.
It's like a lobster trap.

 

[dianezoo]

Wow interesting story! I have had an engineer goby for several years now. He hasnt grown much, and is like a puppy dog. Whenever I am around he comes out front and hangs around begging for food. The tank mates are: a fat cardinal a Lubbock wrasse and a yellow tang. The engineer and the wrasse are about 4".

 

[Paul B]

Diane I am sure he will get along with those fish just fine.
Paul

 

[notcho64]

I have 2 engineers each about 8" long. All hoizontal stripes are gone and they have nice "rings" around them now. I bought them about 9 months ago whe ni got my fisrt salt water tank. I have recently lost 3 fish in the last 2 months. A 3" mexican wrasse went missing right after I bought him with a leapord wrasse. I found out that the leapard was defiantely carniverous and I suspected the leapard of eating the mexican. The mexican goes down in the sand for long periods of time and i rarely saw him. However I have not seen him in a couple of weeks and my yellor coris went missing 3 days ago. I blamed the leapard and tore apart the tank looking to trade the mexican in. I could not find the mexican or the yellow coris wrasse. Both were about 3" long. All I have left is a 2" false percula clown, 2.5" red coris wrasse and the 2 engineer gobies. Also about 20 blue legs and 15 turbo snails. I always thought the red coris was eating the crabs and snails but now I am suspecting the EG's of eating everyone else. Am I imaginaing all this. I thought they were herbivores and peaceful? I have a lid on the tank so I know that nobody jumped out.

please advise.

 

[SATELLITE]

i have an engineer goby about 8"big doesn't do too much digs his hole and if i put corals to close to him he will cover them up. my stupid fault but over and all they are really good to have. the turn over of the sand bed is great