Do you QT a diamond sifter goby?

Rhodes19

Rhodes19

Active Member
Hi All,

Do you need to quarantine a diamond sifter goby or can they go straight into the DT? I'm sure the answer is yes, they need to be quarantined but I want to make sure. I recall reading somewhere that diamond sifters are not susceptible to ich and because of that don't need to be quarantined.

I have a diamond sifter goby and he has been in my 29 g qt for the past 2 weeks but he doesn't move around much and I haven't seen him eat either. I do have a plastic bowl with sand in there for him but I've only seen him in it twice (he wasn't sifting). When he was in the lfs, he was in a tank with sand and he was sifting through it like crazy.

Any advice or information would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

Chris
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
hmmm honestly I try to QT everything. I had a Yellow Headed Goby (Sand Sifter) and QT'd it for 6 weeks with no ill effects. The difference is that it was eating (like a PIG) from day one so diet wasn't really an issue. Also my QT tank was not a hospital tank so it had a DSB to sift from. That's a tough call and hopefully someone will add some HELPFUL advice here.

Good luck buddy!
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
I am pretty sure goby's do not suffer from ich but not if they are carriers or not. I am glad you posted this thread Chris. This is a good question to put to Lee. I have no doubt he has the answer.
 
JandR

JandR

Member
As for feeding though, I know mine when I got it wasnt doing anything and hiding and such but if I put in live brine shrimp he would go nuts and swim almost half way up the tank to steal them from the other fish. I know Brine Shrimp isnt the best but it may be a way to get him started eating. Good luck though!
 
L

leebca

Well-Known Member
The Gobies as a group are resistant to Marine Ich, but they can be infected with Marine Ich -- and a few dozen other fish ailments. These fishes can and should be quarantined.

In the quarantine post, it is recommended how to setup a quarantine tank for sand sifters. However the instruction is a bit split up/spread around. I went back and modified the post found here: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums.../23584-fish-quarantine-process-step-step.html

For fish that burrow or are sand sifters, a substrate of pure silica sand can be used. The sand must be tested since many 'pure silica sands' contain carbonate contaminates. Take some 1:2 diluted vinegar and add it to the 'pure sand.' If it bubbles it is contaminated with carbonates and not to be used.

I prefer using the 'bowl method.' I put a deep bowl of pure silica sand in the QT (before the fish is put in). I can take out the bowl for cleaning the sand when it needs it, or for replacing the sand if I need to.

:thumbup:
 
Rhodes19

Rhodes19

Active Member
JandR said:
As for feeding though, I know mine when I got it wasnt doing anything and hiding and such but if I put in live brine shrimp he would go nuts and swim almost half way up the tank to steal them from the other fish. I know Brine Shrimp isnt the best but it may be a way to get him started eating. Good luck though!
Click to expand...

Hi JandR,

Thanks, I'll give that a try. Hopefully he will go after them.
 
Rhodes19

Rhodes19

Active Member
leebca said:
The Gobies as a group are resistant to Marine Ich, but they can be infected with Marine Ich -- and a few dozen other fish ailments. These fishes can and should be quarantined.

In the quarantine post, it is recommended how to setup a quarantine tank for sand sifters. However the instruction is a bit split up/spread around. I went back and modified the post found here: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums.../23584-fish-quarantine-process-step-step.html

For fish that burrow or are sand sifters, a substrate of pure silica sand can be used. The sand must be tested since many 'pure silica sands' contain carbonate contaminates. Take some 1:2 diluted vinegar and add it to the 'pure sand.' If it bubbles it is contaminated with carbonates and not to be used.

I prefer using the 'bowl method.' I put a deep bowl of pure silica sand in the QT (before the fish is put in). I can take out the bowl for cleaning the sand when it needs it, or for replacing the sand if I need to.

:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Hi Lee,

Thanks, that's what I thought but I wanted to make sure. I quarantined all my other fish before putting them into the DT and don't want to add anything else to it other than fish and coral (ok, clams and mobile inverts too :)). I have the tank set up like you described and I'm using the sponge filter. I'll check the sand for carbonates (I missed that part). I'm staying on top of the water quality, but now I need to get him to eat and stop hiding.

Chris
 
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