Yellow clown goby and acropora

[SPS20]

I just got home from the LFS a few hours ago, where I purchased a yellow clown goby. I have always loved thir little personalities, and even had one years ago in my SPS-dominated 120. Well, due to space restricions and lack of money, I am currently running a 20L with mostly SPS and LPS corals.

 

Well, immediately upon being put into the tank, this little guy started nipping at the polyps on my green slimer. He won't leave it alone. The coral has now completely retracted its polyps and doesn't look happy. Now, I understand that clown gobies will occasionally pick at SPS, and may even consume a polyp here and there. I didn't realize how ferocious they can be!

 

The one I had in my 120 years ago never caused any problems. Maybe he ate some polyps, but I guess there was enough coral in that tank that it regenerated faster than he was eating it. I don't know.

 

What are people's experiences with these fish in SPS tanks? Will he kill my corals, or should I expect to just lose a polyp a day or so? (which would regrow i think faster than he could eat it) Will he calm down after a day or so, once he finds a "perch"? Should I yank the little bastard out and take him back, or can yellow clown gobies peacefully exist alonside SPS in a tank as small as mine?

 

He seemed like a perfect nano fish for my tank. I imagined him perching on my acros and staring out into space while fuzzy polyps extend all around him and brush over his body. This is what the ones in the store's dosplay tanks seemed to be doing. Now I imagine a bleached landscape with one obese goby and no SPS left alive! Help me, people, what do I do?!?!? I wish he ate xenia and GSP, that would be the perfect reef fish, lol.

 

-Josh

[yardboy]

My experience and reading say you messed up. I had a very cute yellow clown also, and he hung out mostly on the montipora where he seemed to not bother it, then he started munching the polyps off my oregon tort. That was the end of him, coke bottle trap the next day.

[SPS20]

My experience and reading say you messed up. I had a very cute yellow clown also, and he hung out mostly on the montipora where he seemed to not bother it, then he started munching the polyps off my oregon tort. That was the end of him, coke bottle trap the next day.

 

Hmm. Ok. I'm going to watch him for a little while, and if he doesn't chill out soon, he going to live in a bucket with an airstone and chunk of LR until my next visit to the LFS.

 

And... how exactly does a coke-bottle trap work? I am assuming you put some tasty treat in the bottle lay it on its side on the bottom of the tank with a string around the neck of the bottle, and yank the string when the goby goes in the bottle? Or won't that work. I'm now contemplating how to get him out without hurting him or anything else in the tank. Man, I should know better than to impulse buy a fish, but he was so damn cute, and his comrades looked fine in their reef displays. Grrrr.

 

Any more experiences to relate?

 

Edit: I just fed the tank, the goby ate, and now is not bothering the coral. I'm going to be watching him and the condition of my acros like a hawk. He can stay in the tank tonight, but if i see damage tomorrow, its time out in a bucket for him!

[bluebastion]

Clown gobies are notorious for eating SPS polyps unfortunately.

 

Believe it or not, I've actually got my eye on my sixline as yesterday I saw him seemingly dig into a polyp on my millepora. He might of just been going for something on the coral itself... but who knows in this hobby... anything can happen. Just look at my sig: "Nothing's cut and dry in liquid."

[eklikewhoa]

I had one and it tore my SPS up one by one.

[SPS20]

Update: goby problem solved with 5 feet of 3/4" vinyl tubing. I siphoned him into a bucket and now he's in my refugium until my next LFS visit.

 

Lesson learned, and the fish is unharmed. I'll make sure to feed him well the next few days in my refugium so he's in the same or better condition as when I got him. Its a shame, he's really very cute. I guess there's a reason they like to hang out on acropora so much! He can hang out on gracilaria for now, cute little bastard.

[yardboy]

So you don't need a pic of the coke bottle trick. Congrats on getting him out.

They are such cool looking fish. After I replied to your thread I actually started thinking of putting one in my anemone and gorgonian tank. Crap, I should have never responded to this thread. Must.... have..... another.....yellow .....goby!!!!!!

 

 

[SPS20]

So you don't need a pic of the coke bottle trick. Congrats on getting him out.

They are such cool looking fish. After I replied to your thread I actually started thinking of putting one in my anemone and gorgonian tank. Crap, I should have never responded to this thread. Must.... have..... another.....yellow .....goby!!!!!!

 

Just remember that he could snap at any time and eat your corals. It took mine all of 30 seconds before he started chowing down on the fuzzy tips of my acro. He must have eaten 20 polyps in the time it took me to figure out how to catch him. I suppose if the tank is mostly softies or LPS you would be fine.

[ballz739]

the question is even if he does munch on the polyp, will they grow back?

[jedimasterben]

the question is even if he does munch on the polyp, will they grow back?

thread necro much?

[czdiver]

Huh. I used to have a 14g. bio-cube filled with a nice variety of corals. I had a yellow clown goby and I just loved him. He never ate or nipped at anything other than what I fed him. He was so cute. I think he thought he was a clownfish. He would wriggle through my hammer, frogspawn, and my long tentacle toadstool. They didn't seem to mind.

[charnelhouse]

thread necro much?