Sand Sifting Star Q

For sand sifing gobies to do there job the sand has to pass through their gills other wise there is no sense in getting one if you have corse sand. I like the little guys and want one, because I think it would starve in my tank because it can't sift the sand for it food. It could take in fod directly through it mouth but main corse of food should come from the sand. I read a some thing in a book once about this specific fish need specific foods some time to thrive in a aquarium.
As for the flow try changing the angle the koralia 3's are pointing that may help. Red slime algae and diatoms don't thrive in high flow tanks, you should just try and play with the angle the koralias are pointing. suck up as much as you can before changing the angles first.
Bill

[Bloodasp]

I'm gonna guess your talking about mandarin dragonets, sometimes called mandarin gobies. They specifically eat copepods. You can train them to eat frozen stuff, but it's almost impossible to do so.

[Ryan Joel Smith]

In my little experience i think they are called orange spot gobies. I just bought one (my tank is going on four months) and he has completely sifted all of my sand and is loving life. He will eat frozen food as well as anything that is in the sand. My sand has never been whiter.

[Ryan Joel Smith]

mandarin gobies are a whole different story all together

[marknash]

do you have coarse sand ryan.. or pretty fine?

[Leah]

I have a sand sifting gobie in my 72 as I put rock in first then sand, my other tank has the rock on top of the sand so probably not a good idea to put one in it. (May crush him)
I do have a sandsifting seastar in my 95 and honestly I think it does nothing to the top of the sand but I could be wrong

Originally Posted by Bloodasp

I'm gonna guess your talking about mandarin dragonets, sometimes called mandarin gobies. They specifically eat copepods. You can train them to eat frozen stuff, but it's almost impossible to do so.

No I am not talking about a mandarin gobie I am talking about a sand sifting gobie like a golden head gobie. They get their food from the sand and need fine sand as it must pass through it's gills for it to be able to sift the sand. My new tank will have fiji pink sand in it quite a bit finer just pick some up for the top 1 inch coat.

Bill

[Ryan Joel Smith]

Yea, my sand is rather fine. I have a sand sifting starfish as well as the goby but the sf seems to just mull about. The goby does all the work.

Maybe your start is finding enough food at the surface level of your tank rether than having to forage for it a bit by going beneath the surface level. even my Sand sifter star fish will on ocasion burry its self in my corse sand. I know it will be diving in the fine sand fiji pink is not as fine as sugar sand but it is deffinitly way finer than what I have right now. Other than what you have you can increase flow and cut back on the amount you feed the fish. This may also get the sand sifting star to move in to the sandbed and forage for food more.