Need Advice on Rescued Neon Goby

FeatherDuster

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Mar 24, 2007
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I was dropping off some left over freshwater equipment for this person to use and they showed me their tanks (they have both fresh and saltwater). They had a large FOWLR tank. All the large fish in there appeared to be very excited. Apparently they were chasing something. I almost couldn't see it, but there was a tiny neon goby running from everyone and getting nipped. It was only a 1/2" long. Poor guy looked scared, beaten up and thin.

I suggested to the tank owner that the goby be removed to a sump or QT tank for a while to rest because it didn't look like it was going to last very long in the FOWLR. He didn't have either. So instead he offered the goby to me since I had dropped off the extra equipement for free.

I decided to say yes because I have a empty setup 10G and I could easily find him a home at the local reef club once he is healed, fatter and larger.

Questions:
1. Are fish stores even allowed to sell gobies that small? 1/2" seems too young to survive on their own even in a peaceful community tank. My emerald crabs are larger than that. Heck, my brittleworms seem larger.
2. He is laying on top of a rock in my 10G, should I put him in my breeder net instead? He looked in pretty bad shape on the way home. He didn't move from his corner in the bag. He doesn't really seem eager to swim and since he is so tiny it would be hard to target feed him even in my 10G.
3. How fast do neon gobies usually grow? If this guy survives I want to make sure he is big enough to do well in a peaceful tank before I give him away.
 
1/2 is very small! Mine doesn't swim all the time, quite common for it to perch on something. Mine hasn't grown all that fast but he might have been an adult when I got him. By the way, I paid $19 for mine, so if you can keep this guy healthy you and he both are winners.
 
Well that was nice of the person to let you have him instead of letting him get eaten

I've seen watchman gobies that small at my LFS, I don't even know how they would survive, could easy get eaten or squashed by a rock. The manager at my lfs said that the supplier just sends really tiny ones sometimes.
 
1/2" is TINY! mine is probably 1.25" or so, and was just under an inch (which was tiny) when i got him almost a year ago. so, they grow pretty slow! they do get pretty big tho, grins you may be surprised if you haven't seen a full grown one. they have a bunch at the shed aquarium in chicago and they suckers are really BIG! they are at least 2.25" long and almost fat as pencils! i was dumbstruck the first time i saw them there. as grins said FD they aren't really swimming fish, the only time mine swims is to eat or to swim to a fish to clean it. otherwise he's perched on the rock (or his brain coral). i love mine tho, full of personality, he even swims up to the glass when i come up to it or put my hand on the tank :)
 
lol Glad to see I am not the only one shocked by his small size. The good news is I got him yesterday so that means he survived the night.

I am also happy to hear that they perch. He has moved a bit, but prefers to stay in one spot. I will be more happy once I see him swim a bit and eat. I haven't gotten to see him eat yet. I tried very small amounts of crushed flake since he was tank raised. But I am going to move on to cyclops.

Oh and freaked out last night. Do they change colors at night time? I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to check up on him. It was weird. He was a clearish whitish color. There was no visible black or blue. I woke up this morning and he was normal.

And thanks for all the help so far.
 
hmmm that's odd, never seen mine change color before... can't say that he doesn't tho as he goes MIA at night. he likes to go into holes in the rock at night so i have noooo idea where he is or what he looks like at night :)

Really? Now it will bug me. I will try to take a picture tonight without scaring him just to prove I am not going crazy.
 
Grrrr.... as I was typing my reply I spotted something that shouldn't be in my 10G tank.

You guys remember my little hitchhiker goby (Twitchy the Hi-fin Goby)? Well, apparently he likes to live up to reputation because currently he is gobbling up all the cyclops food I placed in my 10G. I guess he managed to hitch a ride on the rock I took out of my 35G to place in the 10G. Little bugger!

I am happy to report though, the neon goby likes the cyclops.
 
i wonder why your name is a feather duster but yet in your avatar there is an aiptasia. but on the other hand, hope the little guy pulls through. they are cute but don't live long
 
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