Rainfordi Goby/Compatibility 5/23/2011
<Hello Felipe>
Greetings to all. I will get straight to the point. I have a 20 gallon tall (I know its not a good shape) with an Ocellaris clown and a Bicolor Blenny.
They live together harmoniously. I was wondering if a Rainfordi Goby would be alright since it is not the typical <typical> bottom dwelling goby. Any advice would be great.
<May or may not be compatible. The Bicolor Blenny has been known to pick on smaller blennies and gobies and this could be an issue in this small volume of water.>
Thanks in advance.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>

Hector's Gobies and Engineer Gobies 3/8/2010
Hey gang! Long time reader, first time writer. Most of the time I can find what I'm looking for. Currently, I have an Engineer Goby
<Mmm, a very social species>
who's just now getting his vertical stripes, although in all honesty I was quite fond of the horizontal ones myself.
<Hee heee!>
This weekend a fish caught my eye and immediately fell in love. When I asked what it was, I was told he was a Hector's Goby. Boy did my heart sink. I told the guy I had an Engineer Goby and a first he was leery, but he said they could probably live together in a 55+ gallon tank, which mine is just that, 55. I was under the impression that you should not have two gobies co-existing,
<Mmm, well... the Engineer... is not really a goby or blenny...>
although from the forums I've read, many people do.
<Oh yes>
So my question is, what is your thoughts? Can these two co-exist since they are both very peaceful and Bob, my Engineer Goby, only comes out during feeding or extreme boredom?
<Likely will be fine if there is not too much disparity in their sizes... i.e. the Pholidichthys can't fit the Amblygobius in its mouth. Do note the former does/will get much larger in time. Please read here re:
http://wetwebmedia.com/pholodichthyidae.htm>
Digging out his rock repeatedly, knocking it over and starting again is about all he cares about except for feeding time!! :) I've tried search engines, and a few web sites, but I can find nothing that talks about these two specifically. I hope I'm no bother, but I'd just love to go back and get him if at all possible. Thanks so much for your time!!
Jess
<Thank you for your query. Bob Fenner>

Amblygobius Gobies Hi all.  Thanks, as always, great site. I have a quick question about Amblygobius Gobies.  I was wondering if any of them would be suitable for my setup.  I am particularly interested in the Hector's and Rainford's gobies.<both are fine specimens>  I have a lot of "critters" in my live sand and live rock for them to feed on, but I'm worried that they might eventually deplete the food supply and slowly starve.<yes, this is also a concern of mine but if you upgraded your refugium to about 20 gallons you should be fine>  Is there any rule of thumb for keeping these fish? <Just keep one> Here's my setup  75 gallon reef system 3" course sand bed live rock (don't know exact amount) 1 Blue Tang 2 Ocellaris Clowns 2 Firefish gobies 2 Maxima Clams Some corals (won't bother to list them here unless you think it's important for these fish 1 Skunk Cleaner shrimp 1 Peppermint shrimp Small Refugium (about 4 gallons) Thanks<all sounds good, but I would upgrade the refugium before I purchased the goby, Good Luck, IanB>

Gobies and Jawfish >Hey Guys, >>And gals.  Marina here. >Is it alright to have a Blue Spotted  Jawfish  and a Amblygobius phalaena Goby >>Do you mean "Amblygobius"?  Check this link for information--> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amblygobius.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amblygobiusfaqs.htm >in a 135g together? There will also be a Purple Tang, Ocellaris Clown, Flame Hawk, Blue Hippo and possibly another Tang. Also, can gobies of different species be kept together in a system this size (Amblygobius Phalaena  and Mahidolia mystacina)? >>To the best of my own knowledge, care should be taken with animals that occupy the same niche, or have very close taxonomy.  I would exercise care, and not try to mix similar species. Look here for a bit of information on the shrimp gobies (which I think would do alright with the Jawfish or the A. phalaena) http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimpgobies.htm >Last questions, are Copper banded Butterflies truly reef safe? >>Generally, yes, though there are always stories of some that may get a bit nippy with some types of corals.  Keep them well-fed and I would expect few problems. >And I have read and heard that they will eat Aiptasia Anemones, is that true, and would they eat an Anemone like a Curlicue or a Bubble Tip Rose Anemone? >>I've heard the same as well, it's not an "always" kind of thing.  Also, to the best of my knowledge curly-cue's are an Aiptasia, I've never heard of a Copperband getting nippy with the larger anemones (especially if it's being hosted by clowns). >Thanks for your time,  Nick Shushkewitch >>You're welcome, Marina.

Amblygobius hectori Dear WWM crew, <Narayan>    Happy holidays! Thank you for another year of sound advice and an awesome website. My fish have ich! The ocellaris clown and orchid Dottyback are in a 10G hospital tank, and the display will be fallow until march. But, the gears are turning and I want to use this opportunity to restock the tank differently. First the setup today: 72G display, 4.5" DSB, full of worms, 80lb live rock full of crustaceans, one 1600 gph Tunze stream and two 600gph Seio pumps for circulation. I'd say the surface area of the exposed DSB is about 2.5 to 3 sq feet, with the live rock occupying 2 to 2.5 sq feet of area as an island in the center. Improvements: By the end of the fallow period a 15G refugium with 4" DSB will be added. <Okay... even a bigger sump/refugium if you can fit it> I just ordered an Amblygobius hectori. All the research I've done indicates that I'll have to find new homes for the clown and Dottyback to keep the goby. I'm worried about my DSB not being stirred enough and this guy will help. As for tankmates, I just want two more <3" fish. Here's my list... <Mmm, shouldn't be an issue... enough life will emerge on its own> a) Green clown goby and a flasher wrasse b) Yellow clown goby and a flasher wrasse c)  A pair of Firefish. d) A pair of flasher wrasses of the same species. e) Green clown goby and yellow clown goby. What would work best for the Hector's goby? <Really, any of the above> I don't want anyone to intimidate or compete with him for resources. Will 2.5 sq feet of live sand and 80lb of live rock be enough of a food source for him? <Should be> Will my critter population be able to sustain itself against one small goby? <Likely yes> I am setting up the refugium mainly as a way to stabilize pH and for nutrient export. I don't really see how the worms in the sandbed in the refugium will feed the goby... <Take a look with a flashlight, other small light at night... this is "their time"> Thank you for your time. Narayan P.S. The tank have Xenia in it, so the occupants need to be reef safe. <All should be fine. Bob Fenner>