How to Feed an Orange Diamond Goby
The orange diamond sleeper Goby spends its day sifting through the aquarium substrate in search of food items. This attractive fish has a double row of diamond-shaped orange spots, over a pale background color. The orange diamond goby continually takes gravel into its large mouth and then subsequently discards it through gill openings after removing any edible particles. This interesting little goby, which creates a home by burrowing into the substrate, is a sought after addition for established reef tanks. Only one specimen should be housed though, as they are a territorial species.
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Things You'll Need
- Marine aquarium, including sump and refugium
- Copepod culture
- Long handled aquarium tong
- Tiny piece of fresh or recently thawed prawn or shrimp
Instructions
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1
Install a sump and refugium. A sump comprises a glass tank which stands beneath the main aquarium and is connected to it by tubing or piping. The refugium is a compartment within the sump, which contains sand or marine mud and which is used to grow algae and tiny marine creatures, such as copepods.
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Obtain a culture of copepods and add them to the refugium. Copepods are minute marine crustaceans, which form a food source for a number of coral reef fish species.
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Ensure that your aquarium and refugium have been set up for at least six months before obtaining a diamond goby. This period allows the gravel bed in the main aquarium and the refugium sufficient time to become established.
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4
Use a magnifying glass to examine the glass sides and sand in the refugium, for signs of copepods. Copepods should always be visible if they are reproducing on a regular basis. Examine the glass, substrate and rocks in the main aquarium for signs of copepods. The presence of copepods will indicate that they are being carried with the circulating water from the sump, into the main aquarium on a continual basis.
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Use a long handled aquarium tong to push a tiny piece of fresh shrimp flesh under the gravel near the gobies burrow. The fish will smell the food and begin to sift through the sand in that area.
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Place a piece of fresh or frozen marine flesh, including mussel, prawn and oyster meat, under the substrate on a daily basis. Observe the goby to ensure that it finds and eats the meal. Remove the meat after an hour if the goby has not fed and replace it with a fresh piece. Continue to do this, until the goby eats the meal. After the first few days, the goby will easily source its food and will feed without issue.
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Place the tong with a piece of frozen food near the goby after it has become accustomed to the presence of the tong and has begun to associate it with food.
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Wait until the goby has accepted the food item from the tong before removing.
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Continue feeding the goby from the tong, offering an ever increasing variety of sea foods.
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Tips & Warnings
Only add diamond gobies to a newly established aquarium after a six-month period. This allows the aquarium substrate and refugium to mature and ensures the presence of copepods.
Orange diamond gobies are territorial fish. House only one specimen per aquarium, unless you have purchased a mated pair.
