Dragon Goby Starting Trouble

[Sarn1]

I just got a dragon (violet) goby, its a really interesting fish & he seems to be doing great, eating a lot, swimming all over the place, he seems to be enjoying himself. The problem is he's actually too active and quite boisterous, he's re-scaping my tank. I have black flourite sand & he is moving that stuff around like nobody's business. I'm afraid he's going to cause a cave collapse, and I'm seriously thinking about taking him back, any suggestions?

 

[nmonks]

This is the nature of the beast. They're great fish, but since the come from mudflats, you need to have that in mind. Since the water will be too brackish for plants, it's best to go with just plain sand, a few rocks, and big bits of bogwood or mangrove root. Gobioides do happily use PVC tubes instead of burrows, but you'll never entirely eliminate their need to dig. Remember, they feed by sifting the sand, so even when not making a home, they'll be digging!

I wouldn't use black sand for this species. Most black sands -- e.g., Tahitian Moon Sand -- tend to be a byproduct of glass manufacturer and are far too sharp for scaleless or burrowing fish. This is clearly stated on the CaribSea web site, yet you often see people using such sands in aquaria with catfish and other burrowing fish.

Cheers, Neale

I just got a dragon (violet) goby, its a really interesting fish & he seems to be doing great, eating a lot, swimming all over the place, he seems to be enjoying himself. The problem is he's actually too active and quite boisterous, he's re-scaping my tank. I have black flourite sand & he is moving that stuff around like nobody's business. I'm afraid he's going to cause a cave collapse, and I'm seriously thinking about taking him back, any suggestions?