Engineer Gobi

[Paul B]

I once wrote that engineer gobies are kind of benign in the fact that they are reef safe and won't eat your fish. I need to re state that to they won't eat fish unless they fit into their mouth.
These eel looking fish are called "engineer gobi's" because they dig tunnels all over the place, sometimes causing the rocks to fall. They get quite large and go unnoticed because they are noctural and during the day they act like moray eels hiding most of their body with just their head sticking out of a rock.
They will eat anything and are very easy to keep.
My tank has over 25 small gobies of varying types and lately I have noticed that I am missing four of them. Two small clown gobies and a small butterfly that I collected which was a little smaller than a nickel and another fish.
The other fish was a pregnant sand sifting gobi which is a skinny fish about an inch or so long.
I was trying to take a picture of this fish and I moved a rock for the shot.
As soon as I did that, the engineer gobi darted out and grabbed the fish, head first and brought it into a tunnel.
I ran and got a large bucket and started to remove rock to find the gobi. I removed the rock on half of the tank and noticed that the engineer had a tunnel going the 6' length of the tank all the way to the bottom. It snaked under all the rocks. Eventually after about 15 minutes he let go of the pregnant fish.
The fish was too large for the engineer to swallow but 15 minutes with his head in another fishes mouth killed her.
I did a ciserian and collected the eggs but they were (of course)unfertile and will not hatch.
I am sure this engineer is the cause of the other missing fish as they were all smaller than this engineer gobi.
I had this problem before with an 18 year old cusk eel or brutlyd fish. I always wondered why I had a problem with small fish disappearing.
I will build a trap for this fish and give it away or keep it in my local water tank. If anyone wants him, let me know.
I just noticed while looking at the picture, that gobi to the right is the male partner of the pregnant fish that was killed by this engineer.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I would like it as I already have another probaby bigger engineer goby in my rock tank.

Are you going to be in the swap?

I should start catching firefishes out of my rock tank now.

 

[Paul B]

Wingo I will build a trap today, as soon as I catch it I will let you know and somehow I can get it to you.
I don't know anything about the swap, when or where it is.
So when and where is it?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

WingoI don't know anything about the swap, when or where it is.
So when and where is it?

LOL

click on the biggest pic in the home page of MR. :tongue1:

the owner of the site is going to kick your behind next time you said somethng like this :shhh:

 

[juan319]

Thanks for another educational article.

 

[Paul B]

click on the biggest pic in the home page of MR. :tongue1:

Oh that swap.
Contrary to popular opinion I don't spend much time on these boards and just quickly read some posts or add something that I find interesting.
I also have never been to a swap. :shhh:
Don't forget, I started this way before we swapped anything, well some people may have swapped their wifes but I never did.
It sounds interesting and I will look into it.
Anyway I made a trap for the gobi. I had one but this fish was much too large for it so I quickly made a larger one. Of course I will most likely catch a bunch of fish and probably all the crabs before I get the gobi but I will get him eventually.
I should bait it with clown gobies :bablefish
You have any grass shrimp left, I still have a dozen or so in a spare tank.
Have a great day.
Paul
Have a great day.

 

[Awibrandy]

Sorry to read of this Paul!;( I guess I was fortunate in that I never lost fish to the engineer I had. But he was a pain in the arse so I ended up taking my 155 apart to remove him.

 

[Paul B]

I ended up taking my 155 apart to remove him.

Awilda I hope it doesen't come to that. I can usually catch them with a trap designed spacifically designed for that fish.
If I do end up taking the tank apart I have been wanting to re aquascape anyway and I have a radical idea I have been wanting to try

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I'd love to see one of your new radical ideas.
So I hope you dont catch him JK

Awilda I hope it doesen't come to that. I can usually catch them with a trap designed spacifically designed for that fish.
If I do end up taking the tank apart I have been wanting to re aquascape anyway and I have a radical idea I have been wanting to try

 

[Paul B]

Right now he is laying next to the trap trying to figure out how to get at the food inside. Hopefully when the lights go out he will figure it out

 

[Sumbub]

Sounds cool Paul! If it does work, mind posting up the plans? I may have to catch mine as they keep burying all the corals I have on the sand. On the contrary, they do keep my sand bed well stirred. :splitspin

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Sounds cool Paul! If it does work, mind posting up the plans? I may have to catch mine as they keep burying all the corals I have on the sand. On the contrary, they do keep my sand bed well stirred. :splitspin

So I will also want yours if you catch it. LOL.
I love them I would take out my purple firefishes yet leaving them in my tanks.
They look so ugly when young but when they are adult they have the grace of a king when suspend themselves in mid water and drift with moving a bit.

 

[Paul B]

So far my trap works great. I have caught almost all the fish in my tank except the engineer gobi.
He must have watched me build it.

 

[LeslieS]

I wonder if that is what is eating my shrimp? I thought shrimp were too big to fit in the engineer gobies' mouths but it that poor fish next to your goby in the picture is pretty big!

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I wonder if that is what is eating my shrimp? I thought shrimp were too big to fit in the engineer gobies' mouths but it that poor fish next to your goby in the picture is pretty big!

Which fish is next to which goby you mean? It think they are both gobies!
:tongue1::inlove:

 

[LeslieS]

the dead goby next to live live goby

 

[Paul B]

They do eat shrimp as I put in grass shrimp all the time and the small ones keep disappearing. The only other fish I have large enough to eat them is a bangai cardinal and he shows little interest after he sizes them up.
I doubt they will eat cleaner shrimp like banded coral shrimp. Maybe those camel shrimp

 

[Paul B]

That engineer gobi is on his way to a new home even as we speak, or type.
A fine young serviceman came to pick him up, Bobby Bolivia a member on here. He is in the Army.
There hasen't been anyone in my home in uniform since, well never. I diden't live here when I was in the service.
He is a really nice guy and I haven't been called Sir in I don't know how long. My wife almost died when he called her Maam which I am sure she hasen't been called in a long time either. (I just call her "Yo Mama, what it is". Then I get off the floor)
It's a real pleasure to see someone in uniform especially such a nice respectful person. It made my day. I was thinking that he reminded me of myself except he is much taller, better looking more polite, in much better shape, so just about everything. OK I have an older fish tank.
Bobby, I forgot to tell you, thanks for serving our country.

 

[LeslieS]

Just wanted to update my comment - it turned out that I had a crab that was eating the fish and shrimps in my tank. Nothing to blame on the engineer goby.