Diamond Watchman Goby
A diamond-dusted sand sifter that polishes your substrate all day long.
One of the best substrate workers in the hobby: the diamond watchman goby takes mouthfuls of sand, sifts out every bit of food and detritus, and blows clean sand back out — continuously cleaning and turning over the bed. Iridescent orange diamond markings run along its chalk-white body. Peaceful, reef safe, and endlessly watchable, especially when paired with a pistol shrimp.
Photo: Foto: Actual fish photo — Nexus Aquatics
Only 2 in stock — first come, first servedSolo 2 en existencia — por orden de llegada
What it needs to thrive
- Lighting
- Any standard reef lighting — no special requirements.
- Flow
- Moderate reef flow with calm resting zones.
- Feeding
- Meaty frozen foods twice daily — mysis and enriched brine — plus whatever it sifts from the sand. Target feed if the bed is too clean.
- Temperament
- Peaceful and reef safe with corals and inverts.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Ideal Tank Size
- 30 gallons and up with a deep sand bed and secure lid.
- Water Parameters
- 76–80°F · salinity 1.024–1.026 SG · pH 8.1–8.4 · 0 ammonia / 0 nitrite · nitrate under 10 ppm
A sand bed at least two inches deep to sift, with rockwork for a burrow site. Keep a tight lid — gobies jump.
Peaceful and reef safe. Only territorial toward other sand-sifting gobies — keep one per tank unless bonded as a pair.
Quarantine, dip, and acclimation
Quarantine
Hold all new fish in a bare-bottom 10–20 gallon QT for a minimum of 4 weeks. Observe for flashing, clamped fins, white spots, or breathing changes. Treat preventatively with copper (1.75–2.5 ppm chelated) or tank-transfer method for ich, plus a praziquantel course for flukes. Invertebrates and corals skip QT but go through dip and observation instead.
Recommended coral dip
For every new coral: a 5–10 minute bath in your reef-safe dip of choice (Bayer Complete, CoralRx, or Reef Primer) following label dosage, followed by two clean saltwater rinses. Inspect plugs and bases for flatworms, pyramid snails, and eggs — remove or refrag onto clean plugs before placing in display.
Acclimation
Float sealed bags in your QT or display for 15 minutes to match temperature. Then drip acclimate at 2–4 drops per second for 45–60 minutes until volume has tripled. Net livestock into the tank — never pour shipping water in. Dim the lights for the first 24 hours to reduce stress.
