The Diamond Watchman Goby is a pale, orange-spotted sand-sifter that constantly scoops mouthfuls of substrate to filter out food, keeping the sandbed clean and aerated.
It is attractive, peaceful, and endlessly busy.
It is rated intermediate because, like other sifting gobies, it depends on a mature sandbed rich in microfauna and can slowly starve in sterile tanks.
A deep sandbed and supplemental feeding are essential.
Housing
Provide a tank of at least 110L (30 gallons) with a deep, fine sandbed it can sift and burrow in, plus live rock for shelter.
A mature sandbed populated with micro-invertebrates supports its natural feeding.
Keep temperature 24-27C (75-81F), salinity 1.024-1.026, pH 8.1-8.4, and ammonia and nitrite at zero.
Its constant sifting can dust corals and shift aquascaping, so anchor rockwork securely.
Diet
A carnivore that sifts sand for copepods, worms, and other tiny invertebrates throughout the day.
As it depletes the sandbed's fauna, supplement with frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and sinking carnivore foods.
Many sifting gobies slowly waste away in tanks without enough sandbed life, so target-feeding and a deep, living sandbed are important.
A rounded belly confirms it is getting enough food.
Health
Reasonably hardy once feeding, but starvation in a depleted sandbed is the leading cause of decline.
Quarantine new fish, keep water stable, and confirm the goby is eating before relying on natural sifting.
Watch the belly profile and energy: a thin, listless fish needs more supplemental food.
It is also a jumper, so a secure lid prevents a common and avoidable loss.
Temperament
Peaceful and reef-safe, it ignores corals and other fish, spending its time sifting and excavating burrows under rocks.
It rarely bothers tankmates and is bullied only by very aggressive fish.
Keep singly or as a bonded male-female pair, as two unpaired individuals may quarrel.
Its burrowing can undermine rockwork, so build a stable aquascape on the bare bottom rather than on the sand.
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate