Construction (Convict?/Engineer) Gobies

[SirMetro]

We have a pair of (what my wife was told) "Convict" Gobies. Both are light black to almost a chocolate brown with white sploshes all over (color seems to vary between morning and evening). LFS we purchased from indicated that they could get up to 13" in length. Right now, they are around 7" or so. They tend to love to move ALL my sand down to the very glass (had to put reinforcements down for the rock supports).

Today, we just bought another pair of what was titled "Engineer Gobies". These little guys are about an inch long (tiny little guys compared to rest of folks in the tank).

Anyway, our question is, does anybody know where we could learn additional information about them. Such as their habitat, additional foods they might like, so on and so forth.

So far, everybody in the tank appears to be happy (ok, so the food seems to always disappear ruther rapidly and am still nursing wounded hand from the attack of the "Guard Cinnamin Clowns" - had to rearrange some rocks).

Thanks for any help anybody can offer :)

[steve1s]

They will eat pretty much anything the other fish in the tank will. They generally do not come all the way out of their burrows when they feed as they are quite shy. They will get along together fine in groups and are very unaggressive. If they ever feel threatened or harrased, they can and will jump from the tank so make sure that it is secure as well without sacrificing surface gas exchange...

They will burrow from one end of the tank to the other as you have already discovered, the rock needs to be well secured.

Oh, FYI... they are called engineering gobies, not convict blennies.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=165

[ERIC]

I've had one for about two years.Large personality, but you need to make sure your rock is secure, otherwise they'll live up to their name as engineer gobies(even though they're blennies)Once they get big enough,5 to 7 inches, they may try to eat your shrimps- cleaners, ornamentals, etc.

[SirMetro]

Thanks for the extra info all :)

We understand the potential size is up to 13" for these little guys. And talk about attitude....gotta say, our tanks is full of attitude.

Two 30 gallon fresh water (soon to be 2-60's) with baby blue lobsters (aka blue crayfish). And the 125 salt tank with a pair of possesive little cinnamin clowns (actually have wounds from the little devils). Guess its time to finish out reinforcing balance of tank with with stilts to keep rocks in place, now with four of those little gobies, life within is gonna be interesting. BTW, balance of critters in tank is a 2 bubble tip anemaes, yellow damsel, blue velvet damsel, coral beauty, 2 purple lobsters, hawaii "marble" shrimp, cleaner shrimp, 2 leather corals (new), mexican cactus coral, lots of various soft polyps and too many little crabs to count.

Filtration is with 2 hang-on overflows to a tidepool (don't remember size, don't use wheel), around 50 to 60 pounds of live rock, 60 pounds of plain ole play sand seeded with 30 lbs of live arg. sand. Life within is great and found some really huge bristle worms (several at 6" plus).

Anyway...enough rambling, thanks for the help folks and have fun 8)

[Thorkot]

I have had a wound from a clown fish too. The first time he did it I wasn't sure what he was doing because he didn't really bite me he just brushed me. But the next time he took some meat with him. Gotta keep an eye on those little boogers :shock: