Engineer causing nitrate spike?

The Engineer goby is building bigger and bigger mounds so therefore moving a lot of sand around. Nitrates had come down to 20 after I once stirred the sandbed. Now they're off the scale again and I can't figure why . I don't feed that often anymore. Anyone have a similar experience. Can't wait for my new coil that Roger built to get here.

 

I had a damsel that did the same thing in a small 20 gallon in the past... the tank was up for some time and he would open up passage ways under and between the LR... You could see all the nastiness he would stir up and the parameters went crazy... Idk if it fits your issue, but I had a similar scenario... I guess its kind of a good thing, he keeping it from becoming a landfill in a sort.... maybe... or not... lol

 

i would say its your goby, sand beds have some nasty stuff with out constant stiring

 

do you have a fuge with your sump?

 

Sort of. I have chaeto growing in there now , but it's only about the size of two softballs at this point. It's growing fast but not fast enough. I ordered a nitrate coil from Tangster. Really surprized how fast the Engineer Goby grows he was maybe 2.5-3" four or five months ago and now he must be 8-9 inches long and moving huge mounds of sand.
I have no idea how I'm going to catch him.

 

The chaeto should be kicking in soon, if it's growing. What kind of light is over it? Mine took a while too, but the last time I tested I had minimal nitrates and my eg dug all the time..yeah those mounds get pretty big don't they? LOL Mine was easy to catch and I even did it with my hand, because the net wasn't big enough.....

 

I have a 13"-14" Goby and he does the same thing. But the way I see it, is he's doing me a hugh favor. He's cleaning the sand that I cant get to with the syphon tube or at least, bringing the sand out so I can syphon it. I dare to say that he's not the No3 culprit. Theres gotta be something else that your over looking.


Luna

 

Brian you said the goby was digging the sand bed ? is it a deep sand bed or just a inch or two ? Coil is on the way should be there tomorrow .. I tried to write a note on the set up instructions paper but got rushed they where here to pick them up to go out . I'll talk with you when you set it up . Like I told you I have seeded 2 coils prior to shipping and built myself a new one to test my theory and they all where pulling down NO3's with in 5 days,

Sorry for the shipping delay But I was not expecting to feel so bad the last 2 weeks and the 3 or 4 hospital stay was a total surprise .

 

Yeah, I think he'll be ok once the coil gets going. It's a sandbed that is 3-4" deep.
Seems like he's building big mounds to close off the caves from the other fish.

 

Yeah the mounds are huge...
The bulb is 5100k
This one:
Melevsreef.com - Refugium Bulb

You caught your goby with your hand?