Oliver Knott, an aquascaper (which I just learned is an actual term, meaning an artist who designs, constructs, and maintains aesthetic underwater landscapes for aquariums), captured this video of two very petty neighbors flinging sand at each other. The orange guy in the middle seems riveted by the action, but he’s not planning on intervening.
I’m pretty sure, based on shape and coloration, that these are goby fish. Many species in this group are sand sifters, taking in mouthfuls of sand to filter out food and then expelling the non-consumable bits. They can be helpful residents of an aquarium because they keep the substrate clean, redistribute microfauna, and prevent the buildup of toxic gasses by disrupting hydrogen sulfide pockets. The sifting process, as detailed by aquarium supply company Manta Systems, entails several steps:
The Scoop
Gobies plunge their mouths into the sand, inhaling grains like a vacuum.
Their protrusible jaws (extendable like a straw) allow deep digging without full-body burrowing.
Oral Sorting Chamber
Inside the mouth, stiff gill rakers act like a colander:
Traps edible material (copepods, detritus, microfauna).
Rejects larger grains for expulsion.
Gill Arch Filtration
Sand passes over the gill filaments, where:
Mucus-coated filaments capture particles as small as 20 microns.
Oxygen exchange occurs simultaneously (aiding metabolism).
Waste Expulsion
Filtered sand is pushed out through the gill openings (opercula).
“Cleaned” sand falls back to the bed, now:
Aerated (reducing anaerobic pockets).
Stripped of organics (prevents nutrient buildup).
As well as scooping up sand in search of food, many gobies like to dig burrows in their sandy beds, making little homes for themselves. Sometimes the neighbors can be crabby sand throwers though. Ug, what a pain in the bass. Control your tempura, mate!
The source for today’s video is below.
They told the orange guy, "You keep out of this. It's family business. It doesn't concern you."
I love it. Reminds me of my childhood. I was the babby and my older siblings used to fight while I just tried to stay invisible. Was harder to do in the family car as I had to sit between them. I assume the idea was they wouldn't fight with the babby in between but that didn't always work. And then Dad would say that famous phrase "Don't make me turn this car around". He never did, by the way. Thanks, Martini for such fun drama.