Yellow Watchman
Goby/Goby Compatibility 11/3/09
Hi all
<Kenny>
I have a Yellow Watchman Goby in my 6ft x 2ft x 2ft aquarium.
My question is, I would like to introduce a tiger pistol for the
watchman.
Would I also be able to introduce another goby and shrimp pair, a wide
band goby and tiger pistol shrimp.
Would this be ok?
<Shouldn't have any problems here. James (Salty Dog)>
Kenny
Randall's Goby and a Neon Goby 10/20/2009
Hi :-)
<Hello there>
I have been reading your website on and off secretly as a n00b for a few
months.
I have a 75g tank which has been setup for about 18mths or so, although
I bought it and then moved it to my house August 2009
All my parameters seem to be OK apart from nitrates <10ppm according to
a Salifert Nitrate Test, as in Nitrites & Ammonia 0ppm - PH: 8.1 to 8.3
- I do a 20ltr water change twice per week.
My current stocking in a 3�x2�x2� tank (with 3� sump, APF600 Skimmer and
a Vortech MP40W, 150w Halides x 2, T5 x 2, Reactor with Phos �n� Doc
remover):
Pistol Shrimp x 1
Yellow Tang (about 2.5�) x 1
Tomato/e Clown x 2
Scooter Blenny x 2
Randall's Goby x 1
Copperband (about 4�) x 1
My Copperband has Lymphocystis and as I understand it should recover
given the right water conditions, I was aware of this when I bought him
3 days ago. Yes I know, but I felt so guilty for him in a very small
tank at the LFS and mine waiting for one to cope with the Aiptasia etc
and at £17 I thought I could give him a better home and a much better
life.
My question is, from reading this site, the CB could do with the aid of
a Cleaner Shrimp or a Neon Goby, what do you think the chances of a Neon
Goby getting on in the same tank as a Randall's?
<Good odds I grant. Gobiosoma/Elacatinus gobies are well-tolerated by
most all fishes>
Many thanks for help / suggestions.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Shrimp / Goby Pair
7/18//09
Hi everyone,
<Hello, Josh here.>
I'm new to this website so bear with me here. I've been reading the FAQs
about shrimp gobies/shrimp bonding and just had one or two more
questions.
I released a black-ray goby (the LFS said it was an Antenna Goby) along
with a candy stripe pistol shrimp about 3 days ago.
<Were they purchased as a pair, or did you just buy one of each?>
The problem is, they went to separate sides of the 29 gallon aquarium
almost immediately and I barely see the goby and haven't seen the shrimp
yet. Is there anything else I can do to "match-make" or am I going to
have to just see how it all plays out?
<Likely you will have to just wait, make sure to spot feed each of them
if they are acting to nervous to come out and eat.>
Or should I have put them in the same bag to get acclimated together
first?
<If they were purchased as a pair, this likely would have worked. But if
not, a bag would have been a stressful place to introduce them.>
I'm still relatively new to this hobby, having only setup the tank about
4+ months ago. That being said I'm sure I'm asking some sort of stupid
question here.
<Not at all.>
Thanks,
Jake
<Your very welcome
Josh Solomon>
A “Grumpy” Yellow Watchman Goby—Can ��Grumpy” ever be happy
again? – 06/12/09
Hello Fish gurus!
<Cath>
I’ve perused the Q & A here, which has been very helpful thus far, but I
have a couple more questions/concerns about Grumpy, our Yellow Watchman
Goby.
Grumpy is, well, grumpy. He used to live in a 14-gallon BioCube but has
been moved to more luxurious quarters—a nice 55-gallon corner tank with
a nice reef and plenty of caves to hide in and sand to burrow in. But
Grumpy hasn’t been happy for some time, even before the move.
Grumpy survived a move from Arizona to Northern California with his
pistol shrimp buddy, Bulldozer.
<Oooh, good name>
But Bulldozer died within six months, presumably from shifting rocks in
the nano tank. An attempt at beginning another relationship for Grumpy
failed (not sure if the new pistol shrimp died or was eaten …).
Ever since Bulldozer died, Grumpy has been increasingly territorial and
underwent the well-described color change. Grumpy has also attacked and
eaten tankmates, including a Clown Goby and a Cleaner Wrasse (while in
the nano tank).
<Too crowded...>
Grumpy’s current tankmates are a pair of Percula Clownfish that accept
hand feeding (one’s obviously become female) and a personality-plus
bicolor blenny, with a peppermint shrimp, six turbo snails, about 10 to
12 hermit crabs in various stages of maturity, a starfish and a sea
cucumber. The hermit crabs, starfish and sea cucumber came with the
aquarium set-up.
Grumpy will “charge” at us when we walk by the tank, and exhibit what I
perceive as aggressive behavior (well, as aggressive as
you can be when you are 3 inches long!). He (She?) takes mouthfuls of
gravel and spits it out through the gills. He’ll rest on the bottom of
the tank, pull his tail fins close to his body, and curl toward us,
maintaining a stare.
<All sounds like good behavior for the species>
We offer a diet of flaked food and a couple of times a week a thawed
frozen bloodworm treat.
Is there any way to make this fish happy? Should we try to introduce
another pistol shrimp? A second yellow watchman goby? Or is Grumpy
destined for a life of unhappiness?
<Mmm, these could be tried in this size/shape system... I'd release
during the/a day in the AM when you can be present to separate if WW III
seems to be breaking out>
Thanks for any help you can offer Grumpy and me.
Catherine
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Shrimp Goby/Compatibility 4/14/09
Hi,
<Hello Jay>
For the last 4 months or so I have successfully kept a Stonogobiops
Nematodes (High Fin Banded Goby) with a Pistol Shrimp in a nano reef
with live rock and corals. Having not seen the Goby for some weeks
and searching high and low for him, I came to the only conclusion I
could and that was that he had died.
I went to my LFS and brought a replacement, but it turns out this is
a Stonogobiopes < Stonogobiops> Xanthorhinica (Yellow Nose Prawn
Goby) having got him home within a day he has happily paired with
the shrimp....
Whilst doing my regular water checks I came across the Stonogobiops
Nematodes still alive happily swimming in the back filter
compartments of my River Reef tank!
<Great.>
My question is, will the two Goby's live happily together or can I
expect some fighting... should I remove one of them... which is
easier said then done!!!!
<In my experience, the Stonogobiops Xanthorhinica (also called the
High Fin Red Banded Goby) is not aggressive towards other shrimp
gobies and may even share a burrow with another species. Being
territorial, it may occasionally quarrel with conspecifics if kept
together, or if the tank is too small.
I'd keep together and observe. You may want to add another pistol
shrimp to your nano if fighting for the same burrow occurs.>
Many Thanks in advance
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jay Driscoll
Pistol Shrimp/Shrimp Goby Compatibility 2/3/09
Dear WWM
Crew,
<David>
Thanks for all the help over the years, you have
been an endless source of great information and advice.
<You're
welcome.>
Recently I acquired a Yellow Watchman Goby and Randall's
Pistol shrimp pair from my local LFS. I put them in my 55 gal tank, set
up for about a year now, whose other tankmates include a Firefish and a
false percula clown. All parameters are as follows: Ammonia 0, Nitrite
0, Nitrate 0, Specific Gravity 1.026, PH 8.3, Temp: 80, (both the YWG
and Randall's quarantined for two weeks). A few days after they were put
in the display tank, I woke up to see the YWG on the complete other side
of the tank from their home, and no evidence of the pistol shrimp. After
a couple
days of this, with no clicking or other evidence that the
pistol shrimp was still around, I got another Randall's from my LFS.
<Based on the behavior my pistol shrimp exhibits, I'm betting he is
still in the tank somewhere.>
The two hit it off pretty quickly (I've
had luck with non-paired gobies and shrimp in the past), and everything
seemed ok. Well, as it turns out, the other pistol shrimp emerged a week
after all this occurred,
<Aha!>
and now I have two Randall's.
After looking at them closely and looking at some pics/information
online I figured I
would try to get these two together and see if I
could have a male/female pair of shrimp to live with the goby.
Amazingly, this turned out to be the case, and the two lived together
for about two days. Now, the larger of the
two shrimp has kicked the
other out of the burrow,
<Not unusual.>
and other attempts to get
them back together have been unsuccessful. Is there any chance that
these
two will ever live together again?
<I'm thinking it is rare
for two pistol shrimp to share a burrow. Bob may input here based on his
diving observations and invertebrate expertise.><<They may, may not.
RMF>>
I can take one of the shrimp back to the LFS if I need to,
<I would return one of the shrimp.>
as the goby seems to be pretty
confused as to which shrimp he should be living with, and I wouldn't
want the aggression to become more severe resulting in the death of one
of the shrimp.
<The Randall's Pistol Shrimp are generally found with
the Stonogobiops or Amblyeleotris Gobies, and
may be why the goby and
shrimp haven't bonded yet. The Yellow Watchman Goby is a Cryptocentrus
cinctus.
Doesn't mean they won't bond as I have a Yellow Watchman
Goby that bonded with a Randall's Pistol Shrimp. It took a couple of
weeks before the bonding occurred, but now have been sharing the same
burrow for two years.>
Thanks for your help.
<You’re welcome.
James (Salty Dog)>
Sincerely,
David
Goby Eating Jawfish 1-22-08
Good morning all...
<Hello.
Yunachin here.>
I had the strangest thing happen overnight.
I have
a 90g reef tank with the following inhabitants:
2 False Perculas
Fairy Wrasse
Kole Tang
4.5" Yellow Watchman Goby (he's huge... was
huge)
Yellowheaded Jawfish (one small, one large)
Yellow-tail Blue
Damsel
Coral Banded Shrimp
Some soft corals...
<Nice collection
you have.>
I was a little tentative about adding the Watchman Goby
back into the tank after having spent 5 months in another tank to let my
Jawfish settle. Bob gave me 50/50 odds if the Goby would be a problem
sharing the bottom with the Jawfish. The first week proved a little
tense, a lot of open mouth head shaking by the goby... and the small
Jawfish would always move. The larger Jawfish was more or less left
alone. I never realized the teeth on the Jawfish before... impressive
for a small skittish fish.
<Indeed, I have two myself.>
Anyhow,
last night my goby was acting weird... jumping around on the bottom. I
couldn't get a good look at him at first, but I kept watching... only to
see the small Jawfish had appeared to have been swallowed mostly whole.
The tail was still out of the mouth and it looked like the fish was
still alive.
<Oh my…>
I used tank tongs to disturb the goby hoping
maybe he'd spit up the fish... but the goby just moved into one of the
caves in the tank. I figured at that point to let nature take its course
hoping at least the large Jawfish could hold his ground. This morning,
the little Jawfish is at the front of my tank in his burrow... the large
Jawfish is also in his burrow at the opposite end of the tank. I looked
around with a flashlight to find the goby... my large Coral Banded
Shrimp and a hermit crab is on the carcass of the Yellow Watchman Goby.
<I am sorry to hear that.>
I never in a million years would have
thought to have seen that outcome. Is this surprising? I couldn't see
the body to well and didn't have time to fish it out before work... but
I have this vision of the little Jawfish getting swallowed mostly but
fighting/biting like mad within the goby? Is it possible that it did
enough internal damage to the goby that it was eventually able to
escape? Like eating him from the inside so to speak?
<Two things
could have occurred in this situation. One, the Jawfish could have
indeed, ripped the goby from the inside. The more likely explanation is
the goby choked on the Jawfish trying to swallow him and actually died,
then afterward the Jawfish was able to wiggle out and escape.>
All I
have to say is... WOW.
<As do I. –Yunachin>
David Brynlund
Yellow Watchman Gobies... repro. 9/12/07
Hello
Crew!
I searched the goby FAQ's and didn't find the answer to my
question. I purchased two yellow watchman gobies at the same time
<Mmm, of the same sex if the same color...>
and introduced them into
my 75G aquarium. The only other inhabitants are two Ocellaris clowns
that are 9 months old, 1 peppermint shrimp, one pistol shrimp, two
"transparent shrimp", two red sea stars, one serpent star, some button
Coral Polyps, mushroom corals, 1 "dung" cucumber,
<Mmm, what
species?>
and some snails and hermits. I introduced the gobies at the
same time, one is grayer and larger, the other is yellower and smaller.
<Oh! I take it back... separate sexes>
I have had them for months now
and the bigger grayer one keeps chasing the smaller one around the tank.
<What they do>
The gray one will open his mouth VERY wide and advance
on the smaller one. I have never seen a bite land, the yellow one always
runs faster and as long as they are out of sight of one another all is
peaceful. There are enough places to hide that the yellow one is not
constantly on the run but it has me worried. I wanted to create a
breeding pair but do I have two of the same sex?
<Nope>
I read an
extensive article on Advanced Aquarist by someone who has raised gobies
and they said that the larger gray one is always the female, and the
smaller yellow one would be the male.
<This is my understanding,
though Fishbase simply states that this species comes in two color
variations:
http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=7208&genusname=Cryptocentrus&speciesname=cinctus>
Should I return one of them for a different one? If so which one? Thanks
for your help!
Paul
<Might be better if they were closer in
size... but if there has been no actual damage, both are eating, appear
not-too thin... I'd wait out the two you have. Bob Fenner>
Re: Pink watchman goby and ich, now Firefish comp. – 07/26/07
Hi Bob,
Thank you for your kind words. I've had a bit of an emergency
and am perplexed as to what to do. I woke up this morning and my
firefish has a wound (appears white) at the base of the anal fin and her
fins are frayed. At night she goes into a hole in the live rock and I
know there are things living in there but is there anything that could
have attacked her?.. or could it have been the goby or mithrax crabs?
<Easily>
Actually the real question is should I put her in a
quarantine tank until that wound heals?
<Better to move, remove the
probable cause/s>
She is swimming, eating and breathing just as
normal as she was yesterday. Thanks.. Jennifer
<Do keep a sharp
watch... doesn't take much for further damage... BobF>
Re: Pink watchman goby and ich – 07/26/07
Ok, thanks Bob. I have
a feeling it was the goby...he has a guilty look. I'll continue keeping
a sharp eye on the firefish...I've had her the longest so I'm rather
partial to her. Thanks for your help....again! Jennifer
<Real good.
BobF>
Pistol Shrimp/Goby Pair? 7/19/07
Hi
crew
<Hi Adam! Mich here.>
Question from Australia :),
<Cool...
Answer currently coming from the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, USA>
I will definitely be getting a shrimp/goby pair for my 24x18x18.
<An
awesome dynamic to observe!>
I was wondering if I could have 2 pairs?
<I would look for a mated pair of gobies and their symbiotic shrimp.
This is the best situation>
different sp.?
<You may be OK with
different species. I would avoid getting two of the same species unless
they are a mated pair.>
have read a lot on these symbiotic
relationships and really like them.
<It is quite captivating... Hours
of entertainment!>
Also finding a suitable substrate. The opinions
differ again. Is it species orientated?
<Each individual fish can be
different. Best to provide a variety of options. I would place a couple
of small piles of rumble of varying degrees of coarseness about the
tank. You will also want to make sure you live rock is placed directly
on the glass and not on the sandbed as any borrowing fish could be
accidentally crushed. And you will also need a well cover tank as these
Gobies can be jumpers.>
This is the whole aim for this tank, to have
a shrimp/goby symbiotic relationship.
<Very nice! You will surely
enjoy!>
Only keeping soft/LPS corals and fish that will live in
harmony with my shrimp/goby pair.
<Very good!>
Thanks
<Welcome... If you write again please don't forget to use proper
capitalization. Mich>
Adam
Yellow Watchman Goby 1 - Hermit Crab 0, adding "corals"
6/23/07
Bob,
Thank you for your quick reply. My company is
about to make the big switch ourselves and I’m am definitely not looking
forward the fallout. Enclosed is the original email.
<Good>
Thanks again for all your help,
Matthew
Hello WWM crew,
Thanks for all your past help!
The weirdest thing just happened. A
small hermit crab was walking past my Yellow Watchman Goby’s cave when
the Goby came flying out grabbed the crab and carried him back into his
hideout. I couldn’t believe what I saw, I did lots of reading about YWG
and hadn’t seen anything like this. 30 seconds later crab came out of
the cave and was about 3in away when the Goby grabbed him and hauled him
back in. I was able to count the crabs later and he was still alive. Did
a search of WWM and couldn’t find any accounts of something like this
happening. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
<These gobies are
carnivorous... will capture, consume crustaceans like Hermits...>
One
other question while I’ve got you here. On a completely different topic…
coral. Never worked with coral before so I’ve been doing lots of
reading. I have a 40T Eclipse system. I’ve seen reports of people having
success with smaller Eclipse systems but haven’t seen anything about a
40T type setup. I just have the standard Eclipse equipment with 2 power
heads, crushed coral substrate and live rock.
Stock wise I have the
Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Clownfish.
1 Cleaner shrimp
And a
hermit crab/snail clean up crew
Still in the stocking stage and
thought I should look into whether or not coral was an option and begin
to tailor my stock list around that. If possible I’d be looking beginner
level with bright colours. Would this be possible without the addition
of hardware? If not would it be possible with the addition of hardware?
Thanks for all your help,
Matthew
<Well... there are a few
groups of what folks call "Corals" (not the true softs (Alcyonaceans) or
hard/stonies (Scleractinians)... these would need more light,
filtration...) that you can/could consider... Please take a cursory read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm
By group...
re Systems, Compatibility, Feeding... Bob Fenner>
Fish Compatibility Question
Dear Bob:
I have a 75 gallon tank
with deep sand bed (3 to 4 inches) and about 75 pounds live rock. The
inhabitants are as follows: royal Gramma, flame angel, black sailfin
blenny, cardinal, and one tank bred ocellaris clown. I also have one
rock with brown button polyps, some green mushrooms, Haitian anemone,
green bubble tip anemone, clove polyps, and one small squamosa clam.
There are various snails, 2 cleaner shrimp, and a few scarlet hermits. I
would love to add a yellow watchman goby and a pistol shrimp. I have had
different opinions as to whether the goby and the blenny would be
compatible. Also would the cleaner shrimp and the pistol be okay
together? Would I be overstocked if I added them? Thanks in advance for
you help......
Janey
<Always "calculable gambles" in mixing
livestock in different size/shape/type set-ups... but I give you good
odds here. I consider that these animals would likely mix, and not be
too over-crowded. Bob Fenner>
Killer Randall's Shrimp Goby
I have a Randall's Shrimp goby and his shrimp friend in a relatively new
180 gallon fish and live rock tank. They are a fascinating pair and,
until recently, my favorites. But I am experiencing something that I
cannot find in any of the books.
Last weekend, a friend was over to
give me a few pointers, and we noticed that the Randall's had a yellow
neon goby sticking out of its mouth. It spit out the neon, but the neon
did not survive the day. I figured that the neon must have decided to
check out the Randall's lair and paid the consequences.
<Yes, this
happens>
Today, however, I was watching a blue neon goby minding its
own business when the Randall's appeared out of nowhere and grabbed it
from behind. The Randall's then darted back to its nest with the neon in
its mouth. It is now back out again looking very full.
<Hmmm>
I
had 9 neons and can now find 3. I suspect the Randall's. This sounds
very strange based on what I have read about the shrimp gobies. Any
ideas?
<Not strange... they are opportunistic... and will eat small
fishes like gobies for sure. Bob Fenner>
Marine questions,
Shreemps, brittle stars, goby diffs!
-Can I keep a pistol shrimp
which is living in a symbiosis together with a Cryptocentrus cinctus
(yellow goby) together with a peppermint shrimp, or will they start
fighting?
<My pistol shrimp have killed cleaner shrimp.>
-My
brittle star have got a lot of small brittle star babies, will a new
brittle star eat them, and what shall i feed them?
<The small brittle
starfish are probably a different species. These mini brittle starfish
are detritivores and do not need target fed.>
-Do you know how i can
see the difference on a yellow goby? -Arne
<I am guessing you mean
"difference" in the sexes of the fish. There are some subtle differences
in size and girth of the belly when you see an obvious pair together.
Baensch "Marine Atlas: Volume 1" was an in depth description. -Steven
Pro>
Pistol shrimp/gobies in new tank
hello,
i am in
the process in setting up my reef tank (75 gallon) i have 100 pounds of
live rock and 25 pounds of lace rock. i am wondering if i can add two
pistol shrimp and a wheeler watchman goby and a Randall prawn goby (or
should i just stick with one pair pistol/goby combination) with the
following list of wants of livestock.
want to add (over a period of
time)
2 fire shrimp
2 cleaner shrimp
1 banded coral shrimp
emerald crab (x2)
2 Percula clowns (w/anemone and anemone crab
inside)
2 sand sifting stars
Sally lightfoot crab
4 green
Chromis's
50 bumble bee snails
various red/blue hermits
blue
"hippo" tang (small)
button and star polyps
green stripe mushroom
hairy mushroom
bulls eye mushroom
have a sl-150 miracle wet/dry
(Rio 2500 pump 720 gph)
two Fluval 404's
Berlin xl turbo skimmer
4 VHO 110 watt lights
aragonite sand (75 pounds or so) what needs
added for the goby/pistol relationship to work thank you for you time
and consideration. its hard to find good advice when starting out your
new aquariums and ideas for livestock
Jeff Morningstar
<Mmm, the
fishes you list and the non-crustaceans should pose no problems... but
the other shrimps... might consume the Alpheids if hungry... I would
start/do what you propose... go with just the one pair first (either),
and see how they fare. If it were me/my system, I would acclimate the
new mutuals in an all plastic specimen box (like the ones used for
housing small amphibians, lizards, bugs... available at pet shops) on
the bottom for a few days ahead of releasing them. Bob Fenner>
Watchman goby and pistol shrimp
Hello,
<Hi, Chad... Anthony
Calfo here answering mail while Bob extracts sand from various orifices
having returned from a dive trip to Mexico>
I have a Watchman Goby
and he has already set up camp under some live rock. Today I bought a
pistol shrimp and it went to the opposite side of the tank as soon as I
dumped it in. Do you know how long it might take to get the two to sense
each other and start their Symbiotic relationship?
<absolutely,...
never. Thanks for asking>
Is there a way to speed up the process?
<nope>
Will they chemically know the other and just start a new
home.
<nope again>
Should I capture both of them and put them in
my 10 gal refugium for while until they connect?
<they will either
continue to ignore each other or punch the living daylights out of each
other>
Also, the shrimp has a few legs missing and it's left front
claw. Will these grow back well enough giving time or should I be
worried?
<no worries...they will grow back nicely within a few
molts>
My tank is a 46 gal reef tank. I have added some calcium plus
three (iodine, strontium?, and magnesium). Should this help my shrimp's
legs grow back any better?
<the iodine, yes!>
Thanks a lot for
answering my many questions.
<thanks for putting up with my humor,
bud. The truth of the matter is that the relationship between shrimp and
goby is very specific and at times precarious. For starters... shrimp
species known to pair with receptive goby species cannot be interchanged
with other tolerant species of either group. They are VERY specific to
their dedicated commensal partner species. Furthermore... some will not
even reconnect quickly or at all even with the correct species assuming
you know it (rare info to have). Typically... the only way to enjoy the
sight in captivity is to purchase them as a pair that were collected
together...a very hard find. With kind regards, Anthony>
Goby-Shrimp association, non-native associations
Hi Bob, PF again
(sorry to be a pest today, but I have to take advantage
of the mind
cranking along at max while I can ;) )
I was wondering if the Florida
snapping shrimp (Alpheus floridianus)
would form a symbiotic
relationship with Goby's other than the Atlantic Orangespotted
shrimp-goby (Nes longus) and the Spotfin goby (Gobionellus
stigmalophius)?
<It's possible, yes>
I was thinking such as a
Randall's or Filament finned prawn goby?
<Maybe...>
Would a
stocking density of 1 per 4 sq/ft of tank bottom be appropriate?
<About right... these fishes can be quite territorial...>
I'm leaning
more and more towards my 300g being primarily Floridian/Caribbean in
makeup, with a few oddballs from out biotope, such as clownfish, some
corals, tropical abalone (from FFE) as cleaners, etc.
Can
Orangespotted and Spotfins be mixed, or stick to one species?
<In a
large system, they can be mixed>
or do the same species fight?
<If overly crowded yes>
Thanks for your patience, according to Amazon
I should be getting your books by Friday at the latest, I'm looking
forward to it. Have a happy Fourth!
Mike
<You as well my friend.
Peace. Bob Fenner>
Re: Goby-Shrimp association, non-native
associations
I've done a little more digging and found that the
local Floridian Goby's are considered endangered in the Keys not sure if
they're on the CITES list or not), are they available in other parts of
the Caribbean, and if so should I be able to order them either an online
or LFS dealer without violating CITES reg.s? Thanks again!
<Hmm,
according to fishbase.org these fishes have a wider range than
Florida... don't know of anyone who collects them though... not
easily/economically caught... And not CITES organisms as far as I
know... definitely not Appendix I... Bob Fenner>
Mike
Pistol
Shrimp & Gobies Pairs
How are you guys doing?
<Very well!>
Fine I hope. How aggressive are pistol shrimp?
<Mine only bother
someone who tries to hide in their burrow.>
Looking to buy a
goby/shrimp combo but I don't want him eating more expensive dinners
than I do.
<Given enough room and hiding spots, they are pretty
peaceful, keeping to themselves, but mine have killed about a half dozen
animals over the course of the four years I have had them. Two Cleaner
Shrimp right after they were introduced darted down into the Pistol
Shrimps' home. Snap, snap, snap, I never saw the Cleaners again. Also, a
few small fishes when I have been rearranging rock or adding corals,
basically disturbing things. The fish got scared and tried to hide on
the other end of the tank. Note, that mine shrimp do not have a Goby
living with them. Perhaps the Goby would have prevented the other fish
from entering the cave. -Steven Pro>
-Goby shrimp w/out a
shrimp goby!-
Crew Person: <Kevin person here tonight>
I was
able to get a "paired" Randall's Prawn Goby (Amblyeleotris randalli) &
Pistol Shrimp. Unfortunately, a week into QT, the Goby died. Now I am
sitting here with a pretty expensive shrimp (that looks more like a
lobster). Anyway, my question is this: can I get another fish to pair
up, or am I up shrimp's creek without a Goby? <Haha, I suppose that
would depend on the goby. Shrimp/goby pairs are actually very easy to
set-up, so I hope you didn't pay too much for the luxury. I would just
get a hold of another Randall's (after making sure what happened to this
one won't happen again) and you've got a pretty good chance it will pair
up. Make that a 95% chance.> It doesn't sound likely, but I had to ask
the pros. If the possibility exists, can I get any species of shrimp
goby, or stick with Randall's? <The Randall's are pretty promiscuous as
far as shrimp are concerned, so I'd go with that one. Good luck! -Kevin>
Thanks for all you do, Rich.
-Shrimp gobies without their goby
shrimp?-
Crew:
I often see Randall's Prawn Goby (Amblyeleotris
randalli ) <My favorite shrimp goby!> and other shrimp gobies at my LFS
without their shrimp. Is this okay? <Absolutely> Can they live long
lives alone? <Just like clowns and anemones, they only need to be
together in the ocean. It's a dog eat dog world out there...> Are there
any shrimp gobies to be avoided without their shrimp? <Not that I can
think of. Good luck! -Kevin> Thanks, Rich
Gobies (12-14-03)
hey again,<Howdy, Cody here today.>
what are your thoughts on the
following:
if I got lets say 3 different pairs of "matched" goby and
shrimp sets, with each goby being a diff kind, would the shrimp
fight?<Unless you have a large tank I would stick to just one pair. I
think that it would be too crowded with all of them on and "in" the
sandbed. Although you may be able to pull this off if you had a large
surface area. Cody>
thanks
Mike
Randall's
goby with lawnmower blenny
Hi,
Thanks for the great site, I
send lots of people to it.
Normally I can find my own answers, but
this time I want yours.
In a 37 Gallon " oceanic corner tank" I keep
25 lbs liverock, four inch deep sand bed. Fish are a pair of percula
clowns pair of yellow tail blue damsels, and a lawnmower blenny, with
about 10 mixed snails, 10 blue leg hermits, and 6 asst mushrooms.
Recently a friend gave me a 1 inch Randall's pistol shrimp. All is fine
2 weeks later, and I am wanting to add a Randall's goby or a yellow
watchman goby. In this set up, do you think the goby and blenny would
get along?
<I give you good odds. Salarias, Atrosalarias blennies
are generally only feisty with algae eating competitors>
And if so
which goby would be a better choice? Tank has been set up a years as is
now.
Thanks for any reply, Roger
<The Randall's if you want to
see interaction with the alpheid... The Watchman if not. Bob Fenner>
Re: Randall's goby with lawnmower blenny
Thanks for the quick
reply, I keep an emperor 400 and the live rock, DSB for filtration,
forgot to mention the emperor 400,again, thanks.
<Sure, No
problem. I would suggest a protein skimmer if you don't have one
already. MikeB.>
Purple tang and shrimp goby questions
Hello there. I've had great fun reading and learning from your wonderful
site.
<Me too>
Basics: we (my fiancé and I) have a healthy,
vibrant reef tank: one-year-old 55 gal, lots of live rock well-covered
in coralline algae, several inches of live sand substrate, very good
water quality checked regularly and maintained religiously. As far as
hardware, we have a CPR BakPak skimmer, three burly powerheads to move
the water around (one agitates the surface -- FAQs!) , and a small
AquaClear filter that gets its media cleaned several times per week
(FAQs!). Lighting is about 200W of mixed color-temp (one yellow-er tube,
one purple-er tube). Fish: A. melanopus clown w/green bubble-tip
anemone, purple tang (young adult, 3-4"), red fire goby (yeah, I know,
not the best match, got it when the tank was "gentler"), and a big royal
Gramma. Everyone seems to be getting along fine. Inverts include various
hard and soft corals (pulsing xenia, galaxy coral, mushrooms, plate
coral, torch coral, daisy coral, etc) plus a good number of snails and a
few hermits. Two big peppermint shrimp. Oh, and a Randall's pistol
shrimp, more on him in a sec.
We feed a combination of Mysis shrimp,
Cyclop-eeze, and assorted San Francisco Bay brand frozen prepared food
(meat- and veggie-based). I've also been throwing in some Nori for the
tang (FAQs again!).
Questions (finally!):
(1) The tang is
constantly hungry and has cleared out virtually all greens in the tank.
It's also nibbled a lot at the xenia which is irksome as it's our
favorite coral. We are wary of over-feeding as we have had phosphate
spikes related to overfeeding which gave us Cyanobacteria problems (all
better now -- FAQs!). Between the tang and the clown (we named him
"Piglet") all food thrown in the tank basically vanishes. How much food
should we give? In particular, how much Nori for the tang?
<To the
point the fish doesn't appear concave... thin>
Also, in what form:
one big hunk, diced up small, etc? I've been feeding about 1-2 square
inches per day of the Nori, playing around with a few big hunks versus
chopped fine. It all seems to vanish.
(2) We bought the Randall's
pistol shrimp in combination with a Stonogobiops yasha (white-rayed
shrimp goby or "Yasha Hase" goby). They lived together for a while then
decided to move apart. Then the goby decided it liked the carpet better
and we got expensive reef jerky :( The shrimp is still happily
maintaining and expanding his burrow. Three weeks ago we got him another
friend (same species of goby). The goby backed into the shrimp's hole --
and was never seen again. Perhaps reef jerky again?
<Or a shrimp
meal>
Never found him -- maybe the cats did. In any case, we have
secured the tank with taped-down screen and are ready to try again. Do
you know what species of goby are compatible with this shrimp?
<Mmm,
there are in print lists of naturally occurring hosts... but in
captivity, many if not most "shrimp gobies" can/will learn to
associate... See WWM re the various genera, species here>
In
particular, is Randall's shrimp goby?
<Yes>
(Seems likely from the
name but you never know). Any other recommendations based on
availability, personality, compatibility, maintainability?
<Nope>
(3) Lastly, would a six-line wrasse be a good match for this tank? I
love those guys.
<Perhaps, but may work your alpheid woe. Bob Fenner>
Goby/Prawn Association...The Best-Laid Plans... 09/13/2005
Hello,
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I bought a
Randall's Shrimp Goby about 2 weeks ago, and it hasn't been hiding very
much. It picked a great spot right in front of the tank in a small cave
to make its home. It has been making a little burrow for itself and I
decided to add a Tiger Pistol Shrimp. As soon as I dropped the shrimp
into my tank, the pair took off together to the back corner of the tank
and were digging a tunnel within a minute.
<Amazing behavior, huh?>
Now, I can't see them except in a small reflection on the glass, and am
wondering if I can do something to get them to move, it has only been a
few hours now... Thanks for any help you could give me
<Unfortunately, this is just another one of those cases where the fish
are "calling the shots"! Despite our desires, they'll do exactly what is
best for them, without regards to the aesthetic issues for the hobbyist!
Unfortunately, I really don't have a course of action for you.
Attempting to get the animals to move would be cruel and disruptive. In
a way, this is a neat situation. Let me explain: Some of the best
aquariums that I've ever seen have lots of little pockets of life and
activity throughout that make for fascinating viewing experiences. Very
natural and very interesting! I say just enjoy it...Part of the allure
of this hobby is the little things that you see in a well-established
tank...Surprising little discoveries that keep our hobby exciting and
fun! Enjoy it! Regards, Scott F.>
Pistol Shrimp and goby info
9/8/05
Hello I have a Hi Fin Red Striped Goby (Stonogobiops
nematodes) and I was wondering what species of pistol shrimp it will
host with. <As a general rule, most commensal shrimps will pair with
most commensal gobies. We know that you have a commensal goby, but
outside of the common shrimps, it is often hard to be sure. The
ultimate test is to see if the shrimp evicts the goby. In rare cases,
an especially aggressive shrimp may actually kill an especially
insistent goby, so keep a close eye!>
I was also wondering if you
could help me Identify a pistol shrimp I have gotten. I ordered it from
Etropicals but am not sure what it is. After looking at the pics it
looks more like the Japanese Pistol Shrimp on Liveaquaria. But I don't
remember it having red and white claws and tail (on the tip). It also
reminded me of the Bull's Eye but it didn't have dark purple looking
pincers and it didn't have the brown bull's eye on the sides. I'm sorry
this isn't very good info but its really all I got I didn't think to
take a pic of it while acclimating and as you know its hiding lol. So
any help at all would be appreciated. <Unfortunately, this is often
difficult even with a picture. If you are a member of a local aquarium
society, ask if anyone has back issues of "Aquarium Fish"
magazine. Scott Michael wrote a great series of articles on these
fish/shrimp pairs a couple of years ago. Best Regards. AdamC.>
Goby and corals 8/24/05 Dear Bob, As if you haven't given
me enough help and advice I need a bit more. My yellow watchman goby
has been hanging out mostly at the top of my tank. <He's beat...
from appearance and behavior evidence> I noticed that his fan
dorsal fins and tail are frayed (see pic). Is this fin and tail rot?
<Mmm, no... not directly...> If so what is the best medicine to
use for saltwater tanks. <Find out who/what is beating this
fish> He does disappear during the day under rock work but is
usually around the top. I also have a few soft corals (i believe
see pic) <Only beat fish shown> which were doing fine until
one morning i found them pinned by a rock. Where it was pinned it
had turned all white and dead looking. One piece I had to amputate
because it was hanging by a thread. The one I had to amputate is
brown underneath and still has polyps out? will it regenerate?
Thanks for your help. Jason <Will regenerate in good care.
Bob Fenner> |

|
Goby and corals Part 2 Dear Bob, <I have another friend
named Babylon btw (Babble-On, Kevin, in HI)> Thanks for your
quick response. <Welcome> I have noticed my Chromis blue
damsel pushing him around and out of his hiding places. Its not
everywhere he goes, but it is a place he frequently visits. What is
the best way to deal with this? should i remove the damsel,
because i refuse to ditch the Watchman Goby. <I'd take the
Damsel out> My fish in their are 2 percula clowns. 1 yellow tail
damsel, another type of damsel (yellow top, white body and blue
fins), mandarin dragonet and a yellow tang. No other fish seem
to bother him though. Thanks for your advice and help Jason
<Bob Fenner>
|
Valenciennea puellaris
and Amblyeleotris guttata compatibility 11/17/05
I had a
Valenciennea puellaris that jumped from my tank, so I had my LFS order
another, but his supplier sent him Amblyeleotris guttata instead.
<Not unusual to have suppliers mix gobies up>
My questions are: 1)
would these 2 fish be compatible in a 135g system?
<Mmm, yes, should
get along>
Since the diamond watchman and the spotted prawn look so
similar, I didn't know if that might cause them to fight.
<Not
likely>
2) I believe I had sufficient 'pods for the puellaris (they
are -everywhere- both amphipods and copepods, very easy to find all over
the rocks, glass, sand, any time of day). I have about 3-4" of
sugar-sized sand throughout, and the live rock offers a lot of places
for things to hide (very porous and stacked to make crevices). My
concern is if they both eat 'pods that I would not have enough. I
planned to add a refugium within the next 2 months, but do not have one
yet. Would these two fish compete for food?
<Not to the point of
starvation here>
3) I know the puellaris likes finer sand than the
guttata - would it be possible to put some more coarse sand/gravel on
one side for the prawn goby and keep just the finer sand at the other
end for the puellaris to encourage them to stay on different sides of
the tank?
<I would not add, mix the substrates>
Thanks!
Scott
Hardin
<Try as the system is currently. Should be fine. Bob Fenner>
Stocking List: Marine Compatibility 10/20/05
Will the
Yellow Watchman Goby get along with another goby in the same tank?
<Depends on the exact species, may quarrel with other substrate dwelling
gobies.>
I'm also interested in a Copperband Butterfly.
<This fish has a lot of trouble adjusting to captivity and captive
foods, and this too may be to large for your current system.>
I know
they can be difficult to fed but would it get along with everyone I have
in the tank now?
<Generally yes but remember its never a 100%
guarantee.>
Any opinions on Anthias? I was thinking about the
Square Spot Anthias.
<Suffers from poor collection but usually does
well (in my experience) in comparison to its relatives, feed three times
a day as this is a planktivore and research, this fish too can grow
considerably large.>
One more question..............my Yellow
Watchman doesn't seem to like flake food. He does like brine shrimp but
I know that isn't really that great for him. <No it isn’t, mostly
composed of exoskeleton and water.> Any other foods I should try?
<Frozen Mysis.>
THANKS! FAQ Crew
<…And this time I WILL remember
my name, Adam J.>