Shrimp Goby & Pistol Shrimp

[diGeE]

So I was at the LFS last week and was looking for a new fish. I was looking for a goby and was told that a Shrimp Goby and a Pistol Shrimp would live together in the same burrow. Have any of you seen this happen? Is there a particular pistol shrimp that will not live with the goby?

[reefBoyDc]

Yes they will do that. There are several species of shrimp that will live with several species of gobies. Not sure which ones.

Check out gobies on http://liveaquaria.com... they have descriptions of the fish and tell you which ones will bond with shrimp.

[diGeE]

Thanks, I'll check that out. Does anybody have this going on in their tank?

[bigjohn]

Hi Digee,

I've had a yellow watchman goby and tiger pistol shrimp in my tank for about a year now. They are a lot of fun to watch. The pair have constructed a very elaborate maze of caves underneath the rockwork in one end of my 135 gallon reef tank. So far, I haven't had to deal with any rockslides!!! (Fingers crossed).

Benefits:

1. Cool to watch symbiotic relationship
2. Keeps the substrate stirred

Risks:

1. Rockslides
2. Shrimp (and fish) may decide to take up residence in the back of your tank. In this case, you will probably almost never see them.

The pair have been pretty low maintenance for me. I got lucky and they decided to dig front and center. The goby will dart out of the cave and grab mysis shrimp or flake food. I usually drop a couple of shrimp pellets in or near the burrow when I feed and the pistol shrimp will greedily retrieve them.

Wish I had a picture to post, but these guys have so far eluded my camera!

[diGeE]

Thats whats amazing about this hobby. So many cool things to see in your tank. As soon as I can, I'm gonna get me a pair. Thanks for the reply.

[slylie]

I have a Yellownose goby/Tiger pistol pair in my reef tank.. they are very amusing to watch! I took a video of their interaction, and i have it hosted on my homepage.

[diGeE]

Originally posted by slylie
I have a Yellownose goby/Tiger pistol pair in my reef tank.. they are very amusing to watch! I took a video of their interaction, and i have it hosted on my homepage.

Would you mind if I watched the video?

[tuckinrim8]

i have a 30 and a 12 gallon reefs both have a goby/shrimp living together. i have only tried it twice, but both times the two have paired off. i have even heard if you have more than one goby the shrimp will trade off or live with both. if you have not sat and watched the way the two live together i strongly suggest you do, it is one of the coolest things to watch.

[diGeE]

What kind of pair did you have in the 12 gallon? Thats where I will be putting mine.