My new little friends: Randals Goby and Tiger Pistol Shrimp

[cody6766]

I picked these little guys up last week for my 14g BioCube. They're in there with a black, yellow tailed damsel who was bought to give some life to the top end of the tank. Of course, he does no such thing. He hides under a ledge on the left side, only poking his head out to grab a snack.

Anyway, here is the happy couple

 

[cjilge]

I love my randals goby, i bought him a pistol shrimp but havent seen it since putting it in. My randals has a very large personality! my kids love him, i thinks it is due to them being at eye level lol.

 

[EllieSuz]

Did they pair up right away when you introduced them or were they together at the LFS? I have a Randall's in quarantine and intend to get him a Pistol when he goes into the Display.

 

[cody6766]

I think that I'd never see mine if I put it in a larger tank too. It's crazy how much they excavate. The shrimp dug tunnels under all of the rockwork with exits everywhere. I still only see him once or twice a day, if I look for him, in my little tank.

They were paired up at the store. I was actually only going to buy the pistol (he was on sale) but my wife felt bad for "taking him from his buddy." That gave me the excuse to bring them both home . It took all of 5 mins for the pistol to dig a burrow and the goby to move in.

 

[Reef Happy]

Nice pair. Always interesting to have in a tank.

 

[doublenerds]

They are completely adorable. Now I'm gonna have to go rethink my planned stocking list!

 

[cody6766]

it's definitely cool to watch them work together. I have a biology background, so these little symbiotic relationships we can contain are especially interesting to me. Sure, it's cool to watch some fish swim around and coral grow, but I really enjoy seeing these types of relationships in the tank. The only trouble I've found so far is the shrimp tends to toss sand bundles on my rocks, therefore my zoanthids. I think I finally have them all out of the way, but it took a few days.