pistol shrimp and gobie

[con999]

i already have a pistol shrimp in my 30 gallon reef. my goal was to get a watchmen gobie to go with it but my lfs keep selling them. is it ok it still add a gobie even though the shrimp has been in the tank for a few weeks. what are the chanes of them pairing up.

thanks

 

[somosomo]

I dont think you will have a problem. When I got my original pair the goby was very skittish and jumped. I was not able to replace him for a few weeks and they paired up within 24 hours.

 

[serval]

They will likely pair, but it is very individual! I have had several shrimp/goby pairs (I really like them) and some gobies are better partners (feed and care for their shrimp better) than others. I have a Randall's goby right now that is really inconstant in his attentions. He flits from pistol to pistol in the tank and I never see him feed the shrimp (see him dive into the hole with food that is). He does warn the shrimp about danger while shrimpy does his excavations though. This is in contrast to a Dracula goby that is always with the same pistol and regularly feeds him and warns him. I have put various pairs in at different times both singly and together. Adding them together is no guarantee that they stay paired once in your tank anyway. And, adding them separately like you want to do may work just as well. You may need to be patient; one time I had to wait 2 months for a pair to form. It's fun to let them do their thing; try it and let us know what happens!

 

[con999]

ya ill keep up on this:wave: i hope i dont have to wait long. have u ever had a pair that hasent paired up

 

[kirkaz]

I have a Yellow Watchman in my Nano, I added a small Candy Cane Pistol after about 6 months and they still paired up, did take them 2 or 3 weeks though...Oddly enough I got a HUGE Tiger Pistol Shrimp recently on accident, the Goby switched over and paired with the bigger Tiger Pistol immediately, the tiny Pistol is still in there, just doesn't have a buddy anymore.

 

[con999]

lol wow