shrimp/goby pairs

[Zimmer]

so i'm sure it's been asked, if there's a good link or something, post away!

anyway, regarding gobies, blennies, and shrimps - my question is really just what type of a relationship it is, which species will pair up like this, what are the pros and cons of having such a pair in your tank? is it like... a sure thing? or is it kinda like a clown with an anemone - maybe it will take, maybe not?

 

[Shoryureppa]

Stonogobiops are true shrimp gobies as far as I know. Find a yasha pair with a candy cane. It's a sure bet they will pair up. Pro=neat to watch, Cons, if you have corals nearby their cave. they will cover it up in sand.

 

[Zimmer]

which ones are the major sand movers? i know engineer gobies are mess makers but are there others in that ballpark? are there any that don't mess with the sandbed so much? whats the difference between a goby and a blenny anywho?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

The types of gobies that pair with shrimp are not "major" sand movers, but they will make a cave and the shrimp will move a fair amount of sand around. Shrimp gobies common in the hobby come from the genera Cryptocentrus, Stonogobiops, Amblyeleotris, and Ctenogobiops. IMO "major sand movers" are the engineer and anything from the genus Valenciennea (i.e. diamond goby, gold head sleeper goby, etc).

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/....cfm?c=15+31&s=ts&count=24&start=1&page_num=1

 

[Fish Biscuit]

The shrimp will move so much sand around you will not be able to keep any corals on the sandbed & anything that's not nailed down will be grabbed to make the cave. I lost all my mushrooms & now that I switched to LPS I have all my corals on top of PVC because they were getting covered w/ sand too. Not attractive to look at but the sand has been piled as high as the PVC. Make sure to add rock rubble or lots of snail shells so there are plenty of building materials for the pistol.

I had a Yasha & found it to be on the shy side, after a year his screws came loose & he decided to stop hanging out with the pistol. One day after a water change he decided to jump into the back chamber by the pump. I bent my net to get in there & scoop him out & as soon as he was in the display he turned around & jumped in back again. When I lifted up the lid he was looking at me wondering what my problem was so he spent the weekend back there lol. Eventually he jumped Maybe if you end up w/ a juvenile they are less skittish.

I really enjoy the Randall, he is out much more. Took the shrimp less than 5 minutes to find the goby & open up a door to the house for him.

Cover your tank if you have a goby, they are jumpers & most LFS will not offer any guarantee on one.

 

[NewbyReefer]

My candycane and ywg have been together for alittle over 2 years now.

 

[Zimmer]

wow that picture is wonderful and totally sucks me into deciding that i must have one of these little scenarios in my tank one day :inlove: i guess the only way to finding anything out is to give it a shot and see what happens, right? i don't have any corals as of yet, so there isn't too much for a goby to ruin besides my water clarity lol - although that will hopefully change in the next couple months, maybe depending on my goby's architectural abilities lol :spin2: