Why do I keep loosing yellow rose goby's?

[waverz]

I have had my 29 gallon up for a couple years now and always had a yellow rose goby paired up with a pistol shrimp. The weird thing is I just can;t seem to keep these fish alive more than 6 months or so. What happens is, they usually do well at first always finding the cave with the pistol shrimp right away.
After a few months or so I always seem to find them all beat up on the sand bed looking dazed.

Is it possible the pistol shrimp is poppin' em accidentally? It seems weird how they are always totally fine one day and the next laying on the sand bed. I did notice a red spot on the goby's head but that could have been from the other fish pickin' at it while being half dead.

Anyone else have problems keeping these guys alive for long periods of time?

 

[snorvich]

What else is in the tank?

 

[OodleyBoodely]

If they are looking beat up then maybe something, a crab or something is getting after it probably at night. What other fish/animals are in the tank?

 

[b2d2t]

i had a crab in my 125 that eats fish , but i got him out before he could go after my little fish, you could have yourself one of those and in that case try and find him, how much LR do you have?

 

[waverz]

They always share a burrow with a the pistol shrimp, I wouldn't think anything would venture in a try a sneak attack on it. It always stayed close to home and never ventured out except to eat so other fish attacking it would almost be out of the question.

The only other fish in the tank are a small yellow tang, mandarin goby, and a six line wrasse.

All I know is i love these little guys but they just never seem to last.