YWG not pairing with pistol shrimp

[EthanHawaii]

I've had my YWG and candy cane pistol shrimp for about 7-8 months.

The pistol shrimp is living under the same rocks as the YWG, and after all this time they still have not bonded! However I saw the YWG in a hole in the sand, and I could see the pistol shrimp right beside it, and when I got to close to the glass the WG bolted back in the hole and so did the shrimp, and after the WG bolted back in the hole he reappeared from his normal lookout spot! This has only happened a few times.

I'm very confused as to what is happening with them. And over the past few weeks he has stopped going into the hole in the sand and shows no interest in the shrimp.

Do you have any idea's as to what is happening with this situation? I've always seen videos of the WG bonding to the shrimp the moment they see each other, so it is really annoying to see my Goby and Shrimp in the same hole and then the next second they both act like nothing ever happened.

Thank you,
Ethan

 

[ThRoewer]

What do you understand as bonded?

What you described is how goby and shrimp normally interact. One watches, the other digs the hole. Sometimes the shrimp also works as personal cleaner shrimp for the goby, but that's about all there is.
Ideally you have of course a pair of both, shrimps and gobies.

 

[block head]

I dont know , i had a pair of yashi share the same burrow with a candy pistol. Lost my male yashi. Mixing up the aquascape can work sometimes. I don't think it always a peaceful relationship.

 

[EthanHawaii]

What do you understand as bonded?

What you described is how goby and shrimp normally interact. One watches, the other digs the hole. Sometimes the shrimp also works as personal cleaner shrimp for the goby, but that's about all there is.
Ideally you have of course a pair of both, shrimps and gobies.[/QUOTEI think



Thanks, I think you're right, the goby and shrimp must be bonded but it must be a very weak bond.

Today I saw a watchman goby completely bonded with a shrimp at my LFS so I thought jokingly I should get rid of my goby and get these two! but then I noticed the goby had a growth so I said :wavehand: to that pair!

 

[EthanHawaii]

I dont know , i had a pair of yashi share the same burrow with a candy pistol. Lost my male yashi. Mixing up the aquascape can work sometimes. I don't think it always a peaceful relationship.

Very good to know, Thanks.

 

[ThRoewer]

I don't think that there is any pair bond like you may find with monogamous fish pairs. The goby and shrimp relationship is more like that of roommates - each side is easily exchanged.
Also, YWG prefer Alpheus bellulus (tiger) over A. randalli (candy cane).

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[EthanHawaii]

I don't think that there is any pair bond like you may find with monogamous fish pairs. The goby and shrimp relationship is more like that of roommates - each side is easily exchanged.
Also, YWG prefer Alpheus bellulus (tiger) over A. randalli (candy cane).

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Ok, I got the candy cane pistol shrimp rather than the tiger pistol shrimp because I heard that the tigers can sometimes be a little aggressive towards other fish in the aquarium,
and because they are a lot bigger than candy canes. I think I would get a tiger next time because i've seem a lot more YWG's paring or helping tiger's than candy canes.

Thanks.

 

[ThRoewer]

Aggression towards fish is not the issue with tigers, but rather their effectiveness in rearranging a tank's entire sand and gravel.
I added one to a 160 liter tank (slightly more than a 40B) and it moved the entire gravel layer of the tank into one pile in the back in a matter of days.
These guys are among shrimp what engineer gobies are among fish.

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[EthanHawaii]

Aggression towards fish is not the issue with tigers, but rather their effectiveness in rearranging a tank's entire sand and gravel.
I added one to a 160 liter tank (slightly more than a 40B) and it moved the entire gravel layer of the tank into one pile in the back in a matter of days.
These guys are among shrimp what engineer gobies are among fish.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Wow! maybe I will think twice before getting one.

 

[ThRoewer]

With a goby and a high enough sand layer they might be less disruptive. I had mine without gobies and with a rather thin sand/gravel layer.

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[EthanHawaii]

With a goby and a high enough sand layer they might be less disruptive. I had mine without gobies and with a rather thin sand/gravel layer.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Ok, that makes more sense.