goby and inverts, kinda long.

[jacrmill]

i have a goby in my tank. when i bought him the lfs called him a blue spotted watchman goby. ive tried to look him up everywhere and in every book i could find. i cant find him anywhere, but he resembles a watchman goby and a prawn goby. i also had a camel back shrimp in my tank, and he became food to the goby. im not sure if the shrimp died and the goby ate him or if the goby killed the shrimp. well later on i added some hermit crabs. one of them fell near the gobys castle and the goby swam out and grabbed the shell of the crab and pulled him into my gobys little castle. that kinda scared me off of getting inverts for awhile, but i really would like, and need a cleanup crew. and im not sure if my goby was just being territorial or what, but do you think its ok to get a cleanup crew, or would my goby just make a meal of them?

 

[silent bob]

try looking him up as a watchman wheelers goby, they normaly don't tend to be aggresive though

 

[jacrmill]

i know, gobys are usually very docile. and i know that some of the prawn gobys have a symbiotic relationship with a type of shrimp. so i wouldnt think my goby would have a problem, but he sure did pick up the crab and pull it into his castle. and i found the dead shrimp in his castle too. as bad as it sounds, ill probably just have to try a couple inexpensive shrimp first, and if they come up missing ill know. cuase if not i just wont have anyway to know.

 

[moby da goby]

I have two of these gobies, a blue and an orange spot goby. The blue is pretty sociable with everyone and I have only seen him pick at a hermit crab once. I also have cleaner shrimp and they are left alone. The orange hides out in his little spot under the rock most of the time and hasn't bothered any of my hermits or shrimp.
I have read somewhere (darned if I remember where) that these guys really like shrimp for food so I've been feeding a combo of frozen shrimp, krill, flake and seaweed. The blue will grab the biggest piece of frozen shrimp there is and sit on the bottom munching away happily

 

[jacrmill]

the fish is always fed on time. but are u saying u think the shrimp died and then the goby ate him or the goby killed him and then ate him? i mean that little shrimp was pretty quick, but i just dont know.

 

[von_rahvin]

watchman when they get bigger i have heard get agressive. I saw one rip apart a piece of live rock. (small rock, BIG goby) but for small. . . . never heard of one doing anything bad

 

[moby da goby]

Couldn't say if your shrimp died first or was looking like a snack to the goby. My cleaner shrimp are fairly large but perhaps if I had some tinier shrimps they might become lunch.
Notes I have on my goby:
-diet is a variety fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, and table shrimp.
-adapt well to reef aquariums, pose a possible threat to small, delicate ornamental shrimps.

 

[jacrmill]

should i take a chance on a cleaning crew? should i just buy some crabs and snails and skip the shrimp? that sucks cause i really love shrimps, anybody have any ideas? should i just try 1 shrimp and see how he does? i could really use any opinions here.

 

[moby da goby]

I have blue leg hermit crabs and turbo snails as well as my two shrimp in my tank. I'd say go ahead and try a larger shrimp in the tank to see how it goes. I added mine after I had the goby but I don't think that makes a difference. If he's OK with a larger shrimp go and get your favorites! Mine has never ever touched my snails and I have on occasion seen him nip at a hermit but never eat one.
I also feed my tank prime reef flakes, spirulina flaks and a wee bit of sinking morsels in the am, frozen shrimp/krill in the pm

 

[jacrmill]

thanks for all the help, ill probably give it a try.