Goby/shrimp pair

[jburgi]

So I have been wanting to get a goby and shrimp pair for my tank. I have a 47 tall. Current inhabitants are maroon clown and 2 firefish. 2 emerald crabs, cleaner skunk shrimp, peppermint shrimp, various snails and hermits, sifter star.
Is there a shrimp/goby pair that would work best for my tank. As far as coral goes I just have a few mushrooms right now, but once I get my lights upgraded I plan on adding more coral...so they would need to be reef safe. What do you guys think? Good idea, bad idea...which ones pair best....
THANKS GUYS! I always get tons of great help here!
Jessica

 

[bang guy]

The most successful pairing I have seen is a Tiger Pistol (Alpheus bellulus) and a Hi-Fin Goby (Stonogobiops nematodes). There are lots of combinations that will work though.

 

[mr. limpid]

first suggestion is to get rid of all your hermits. They get aggresive and will eat stuff that dosn't move fast enough or is staitionary like this pair you want. A Randalli Pistol shrimp and a Yasha goby.

 

[jburgi]

So it looks like the LFS is getting me a orange stripe goby and a pistol of some sort...they weren't sure what kind of pistol they were getting, but assured me that they would be fine together no matter what kind of pistol it would be...is this correct? They will be in tomorrow...so i can still back out if you guys think the pairing is a bad idea.
Thanks!

 

[mr. limpid]

They will be fine together. Good luck

 

[bang guy]

There are Pistol Shrimp that do not form relationships with fish. They are not often sold in the hobby though other than hitchhiking on live rock.

 

[jburgi]

I picked up my pair tonight!!!! I am sooo excited...and a little nervous... I ended up getting a Randalli Pistol and a Orange Spotted Goby...I had actually asked for an orange striped goby...but this guy is super cute...so I won't complain. The only thing that I am worried about is that the pistol shrimp is TINY! SOOO much smaller than what I expected...but super cute. I hope that they become super cute buddies. My husband asked me if they were going to be "buddies" or "life partners" I told him I wasn't sure...but I will love and accept them as long as they are together

WISH ME LUCK!!!!
Jessica

 

[bang guy]

Luck! They sound like a great pair.

 

[mr. limpid]

we need pictures

 

[jburgi]

I will try to get pics as soon as I can. I haven't seen the pistol since I added him, but the goby seems content enough to hang out

 

[btldreef]

IMO, Randalli pistols are some of the easier ones to get to pair up and care for. They're slower growers as well and far less aggressive. I have two Randalli's, one is paired with a Yasha Goby and the other is a loner. Every once in a while I'll see the three all in the same burrow, but it never lasts long. Neither of mine make that much of a mess. I had a Bullseye pistol that was a little terror, he'd kill anything that came near him and threw sand everywhere.

 

[jburgi]

Good news and bad news....
First the good news. They pair were just spotted canoodling together in the corner of the tank!

Now the bad news....They are in the far corner of the tank! The one corner that I cannot easily get to!

JERKS! If they were in one of the other 3 corners I could easily get a good picture of them...BUT NOOO!
Is there any way I can encourage them to pic another spot

I was curious if I should get them some little rocks anyway to make it easier to burrow a little den??
THANKS GUYS!
Jessica

 

[vdub99aml]

When I added my pistol shrimp, it decided to burrow it's "home" in the left rear corner of the tank. Since then, it has made numerous opeings in the sand, and the shrimp and goby will pop out of several holes in the tank. One hole is front and center, so don't be discouraged yet, they may end up right where you want them! Good luck!

 

[btldreef]

Mine originally burrowed where I couldn't see them easily, but as the goby got more comfortable with me, they moved into a better viewing spot. They will probably move around until they find a happy spot. Mine moved around for months and now has stayed in the same spot for almost a year. They have an elaborate burrow now with many openings, but in the beginning they had just one small hole with one opening.