Yellow Watchman Goby

[topfins-mj]

Anyone have any experience with these guys? My wife just bought me one since I lost my lawnmower blenny a few months back. She thought it looked like it, but I realized these guys don't feed off algae.
He is doing fine but seems to hide most of the time under rocks and so feeding it has been a challenge.
Any thoughts on feeding methods or foods?

 

[rcreations]

From what I read, they need to have a shrimp friend, like a pistol shrimp. It's like the clownfish - anemone relation.

 

[cowfishrule]

mine does fine by him, mostly just lamps out in the rockwork.
when i come up to the tank, he'll peer out a little.
he'll come out and eat whatever i throw in the tank.
then he'll go back to his spot.

 

[debbie]

I have one as well, he is so neat and love that yellow color too. Mine hides alot especially if there is movement around the tank, but comes out for dinner and loves to challenge the perc clown if it goes near his come in the rocks. I don't have troubles feeding him, he eats flake, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, squid anything I put into the tank he will grab and eat.
So even though you might not see him eat, he is probably poking his head out as the food falls and grabbing it from his den area.

 

[ledzep]

I feed mine by putting flakes under the water so the will slowly drift by his cave that he hangs out in. I don't know why, he seems to only eat if it isn't on the ground yet, only if its floating around in front of him.

 

[reefmate75]

ive got one of these guys, very cool fish...he only pokes his head out to see whats going on, other then that he will sift sand for pods, eat what passes by his little area and fend off intruders

 

[afboundguy]

I had one for 2-3 years with great success. For the record you don't need a pistol shrimp it just makes for a more interesting tank. Mine was not that shy, it would have half his body outside of his little cave and when it was dinner time he came out swimming like a bat out of hell. On the other hand my dad has one in his tank that is the shyest thing in the world. I've been meaning to pick another YWG up for some time just haven't seen a good enough looking one at a LFS.

 

[topfins-mj]

Cool, I fed the tank this morning and he snooped out a bit, but he did not pick up food from the sand, mostly what flew by him. He seems fond of one area under a cliff, so I spray that area with some food just in case. His movements remind me of how the Mandarines move.
I am starting to like the little booger.

 

[jesses89]

Mine will eat anything he can catch....
when i feed my tank flakes.. or mysis or brine shrimp... anything he sees floating near him he gets....
but i prefer giving him big chunks of all sorts of things...
those frozen angel formula cubes.... or formula two or formula one.. cut them in little squares....
put it on this stick feeder i made with three straws.. rubber band and a toothpick...
and slide it off by where he's at and he snags on to it and disappears into his cave to share with the pistol hes paired up with.
i also use squid for this.

 

[curve]

I don't have one, but my wife has a Pink Spotted Watchman in her 150 gallon. Surprisingly, he actually spends most of his time out in the open. He has a hiding spot in the holes of his piece of Texas Holy Rock, but he mainly stays in the sand bed at one corner of the tank, hanging out with her two Clowns. She feeds the clowns flake food, and he will swim around and eat the stray flakes that make it to the bottom, but what he really enjoys is krill. She puts about a 1/2 piece in at every feeding and he loves it! He'll swim all over with it in his mouth, like a prize, and then settle somewhere to eat it. (really quite entertaining)

 

[cleve_seahorse]

My watchman actually made a bond with my 2 peppermint shrimps and spends most of his days "guarding his cave"...lol...I like there little frog like faces

 

[srgvigil]

My watchman was the very first fish I introduced to the tank (besides the damsels but I took them out b4 I put goby in there. He is one of my favorites. He actualy knows me and will just stare at me when 'm watching the tank. After about a month I got him a pistol shrimp for a friend. they pared up after about a day and are inseperable. It's funny watching them eat because the goby will go out slowly with the pistol right by his side. If something happens he doesnt like he and the pstiol dart back in their cave. The pistol is always moving sand around my tank. I highly suggest getting the pair if you dont have one already

On the question my goby eats anything I feed him. On the rarely coming out dont worry this is all I usualy see of my goby. He comes out fully when I feed and that's really it.