Goby/Pistol question

[daninflipflops]

Looking to get a yellow watchman goby and a pistol shrimp. i have read a lot about the pairing and that in some tanks you hardly ever see either since they are hiding in the hole.

my question is if the YWG's behavior is different if it is paired up? i.e. if there is no pistol to dig holes, will the YWG be more visible in the tank? or will he still find holes to hide in? trying to decide if i should get a pistol, but if it means i wont ever see my YWG, then i might not.

Let me know please.

[SaltyReefDog]

Mine is not the most active fish I have ever had, but he is fun to watch when he is out. He spends most of the time sitting in the cave but ventures out for a few hours a day and lays on his favorite rock watching the rest of the tank go by. He is like the grumpy old man with a perpetual frown.

I have enjoyed him and I would recommend one.

[chris s]

I had my YWG for a few months before I got a pistol shrimp. They YWG burrowed and roamed around the tank. After adding the shrimp they didn't pair up for over a month and the goby was business as usual. Since finding each other they seem to maintain two different burrows which they alternate between. I still see the YWG it's just usually near the burrow opening, he doesn't cruise the tank alone much. I'll catch a peak of the shrimp from time to time. The interaction between the two of them is really fun to watch.

[motojoe1988]

I had a pistol pair for about 5-6 months.although they seemed to like to ride the overflow into my filter sock.so i bought a ywg and a week later i think one of the pistols died and the ywg has a bite mark on him maybe from pistol or hitch hiker crab not sure, but i think i seen the ywg and pistol shrimp paired up or noticing each other the other day after about 1 month of the ywg arrival.

[Maaka]

My pink watchman goby was always hiding behind the rocks and only darted out for food he didn't swim much. but after I added my pistol shrimp he sits at the entrance to the burrow like a bouncer, still doesn't swim much but I do see him a lot more now. (that was until he went carpet surfing) but I have a new blue watchman paired up and it just sits in front of the borrow too.

[Fish Biscuit]

I see my pistol almost every day. I haven't seen the yasha in at least a month or more. I used to see them all the time for breakfast & then the goby got a screw loose. He's not even coming out for Rods now lol. Mostly depends on the personality of the fish, I think the yashas are quite shy. Such a shame to have such a beautiful fish & never see the ingrate.

[Sk8r]

Less visible. The ywg will resent 'yellow' fish, and will come out more if you have a dither fish such as a chromis. Little fish stay under cover when big fish are about.

Pistol shrimp grow, and can become killers. I lost my ywg and 3 other fish to a tiger pistol that I had to take the tank apart to catch.

[daninflipflops]

Less visible. The ywg will resent 'yellow' fish, and will come out more if you have a dither fish such as a chromis. Little fish stay under cover when big fish are about.

Pistol shrimp grow, and can become killers. I lost my ywg and 3 other fish to a tiger pistol that I had to take the tank apart to catch.

thanks everyone for the info!

SK8R - planning on getting a candy stripe, which i hear dont get nearly as big as the tiger so hopefully not an issue

[Sk8r]

Candy stripe in my tank (which has a grating at sand level) just headed for the tangle in the sump and were never seen again. ;) Hope you have better luck! The candys ARE, btw, a great pairing with the highfin redstripe gobies IF you can keep the shrimp in the tank.

[Yellow Rocket]

I see my YWG all the time, he is always at the front of his cave. He always messes with my scooter blenny. I however never see my red spotted pistol shrimp.

[Augy33183]

My YWG is my absolute favorite fish. I had one in my old 29 gallon, currently have one in my 56, and he will be the only current inhabitant that is going to make the jump to the new 150. He is so much fun to watch during feeding time. Describing him as the "grumpy old man with a perpetual frown" is perfect!

[daninflipflops]

Well i ended up getting the Yellow Watchman Goby and the Candy Pistol Shrimp yesterday. they guy i got them from already had them together and paired in a tank. luckily i released them seperately, but they both ended up under the same rock, but on different sides. Tonight i saw them together, the shrimp working away to dig out a hole. SUCCESS!

[Maaka]

That's great :) one of my favorite things about my tank is when I catch my shrimp bulldozing the sand out of the burrows.