Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
General Description: The Wheeler’s Watchman Goby, also referred to as the Gorgeous Prawn Goby, is found in sandy coastal areas of the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. A peaceful goby with unparalleled personality to match, the Wheeler’s watchman goby has white body with several wide, red-orange vertical bands across its body and tiny blue dots. This goby can form a symbiotic relationship with pistol shrimp, typically Candy (Alpheus randalli), in which the shrimp maintains the burrow they live in and the goby alerts the nearly blind shrimp of potential threats. A Wheeler’s watchman goby can reach an adult size of approximately 3″.
Diet Requirements: The Wheeler’s watchman goby is primarily carnivorous, feeding on small organisms and zooplankton. A diet largely consisting of high quality, vitamin enriched frozen preparations is absolutely necessary to maintain optimal health, coloration, and immune function. Such foods can include, but are not limited to, brine shrimp, calanus, cyclopeeze and rotifers. We highly encourage soaking frozen foods in vitamin and fatty acid supplements. Multiple, small feedings per day rather than one large feeding will also create more of a natural environment for this goby as it would feed in the wild. A Wheeler’s watchman goby may accept high quality flake and micro-pellet foods.
Care Requirements: An established minimum 15 gallon aquarium is ideal to house a Wheeler’s watchman goby. A tight fitting lid is recommended because these gobies are known to be spooked easily until they settle in, and this prevents your goby from jumping out of the aquarium by accident. Spending most of its time on the bottom of the aquarium, the Wheeler’s watchman goby will appreciate some rock work to build a small burrow under where it will peak out of through the day. Because it has been observed in the wild with Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp.), we recommend considering the same for in the home aquarium. This partnership, also known as a symbiotic relationship, may be important for the Wheeler’s watchman goby to feel completely at home. Do not house a Wheeler’s watchman goby with overly aggressive tank mates, or it will stay mostly hidden. Keep only one goby of this behavior-type per aquarium, unless it is very large to accomodate territories of more than one individual of different species. Recommended water conditions, 72-78° F, KH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025.
Purchase Size: Medium: 1-1/2″ to 2″
Note: Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase sizes are approximate.
