How to Care for Watchman Goby
Yellow Watchman Gobies are fascinating reef fish. The Watchman name comes from their symbiotic relationship with pistol shrimp. The gobies are the lookouts and the shrimp are the burrow diggers/keepers. While the shrimp is digging it keeps one antenna on the fish’s tail. When a predator approaches, the goby wiggles its tail as a warning and the fish and shrimp duck into their shared burrow.
Each of the Watchman Goby’s eyes move independently which allows them to see predators approaching from behind. Their charming faces sport a perpetual pout. They usually have beautiful golden yellow bodies with small turquoise dots around the head and dorsal area. It is not easy to distinguish a male from a female but there is some speculation that the females are normally grayer in color.
Alas, the Yellow Watchman juveniles that we offer are not always yellow. They are typically a beautiful shade of steel blue. We’re not quite sure if this is an environmental influence or a sexual phase.
Watchman Gobies are peaceful with other fish but may fight with each other as they mature. They are easy to feed, and readily take frozen mysis and brine shrimp as well as pellets.
Feeding: Offer the Watchman Goby a mixed diet of mysis shrimp and finely chopped meaty foods 4-6 times per week. Soaking all fish food with vitamins will help keep your fish healthier and make them less susceptible to disease. We recommend soaking food in garlic as well when adding new fish and whenever your notice ich or other disease in the aquarium. Garlic will help repel external parasites and will boost the fishes immunity.
Feeding Tips: Remember to feed slowly. Leftover food will cause nitrates and phosphates to rise. If you see food falling to the sand bed and into the rocks, you should feed slower and give the fish a chance to eat before adding a little more. Using a turkey baster allows you to target food to different fish. For example you can feed the aggressive fish on one side of the tank and then squirt a little bit on the other side for the less aggressive fish. This way all the fish get a chance to eat enough.
Maximum Length: 4"
Care Level: Easy
Family: Gobiidae
Reef Compatibility: Excellent
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gal.
Range: Captive Bred ORA Farms
Diet: Carnivore
Water Conditions: 75-80° F; sg 1.024-1.026 (1.025 is ideal); pH 8.1-8.4 Ca 420-440 ppm, Alk 8-9.5 dKH, Mg 1260-1350, Nitrates <10ppm, Phosphates, < .10ppm
Water Chemistry: Maintaining Ammonia at 0 ppm, Nitrites at 0 ppm, and Nitrates below 10ppm will help to keep your Percula Clownfish happy and healthy. We recommend doing a water change soon after Nitrates rise above 10 ppm. Maintaining proper calcium (420-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9.5 dkh - run it 7-8 if you are carbon dosing) , and magnesium levels (1260-1350 ppm) will help to keep pH stable in the 8.1-8.4 range. We recommend a specific gravity of 1.024-1.026 with 1.025 being ideal for fish. Temperature should remain stable as well and should stay within a 2 degree range.
