TankBud

Orange-spot prawn goby

Amblyeleotris guttata

Also known as Orange-Spotted Shrimp Goby, Spotted Prawn-Goby, Sunspot Goby

SaltwaterFish

Orange-spot prawn goby (Amblyeleotris guttata)
Sushi Girl1995 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
114 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Gobiidae
Origin
Western Pacific reefs (Philippines to Tonga, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia)

Overview

The orange-spot prawn goby is one of the more beginner-friendly shrimp gobies. It makes a good entry point for trying the pistol shrimp partnership at home.

Did you know

The orange-spot prawn goby relies on touch and sight to keep track of its shrimp partner. It does so while it forages just outside the burrow, as other Amblyeleotris species do.

Caring for the orange-spot prawn goby

Give an orange-spot prawn goby at least 30 gal (114 L), with a deep bed of fine sand and some rubble mixed in. That lets a partner pistol shrimp build and maintain a stable tunnel. It is a capable jumper, so the tank needs a snug lid. Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C), with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.

Orange-spot prawn gobies are hardy and disease resistant, and they adapt well to aquarium life. They accept a wide range of foods, including flake and sinking pellets alongside frozen mysis and brine shrimp.

They are generally considered reef safe around corals. Keep an eye on small ornamental shrimp, though, since this species has been known to pick at them. Good tank mates are other peaceful fish that will not compete aggressively for food at the bottom. Breeding them is hard.

Good to know

The orange-spot prawn goby has a cream to white body with rows of orange spots outlined in brown. The spots run down the sides and onto the fins, giving the species its common names. It was first described by Fowler in 1938. It is one of the larger shrimp gobies in the aquarium trade.

In the wild

The orange-spot prawn goby lives on western Pacific reefs, from the Philippines to Tonga, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to Australia. It is found on sheltered sand and rubble flats. It shares a burrow there with a blind alpheid pistol shrimp, which does the digging while the goby watches for danger.

Symbiotic relationships

Shrimp gobies and pistol shrimp

A pistol shrimp can barely see, but it digs and maintains a burrow all day. The goby that shares it has sharp eyes and does no digging. It sits at the entrance as a lookout, and the shrimp keeps one antenna resting on the goby's body whenever it is outside. A flick of the goby's tail sends the shrimp back down the hole, and a harder threat sends them both. At dusk they retire together and the shrimp seals the entrance for the night. The shrimp gets an early warning system, and the goby gets a home it could not build.

This partnership is easy to keep and it rewards watching. Give them a sand bed at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep with some rubble to hold the tunnel, add the two together or the shrimp first, and feed sinking food near the burrow mouth. The snap of the shrimp's claw is a small cavitation bubble collapsing, and you will hear it across the room. Pairs form readily between strangers, but the genera matter: the yellow watchman, pink-spotted, Wheeler's, orange-spot and Randall's gobies take a tiger pistol shrimp, while the yasha, hi-fin red banded and pinkbar gobies pair with Randall's pistol shrimp.

Every symbiotic relationship in the catalog

Common questions

What size tank does an orange-spot prawn goby need?

An orange-spot prawn goby needs at least 30 gal (114 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an orange-spot prawn goby need?

An orange-spot prawn goby is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does an orange-spot prawn goby eat?

An orange-spot prawn goby accepts a wide range of foods. It takes flake and sinking pellets as well as frozen mysis and brine shrimp.

How big does an orange-spot prawn goby get?

An adult orange-spot prawn goby reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

Related species