TankBud

Pinkbar goby

Amblyeleotris aurora

Also known as Aurora Goby, Pink-Bar Shrimp Goby, Aurora Shrimp Goby, Pinkbar Shrimpgoby

SaltwaterFish

Pinkbar goby (Amblyeleotris aurora)
Julien Bidet for MDC Seamarc · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
115 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Gobiidae
Origin
Found in the western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Maldives and Mauritius, on sandy lagoon floors.

Overview

The pinkbar goby is an easy, peaceful burrowing goby for a reef tank with a sandy bottom.

Did you know

A bonded pinkbar goby and pistol shrimp keep in constant contact. The shrimp rests an antenna on the goby so it can feel the tail flick that warns of danger.

Caring for the pinkbar goby

Keep the pinkbar goby in 30 gal (115 L) or more, over a soft sand bed with some rubble. That mix lets the goby and a pistol shrimp dig and reinforce their burrow. Cover the tank with a secure lid.

Aim for 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed small meaty foods such as mysis, brine shrimp and frozen preparations a few times a day.

The pinkbar goby is peaceful and fully reef safe, so it can live with corals, clams and other invertebrates. It is fine alone or in a group. It does especially well paired with a pistol shrimp. Pick the rest of its tank mates with some caution.

Good to know

The pinkbar goby, Amblyeleotris aurora, is a shrimp goby in the family Gobiidae. It is a white to cream fish crossed by bold pink to orange bars, with a spotted tail. The bars brighten and fade with its mood and surroundings. It forms a mutual partnership with pistol shrimp of the genus Alpheus, trading lookout duty for a ready-made burrow.

In the wild

The pinkbar goby lives in the western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Maldives and Mauritius. It makes its home on sandy lagoon floors, where it shares a burrow with a pistol shrimp. It hovers at the burrow mouth and darts inside when threatened, signaling the shrimp with its tail.

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 a pinkbar goby need?

A pinkbar goby needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a pinkbar goby need?

A pinkbar goby is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a pinkbar goby eat?

A pinkbar goby eats small meaty foods such as mysis, brine shrimp and frozen preparations. Feed it a few times a day.

How big does a pinkbar goby get?

An adult pinkbar goby reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

Related species