TankBud

Wheeler's prawn goby

Amblyeleotris wheeleri

Also known as Wheeler's Watchman Goby, Gorgeous Prawn-Goby, Wheeler's Shrimp Goby

SaltwaterFish

Wheeler's prawn goby (Amblyeleotris wheeleri)
Carl Malamud · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.9 in
10 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
Family
Gobiidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs (East Africa to Fiji, north to Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef)

Overview

A calm, hardy goby that gets along with other peaceful reef fish and does not bother corals or sessile invertebrates. It can be kept singly or as an established pair, but new individuals should be added to the tank at the same time to avoid disputes over the burrow. Feed mysis, brine shrimp, and other finely chopped seafood twice a day.

In the wild

Found on rubble patches near reef bases and in sandy lagoons, usually in the top 15 meters of water. Give it a few inches of sand mixed with coral rubble so its pistol shrimp partner can dig a proper burrow, plus plenty of live rock nearby for extra cover. It jumps well, so the tank needs a tight lid.

Good to know

One of the most commonly encountered shrimp gobies on shallow coral reefs, this species most often teams up with the pistol shrimp Alpheus ochrostriatus. Its white body carries broad orange-red bars and a scatter of small blue spots, with a sail-like first dorsal fin used to signal its shrimp partner. It has been recorded spawning in home aquariums, though raising the free-swimming larvae to juveniles is rarely done outside of research settings.

Did you know

Considered one of the hardiest and most disease-resistant shrimp gobies in the trade, it is often recommended as a first species for hobbyists trying the pistol shrimp partnership for the first time.

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 Wheeler's prawn goby need?

A Wheeler's prawn goby needs at least 30 gal (114 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Wheeler's prawn goby need?

A Wheeler's prawn goby is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Wheeler's prawn goby get?

An adult Wheeler's prawn goby reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

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