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
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Indo-Pacific reefs (East Africa to Fiji, north to Japan, south to the Great Barrier Reef)
Family: Gobiidae

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.