TankBud

Yasha goby

Stonogobiops yasha

Also known as Orange-Striped Shrimpgoby, White-Ray Shrimp Goby, Yasha White Ray Goby

SaltwaterFish

Yasha goby (Stonogobiops yasha)
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
2.4 in
6 cm
Minimum tank
15 gal
57 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Gobiidae
Origin
Western Pacific reefs (Japan to Indonesia and the Philippines)

Overview

The Yasha goby is a small, peaceful shrimp goby for the sand bed of a reef tank. It is best kept by someone with a little experience.

Did you know

The Yasha goby's bright orange stripes and tall dorsal sail make it one of the most photographed gobies in the hobby. When raised, the fin signals the resident pistol shrimp that all is clear above the burrow.

Caring for the Yasha goby

Give a Yasha goby a tank of 15 gal (57 L) or more. Use a mixed sand bed at least 1.5 to 2 inches deep, with some fine rubble or small shells. That lets a pistol shrimp dig and shore up the burrow walls. It jumps readily, especially when it feels exposed, so a secure lid is a must.

With a pistol shrimp, the Yasha goby tends to stay out in the open and shows more natural behavior. Without one it often stays tucked further into the rockwork. It can survive without a shrimp if the tank has plenty of natural cover.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed a varied diet of mysis, enriched brine shrimp and other small meaty foods. Offer food several times a day, particularly in the first few weeks after introduction.

The Yasha goby is peaceful and reef safe, and its calm temperament makes it a good fit with small peaceful fish and invertebrates. Breeding it is hard. Researchers at Rising Tide Conservation reared it from eggs to juveniles in 2016. It was one of the first times a shrimp-associated goby was raised through its full pelagic larval stage in captivity.

Good to know

Stonogobiops yasha was first described in 2001 from specimens collected in Japan. Its name comes from a horned demon in Japanese folklore, a nod to its tall, sail-like first dorsal fin. Like its close relatives, it forms an obligate partnership with an Alpheus pistol shrimp.

In the wild

The Yasha goby lives on western Pacific reefs from Japan to Indonesia and the Philippines. It sits at the mouth of a burrow on deep sand slopes, sharing the tunnel with a pistol shrimp partner.

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 Yasha goby need?

A Yasha goby needs at least 15 gal (57 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Yasha goby need?

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

What does a Yasha goby eat?

A Yasha goby eats a varied diet of mysis, enriched brine shrimp and other small meaty foods. Feed it several times a day, especially in its first few weeks in a new tank.

How big does a Yasha goby get?

An adult Yasha goby reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

How does a Yasha goby breed?

Breeding a Yasha goby is hard. Researchers at Rising Tide Conservation reared it from eggs to juveniles in 2016, through its full pelagic larval stage.

Related species