Easy to Feed Shrimp Goby

[InvertGang]

Hello!

I'm planning on getting a candy stripe pistol shrimp and a shrimp goby to pair with it. I've been doing some research on different types of shrimp goby and I'm trying to find one to pair with it once I get it.

I have a Fluval Evo 13.5 with a deep sand bed with no modifications (yet).

I'm hoping to choose fish and critters that can thrive on a primarily flake diet. I'd like to feed every other day or so, and be able to leave the tank for a long weekend without feeding and having the inhabitants be fine.

What are some shrimp goby options that fit in with these, or are close to, these feeding requirements?

 

[andiesreef]

my yellow watchman goby eats everything... pellets, frozen, chunks of earthworms and clams, you name it. he'd probably eat a burger if he could. lol.

 

[andiesreef]

my yellow watchman goby eats everything... pellets, frozen, chunks of earthworms and clams, you name it. he'd probably eat a burger if he could. lol.

also, i'd look into an autofeeder if you really don't want to worry about feeding since most fish do best with normally, at least a meal a day although they should be fine for a day or two with no food every now and then.

 

[InvertGang]

also, i'd look into an autofeeder if you really don't want to worry about feeding since most fish do best with normally, at least a meal a day although they should be fine for a day or two with no food every now and then.

It's more that I heard feeding less can make the tank less volatile and more stable, and easier to keep stable. I could feed twice a day but I'm concerned it could cause issues. I'm new to salt water and trying to find methods that work for me.

 

[DeniseAndy]

A wheeler's, pink bar, these are pretty easy to get eating anything.

 

[andiesreef]

It's more that I heard feeding less can make the tank less volatile and more stable, and easier to keep stable. I could feed twice a day but I'm concerned it could cause issues. I'm new to salt water and trying to find methods that work for me.

if you're new i'd recommend starting out feeding once a day. yes, if you overfeed, you will cause an algae problem. but you want your fish to be fat and happy because they will be better able to fend off disease, parameter changes that are common among newer hobbyists, and more. you have to find a balance.

if i were you i would feed once a day. it is good to have SOME nutrients because corals especially need them to grow. feed enough so that your fish takes a few bites and it doesn't have a sunken stomach or things like that. make sure your shrimp has something to eat too. your clean up crew should take care of any stray food as long as you aren't dumping it into the tank. personally i feed once or twice a day. the food swirls around the tank for 30 seconds to a minute before my ravenous fish gobble it all up and my cleaner shrimp snatch up any extras.

 

[Sharkbait19]

My auora eats anything it sees. Being a bottom feeder, it’s more likely to take to pellets, but will probably take flakes as well. Most shrimpgobies are similar in that respect.

 

[InvertGang]

A wheeler's, pink bar, these are pretty easy to get eating anything.

I'm looking up info on the Wheeler's goby, and it says it is a sand sifter. I hear those can (depending on the species) spit sand up on corals and things. Is this one of the ones that does that or more spit it on the ground around it?

 

[InvertGang]

if you're new i'd recommend starting out feeding once a day. yes, if you overfeed, you will cause an algae problem. but you want your fish to be fat and happy because they will be better able to fend off disease, parameter changes that are common among newer hobbyists, and more. you have to find a balance.

if i were you i would feed once a day. it is good to have SOME nutrients because corals especially need them to grow. feed enough so that your fish takes a few bites and it doesn't have a sunken stomach or things like that. make sure your shrimp has something to eat too. your clean up crew should take care of any stray food as long as you aren't dumping it into the tank. personally i feed once or twice a day. the food swirls around the tank for 30 seconds to a minute before my ravenous fish gobble it all up and my cleaner shrimp snatch up any extras.

That's a good point about the condition of the fish contributing to overall health. I hadn't considered that as much. I definitely want my fish to be healthy, even if that does mean feeding more or more frequently.

Maybe getting one of the smaller species so I can feed less in that way is a good compromise.

 

[andiesreef]

That's a good point about the condition of the fish contributing to overall health. I hadn't considered that as much. I definitely want my fish to be healthy, even if that does mean feeding more or more frequently.

Maybe getting one of the smaller species so I can feed less in that way is a good compromise.

imo most of the shrimp gobies don't require a ton of food anyways and in something like a 13.5 you could probably get any shrimp goby and feed it regularly. my watchman goby gets 2-3 big bites of food a day (they have surprisingly large mouths for a tiny fish) and seems happy. again, i recommend a few hermit crabs and such to help clean up the extra food and you shouldn't have too many problems with bioload that way. at least not just with a goby and some inverts.

 

[Zionas]

Randall’s, Wheeler’s, Pink Bars win the looks department for me.

 

[CavalierReef]

A wheeler's, pink bar, these are pretty easy to get eating anything.

Totally agree. My Wheeler's will eat anything I have fed so far. including flakes. I'm a little concerned that you seem to be more concerned about your convenience than the health and needs of the animals in your charge. I hope I'm misreading this and, if so, I apologize.

 

[InvertGang]

Totally agree. My Wheeler's will eat anything I have fed so far. including flakes. I'm a little concerned that you seem to be more concerned about your convenience than the health and needs of the animals in your charge. I hope I'm misreading this and, if so, I apologize.

It's more that convenience is important to me, so I want to select animals that can still thrive while also being convenient. I wouldn't choose an animal that requires care that I couldn't provide. If I was to purchase an individual animal who was a picky eater or I found was hard to feed, I would feed that animal the way it needs and attempt to swap it out to someone who can care for it longer term.

For my schedule, I am sometimes away for a week or two at a time. I have pill containers that I put flake and pellets in and my roommates are happy to feed my tanks (I have freshwater ones right now) when I'm away. It's the reality I live and so I want to make sure that the animals I pick will do well under these conditions.

I could probably convince my roommates to feed frozen once a week or so, but it's not fair to them or my animals to try to convince them to feed frozen frequently, or feed twice a day.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Do you have the ability to get a feeder? They are rather cheap and can take pellets, flake, etc. I love mine for pellets of all sizes. They can also feed 1-4 times daily any amount you need. I have two different ones, but the Eiheim is easy to use.

 

[InvertGang]

Do you have the ability to get a feeder? They are rather cheap and can take pellets, flake, etc. I love mine for pellets of all sizes. They can also feed 1-4 times daily any amount you need. I have two different ones, but the Eiheim is easy to use.

A feeder is a great idea for when I'm away!

I decided to get a hi fin banded goby for several reasons. I found one in my LFS and had them feed flake for me so I could see if he'd go for it. He ate well!

I put him in my tank (after acclimation) and he started going for small drifting particles right away, so I gave him a bit of flake. He has a fantastic feeding response:

I also got some frozen food to experiment with as well

I hope he continues to do well!

 

[CavalierReef]

It's more that convenience is important to me, so I want to select animals that can still thrive while also being convenient. I wouldn't choose an animal that requires care that I couldn't provide. If I was to purchase an individual animal who was a picky eater or I found was hard to feed, I would feed that animal the way it needs and attempt to swap it out to someone who can care for it longer term.

For my schedule, I am sometimes away for a week or two at a time. I have pill containers that I put flake and pellets in and my roommates are happy to feed my tanks (I have freshwater ones right now) when I'm away. It's the reality I live and so I want to make sure that the animals I pick will do well under these conditions.

I could probably convince my roommates to feed frozen once a week or so, but it's not fair to them or my animals to try to convince them to feed frozen frequently, or feed twice a day.

I certainly understand schedules and other commitments. I'm glad you have roommates/others to help when you are away.

 

[StarterSaltWater]

My Yasha Hase goby was always easy to find in his cave and readily allowed me to feed it Mysis with my tongs, that is until he jumped out. Would 10/10 get one again.