Panda Goby Compatibility

[Aaron P]

Hello, I was on FishyBusinessAquatics and saw that they have panda gobies on sale for like 8 bucks. I have wanted one for a while but don’t know if it will be compatible with the other fish in my tank.
•Melanurus Wrasse
•Carpenters Wrasse
•Randall’s Goby
•Tailspot Blenny
•2x Ocellaris Clownfish
I should say that the carpenters into my frag tank as soon as I can catch him (he and the other wrasse don’t get along great). My main concern is the melanurus, though he is not aggressive to any other fish besides the carpenters he is quite bold and is by far the most dominant fish in the tank. I don’t know if that would be too much for the goby.
My other concern is the Randall’s Goby who is only territorial if a fish gets to close to his burrow. I guess I am wondering because they are both gobies.
The tank is a 40 mixed reef and I don’t have a pocillopora coral. LA says they require one, is this true?

 

[K-Philly]

Hello, I was on FishyBusinessAquatics and saw that they have panda gobies on sale for like 8 bucks. I have wanted one for a while but don’t know if it will be compatible with the other fish in my tank.
•Melanurus Wrasse
•Carpenters Wrasse
•Randall’s Goby
•Tailspot Blenny
•2x Ocellaris Clownfish
I should say that the carpenters into my frag tank as soon as I can catch him (he and the other wrasse don’t get along great). My main concern is the melanurus, though he is not aggressive to any other fish besides the carpenters he is quite bold and is by far the most dominant fish in the tank. I don’t know if that would be too much for the goby.
My other concern is the Randall’s Goby who is only territorial if a fish gets to close to his burrow. I guess I am wondering because they are both gobies.
The tank is a 40 mixed reef and I don’t have a pocillopora coral. LA says they require one, is this true?

Hey, I think I might can help. For starters, I think the Panda Goby is known to "host" pocillopora coral, however from what I can find it's mainly any kind of branching coral. I don't really feel the need to worry about the Wrasse, this to me seems more like inter-species aggression. However, it is a toss up with the other Goby. From my knowledge, all gobies have the capability to burrow and from time to time will. BUT, from personal accounts that I am finding, the Panda Goby seems to favor hanging out on branches of corals. I have two links that I will provide to give you more closure. The Wrasse may show interest in his new tankmate, and it may be passive or aggressive. Personally, I would not be to concerned with that until you find a need to be. Is this tank a 40G breeder (long) or of a custom dimension such as a cube, polygon, inside out circle (that's not real), etc. If it is a long or standard, that may work in your favor if the Goby does decide to burrow. If you know mainly where your other goby resides, I may even start a hole away from him that might entice the panda goby to "dig here," if he decides to do so. With that being said, I do want to note that I found some testimonies saying that he may nip other SPS polyps. You can only try and see what works! Just keep a close eye for to much aggression! Also, if the gobies are similiar in size, this may help reduce aggression as well. Your links are below.

http://www.3reef.com/threads/panda-goby-stylophora-or-pocillopora.77060/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2399533

 

[mort]

I would personally not advise buying a panda goby until you have seen one in the flesh. I've kept a few and it's unbelievable how tiny they are, which is part of their charm, but how makes them so reclusive that I doubt you would see it in your tank. So its a good idea to know what you are getting in to before buying.
I had mine in a zostera seahorse tank that was a 1ft cube. I only had one rock and I still went months without seeing them (also had a flaming prawn goby, shop display tank). So super cool but best in dedicated setups.