Pistol Shrimp & Goby Pair

higher99 · Dec 17, 2025

Hey R2R, I have a 25 IM lagoon in the final stages of cycling and I really want a goby + shrimp pair.

I’m leaning towards these two combos:

Yellow Watchman Goby + Tiger Pistol Shrimp
Yasha Goby + Candycane (Randall’s) Pistol Shrimp

I’m open to hearing anyone who have had experience with similar pairings in the past!

Best,
Higher

Gumbies R Us · Dec 17, 2025

Watchman and tiger shrimp or blood red fire are a good combo!

Bear22 · Dec 17, 2025

Yasha+Randall are great. My pair are very active and have a network of burrows/tunnels under the liverock. Plus, they let my Red-headed goby cohabitate with them which is interesting.

Sharkbait19 · Dec 17, 2025

In the smaller tank I would go with the yasha and Randall’s. I have a red banded high fin goby (same genus as yasha) and a candy cane shrimp and the two are almost always out, but not very destructive.
In my larger tank I have a ywg + tiger and the tiger can definitely mess up the scape when he wants to.

Fish Fan · Dec 17, 2025

I like the Yasha/Candycane combo in a smaller tank too, but either pair will give you the behavior you want. I think you'll be happy with either

Good luck!

Gene the Reefer · Dec 17, 2025

I think you guys have had more luck than me. I have a Yasha/Candycane pair and I see the shrimp about once per week. The Yasha will pop out once or twice per day. They look super cool and I love the symbiotic relationship, but I honestly regret the purchase because I don't see them enough.

higher99 · Dec 17, 2025

Gumbies R Us said:
Watchman and tiger shrimp or blood red fire are a good combo!

I'm leaning more towards the tiger pistol shrimp forsure! I went to the LFS the other day and the candy cane shrimp was the size of a match tip lol. I heard the tiger pistol shrimp get 3x the size and is actually visible.

higher99 · Dec 17, 2025

Fish Fan said:
I like the Yasha/Candycane combo in a smaller tank too, but either pair will give you the behavior you want. I think you'll be happy with either

Good luck!

Funny enough, I saw a Yasha goby at my LFS too, but it was missing its hi fin. I'm not sure if it was injured, but the one thing that ticked me off was how small it was. I'm paranoid it might jump out my mesh lid!

higher99 · Dec 17, 2025

Gene the Reefer said:
I think you guys have had more luck than me. I have a Yasha/Candycane pair and I see the shrimp about once per week. The Yasha will pop out once or twice per day. They look super cool and I love the symbiotic relationship, but I honestly regret the purchase because I don't see them enough.

Aw man, I've heard from the reddit that a bunch of people who have yasha gobys always find them so skiddish. It's a shame, because the colors are absolutely beautiful! If you can get me a picture or video whenever they pop back out, I'd love to check it out!

Bear22 · Dec 17, 2025

Gene the Reefer said:
I think you guys have had more luck than me. I have a Yasha/Candycane pair and I see the shrimp about once per week. The Yasha will pop out once or twice per day. They look super cool and I love the symbiotic relationship, but I honestly regret the purchase because I don't see them enough.

Yep, it's a crap shoot. My first pair I had years ago I rarely saw. My current pair are out and about all the time. This current Yasha that I have loves to graze the water column for copepods. This could be the carrot that brings her out for much of the day (pretty sure it's a female).

higher99 · Dec 17, 2025

Bear.22 said:
Yep, it's a crap shoot. My first pair I had years ago I rarely saw. My current pair are out and about all the time. This current Yasha that I have loves to graze the water column for copepods. This could be the carrot that brings her out for much of the day (pretty sure it's a female).

Do you reccomend me start with a hardier alternative like the Yellow Watchman Goby instead? I have a new tank, and my pod population is non-existent, I think.

Gene the Reefer · Dec 17, 2025

higher99 said:
Aw man, I've heard from the reddit that a bunch of people who have yasha gobys always find them so skiddish. It's a shame, because the colors are absolutely beautiful! If you can get me a picture or video whenever they pop back out, I'd love to check it out!

Got this pic a few months ago

Wonkabar · Dec 17, 2025

Yasha/Candy cane. The pair is great and actually the only livestock that didnt make it with my tank upgrade. I am looking to add them back into the system.

Bear22 · Dec 17, 2025

higher99 said:
Do you reccomend me start with a hardier alternative like the Yellow Watchman Goby instead? I have a new tank, and my pod population is non-existent, I think.

I've never kept the YWG, so can't provide any personal experiences.. But, many do and love the fish. All gobies are cool fish and fascinating

higher99 · Dec 18, 2025

Gene the Reefer said:
Got this pic a few months ago

Beautiful! The picture always enlarge their actual size. Is the Goby around 2 inches?

higher99 · Dec 18, 2025

Gene the Reefer said:
Got this pic a few months ago

Beautiful! The picture always enlarge their actual size. Is the Goby around 2 inches?

arcwaveaquatics · Dec 19, 2025

higher99 said:
Hey R2R, I have a 25 IM lagoon in the final stages of cycling and I really want a goby + shrimp pair.

I’m leaning towards these two combos:

Yellow Watchman Goby + Tiger Pistol Shrimp
Yasha Goby + Candycane (Randall’s) Pistol Shrimp

I’m open to hearing anyone who have had experience with similar pairings in the past!

Best,
Higher

Hey! I’ve kept both styles of pairs and they’re both great in a 25 Lagoon.
If you want the highest chance of a quick, obvious pairing and a goby you’ll see perched out a lot, go Yellow Watchman + Tiger pistol. The tiger shrimp is usually a stronger “builder,” so just make sure your rock is stable so it can’t undermine it.
If you want the flashiest look and a more “clean” burrow setup, go Yasha + Randall’s (candycane) pistol. That combo is awesome, but the Yasha can be a bit shyer depending on rockwork and how busy the tank is.
Small tip: add the shrimp first (or same day) so it starts a burrow, and feed small meaty foods regularly so both stay visible and settled.

Gene the Reefer · Dec 19, 2025

higher99 said:
Beautiful! The picture always enlarge their actual size. Is the Goby around 2 inches?

Yep, right about 2 inches. Here's a more zoomed out pic. For reference, the blasto colony is maybe the size of a baseball

higher99 · Jan 16, 2026

Hey man, appreciate you for commenting! I ordered a tiger pistol shrimp from Liveaquaria and the package touched down this morning. The shrimp was about 1-2 inches long, which is the perfect size for my YWG.

I've had a larger 3-4 inch tiger pistol shrimp a few weeks ago, after introducing it into the tank with the same YWG, it died 3 days later. I suspect the tank and sandbed was too clean and new, which gave him a lack of food. Either that or the shrimp was already in a established system and something went left with acclimation.

With this new shrimp, I introduced it into the same burrow the YWG was occupying and not even 10 minutes later, they started to work together. I see a huge sand pile at the entrance of the tank so that's a relief. Will keep you guys posted in the next few days!