Was I shipped the "wrong" yellow watchman goby?

ESamson · Jul 28, 2022

I bought a YWG because of how amazing he looks on this photo on LiveAquaria (see attached on the left)... and after researching the heck out of them too. Apparently I didn't research enough: when I got mine, it noticed it didn't look much like the one on the left. His color is not a bright yellow and his fins are small and more rounded, instead of bright yellow with spiky fins, especially the dorsal fin.

Then I realized LiveAquaria has apparently two "different" types Cryptocentrus cinctus listed: the one I ordered on the left (bright, spiky, goes for $30), and I just saw they have a different one, the one on the right (dull color, small round fins), that sells for $8. I guess it's like dog's breeds? Where you can have a doberman or a Chihuahua or a German shepherd and they're all Canis familiars?

Attached photos of the one I received and here's a video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jpVh4hkztKRmrWnB7 Do you think I paid for the $30 one and got the $8 one? Or is it that mine is just a juvie and they look that awesome later in their prime? Thanks for your opinion or any info to learn more about this.

Tired · Jul 28, 2022

Isn't that a sexual dimorphism thing for them?

Also, keep in mind that those are stock images, not WYSIWYG images, and that stress from shipping can reduce a fish's color. Give the lil guy some time.

Murica · Jul 28, 2022

Yellow watchman can Turn white when stressed. Give it some time, it may still be one. My last one I had stayed white for about two months before turning yellow.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 28, 2022

Looks like yellow watchman which is a broad term and colors will vary with origin . With proper diet they can often yellow up but this is the typical watchman appearance in the industry :

Murica · Jul 28, 2022

Murica said:
Yellow watchman can Turn white when stressed. Give it some time, it may still be one. My last one I had stayed white for about two months before turning yellow.

Forgot to add I’m pretty sure it changes with their sex too, or how comfortable they are. Not necessarily “stressed”

ESamson · Jul 28, 2022

Murica said:
Yellow watchman can Turn white when stressed. Give it some time, it may still be one. My last one I had stayed white for about two months before turning yellow.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. One month down for me only. He looks more at home. But kind of brown compared to that awesome stock photo.

ESamson · Jul 28, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Looks like yellow watchman which is a broad term and colors will vary with origin . With proper diet they can often yellow up but this is the typical watchman appearance in the industry :

What would be proper diet for him?

ESamson · Jul 28, 2022

Tired said:
Isn't that a sexual dimorphism thing for them?

Also, keep in mind that those are stock images, not WYSIWYG images, and that stress from shipping can reduce a fish's color. Give the lil guy some time.

Yeah. I believe females are supposed to be gray. But the fin shapes I see in those two photos and vs mine, make a big difference to me. I wonder if the spiky fin is sexual dimorphism as well.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 28, 2022

ESamson said:
What would be proper diet for him?

These guys are carnivores and desire meaty foods such as LRS fish frenzy. small plankton, mysis shrimp, spirulina brine shrimp, Formula one or new Era Pellets and Hikari marine cuisine

ESamson · Jul 28, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
These guys are carnivores and desire meaty foods such as LRS fish frenzy. small plankton, mysis shrimp, spirulina brine shrimp, Formula one or new Era Pellets and Hikari marine cuisine

Those foods look amazing. I was only feeding miss, spirulina brine, and Hikari carnivore pellets. I'm definitely going to start trying the other four. They all sound great for general nutrition. Which one do you thing is best for color? I think I'm going to try them all but buy one at a time.

vetteguy53081 · Jul 28, 2022

ESamson said:
Those foods look amazing. I was only feeding miss, spirulina brine, and Hikari carnivore pellets. I'm definitely going to start trying the other four. They all sound great for general nutrition. Which one do you thing is best for color? I think I'm going to try them all but buy one at a time.

LRS fish frenzy

ESamson · Jul 29, 2022

Slightly unrelated: Sorry autocorrect keeps changing what I'm saying...

Thanks for making sense of it as you read.

jfoahs04 · Jul 29, 2022

My YWG came pretty brown/greyish a few months ago. It was captive bred and very young. According to ORA, it's pretty typical for juvenile YWG to be more brownish than yellow and even they're not sure exactly why. I'm not sure if LA's are captive bred, but if they are, this could be part of what you're experiencing. The big difference between my young YWG and the picture of the "spotted watchman goby" you have a picture of is the lack of of prominent darker bands near the tail . Mine has yellowed-up over time (still looks like it has a ways to go), so I hope yours does too. FWIW, I feed a mix of brine/spirulina-loaded mysis, some NLS pellets, and hikari flakes. The YWG it's it all voraciously. Here's mine recently (a lot more yellow than the solid brown when I got him).

ESamson · Jul 29, 2022

jfoahs04 said:
My YWG came pretty brown/greyish a few months ago. It was captive bred and very young. According to ORA, it's pretty typical for juvenile YWG to be more brownish than yellow and even they're not sure exactly why. I'm not sure if LA's are captive bred, but if they are, this could be part of what you're experiencing. The big difference between my young YWG and the picture of the "spotted watchman goby" you have a picture of is the lack of of prominent darker bands near the tail . Mine has yellowed-up over time (still looks like it has a ways to go), so I hope yours does too. FWIW, I feed a mix of brine/spirulina-loaded mysis, some NLS pellets, and hikari flakes. The YWG it's it all voraciously. Here's mine recently (a lot more yellow than the solid brown when I got him).

Nice coral array you have there! He looks good. He looks like mine too. I'm obsessed by that missing pointy fin, I don't feel if they raise the round one they have they would look quite the same as what I thought I was buying. But hey! He's a little creature relying on me, under my care and I'm not letting him down. LOL.

Thanks for the feeding tips. Mine has been very shy with eating, but obviously he's getting something if he's made it 1.5 months and counting. I don't know how it was with yours at first, but mine I have to spot feed him, if he is out when I'm feeding the tank, that is. Which is most days minus one or two a week. The first week or two I would drop the food on his head and he'd do nothing. Then he kind of took one bite, shily. More recently, he's learned to go for that pipette to get one or two bites when I'm feeding but that's it. I guess that's enough, but it's not voracious like my crazy school of chromis... boy! Do can they ever get enough food! They get excited every time I walk by the time and start swimming at the surface as if I'd feed them more than twice a day. But I digress. My YWG just takes a couple of bites, like he's taking ors-d'oeuvres from a waiters tray at an art show. And that's it. Haha. Seems to be keeping him alive. I'll try the foods you guys are suggesting. They sound delish and nutritious (if I were a fish).

I've been feeding frozen mysis and spirulina brine. I used to do Hikari carnivore pellets and flakes, but I started having phosphate issues and cutting down on them is helping, also FWIW.

Katrina71 · Jul 29, 2022

What a beautiful little watchman! Just wait...get it a tiger pistol shrimp. You'll absolutely love the pair. Btw, we just lost ours after 6 years. We were told females are white or much more muted.

ESamson · Jul 29, 2022

Katrina71 said:
What a beautiful little watchman! Just wait...get it a tiger pistol shrimp. You'll absolutely love the pair. Btw, we just lost ours after 6 years. We were told females are white or much more muted.

I know! I love to see them at work. I posted a video of mine with his shrimp on the OP. Did you see it? https://photos.app.goo.gl/jpVh4hkztKRmrWnB7

Unfortunately that one didn't survive the first week, but I learned from my mistakes and now has a second mate doing all that bulldozing around.

Katrina71 · Jul 29, 2022

How do you not love the perpetual "stank" face???

ESamson · Jul 29, 2022

Katrina71 said:
How do you not love the perpetual "stank" face???

Oh, I love the face. It's just the fin set mine came with just doesn't have the "oomph!" of the sellers photo, nor do I believe mine can ever extend them to look like that. But I may be wrong.

I have a 4yo son whose favorite book for a while was The Pout-pout Fish. I told him we were buying a pout pout fish and that's his nickname. He comes and ask: "Can we go see the pout pout fish in the tank?"