Yellow Watchman Goby Female?

[link81]

over the past month or so, my YWG has lost all of its color. It's now grey with the same blue spots and darker markings. After doing some reading it sounds like she's a female.

do gobies exhibit sequential hermaphroditism? Wikipedia says yes.... but no specifics.

If I introduce another younger one will it remain male? or will the female kill it? Or is it a total crapshoot?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

The yellow or gray coloration is not related to sex. They can change in either direction and might stay one color for years before changing. Nobody knows why they change.

How large is the tank? Two will likely coexist and one may even change sex to form a pair, but even paired fish will not always share a burrow. Pairs can be both yellow, one yellow one white, or both white.

 

[OrionN]

Sorry, but I disagree with Lobster. They are protandrous hermaphrodites, but they can reverse change. Yellow is male and grey is the female coloration.
Here is a link to Amy & Alan Drehmel article on captive spawn and rearing of the Yellow Watchman Goby.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/ft/index.php

 

[link81]

interesting, thanks for the link @OrionN. Sounds likeI can try adding a smaller bright yellow one and see how they react. I wonder if putting an acclimation chamber near the existing ones cave will help at all.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sorry, but I disagree with Lobster. They are protandrous hermaphrodites, but they can reverse change. Yellow is male and grey is the female coloration.
Here is a link to Amy & Alan Drehmel article on captive spawn and rearing of the Yellow Watchman Goby.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/ft/index.php

I worked with 6 pairs of these fish for ~2 years for my undergraduate honors thesis. I had yellow/yellow pairs, white/white pairs, and mixed pairs which all spawned. The linked article worked with a single pair that just happened to be mixed.

 

[link81]

I read anecdotal evidence along these lines also some where, that the colors seem to be rather arbitrary, and can go back and forth.

How did you pair them? or did you get them paired?

I worked with 6 pairs of these fish for ~2 years for my undergraduate honors thesis. I had yellow/yellow pairs, white/white pairs, and mixed pairs which all spawned. The linked article worked with a single pair that just happened to be mixed.

 

[Katrina71]

You aren't alone in your question. There seems to be almost a 50/50 split on this answer. We have been asking if ours is female for years too. I can say she is the alpha of the tank and absolutely beautiful. The "peaceful" description is not really the case in our experience. She does not seek out aggression, but she will defend her pistol and burrow like a beast. Even against a nem!

 

[OrionN]

I worked with 6 pairs of these fish for ~2 years for my undergraduate honors thesis. I had yellow/yellow pairs, white/white pairs, and mixed pairs which all spawned. The linked article worked with a single pair that just happened to be mixed.

Interesting. Thanks

 

[Katrina71]

@link81 do you have a pistol paired with yours?

 

[link81]

yep i do. Tiger Pistol. She's (He's?) the third different goby i got. One went carpet surfing because he though he could swim in open water (they really are terrible swimmers lol), the other disappeared. This one paired up within a couple days and they've been inseparable ever sense.

@link81 do you have a pistol paired with yours?

 

[Katrina71]

@LobsterOfJustice would you mind elaborating on any of your observations? Not to hijack, just an opportunity to learn.

 

[Katrina71]

The relationship between the pistol and goby is way more complex than anything I have read or seen in video. Imo.

 

[link81]

@Katrina71 Hijack away, its all about the same thing....

 

[Katrina71]

@Katrina71 Hijack away, its all about the same thing....

Thank you for being on the same page!

 

[Eva Rose]

I had a yellow/gray pair that were both very small when I added them to the tank. The yellow was the larger of the 2 & took several swims into the overflow into sump. Finally one day I did not find him. Then the gray goby very gradually changed to yellow. Color change took about a year. This remaining goby then stayed yellow.
Interesting note- my remaining goby was very stressed after losing the mate. In a few months it began to share my jawfish’s burrow. They shared a burrow for over 3. 5 years (my avatar). It was a good symbiotic relationship. They both liked to guard the burrow together.
I am interested in pairing my new YWG in my new tank too, so I will be following.

 

[Coralcrave]

Has anyone successfully bred them? I’m waiting for mine to spawn. How many fry is typical? Want to be prepared. Any special setting I should include in the breeding tank?

 

[OrionN]

Here is a link on breeding them. The only problem is the author was errors in coloration and sex of this goby. Both color forms can be maleS or females

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/ft/index.php