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Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
Goby

Pink Spotted Watchman Goby

Cryptocentrus leptocephalus

A stout, tan-grey shrimp goby dusted with pink-red spots and iridescent blue flecks — a hardy, characterful introduction to the goby-pistol-shrimp partnership. It perches at the mouth of a burrow the near-blind pistol shrimp digs, twitching a warning when danger nears, and does fine without a shrimp in a predator-free tank. Peaceful with the community but territorial toward other watchman gobies, so keep one or a bonded pair over an open sand bed, under a tight lid.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
4.3"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Bottom, Sand bed
Keep one or a bonded pair.
Symbiosis · Pairs with a pistol shrimp.
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Tankmates

How Pink Spotted Watchman Goby gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Purple TangPurple Tang (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Randall's Shrimp GobyBoth are burrow-digging shrimp-gobies (Cryptocentrus vs Amblyeleotris) that fight over the same sand real-estate and pistol-shrimp partnership niche; keep only one burrowing goby unless the sandbed footprint is very large.Tangaroa Shrimp GobyCryptocentrus vs Ctenogobiops — two burrow-associated shrimp-gobies competing for substrate territory; the larger pink-spotted tends to dominate the burrow and displace the smaller Tangaroa.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Wheeler's Watchman GobyTwo burrowing shrimp-gobies of different genera (Cryptocentrus vs Amblyeleotris) claim and defend the same bottom burrow territory, leading to chronic squabbling unless the tank is large with well-separated substrate zones.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Dogface PufferDogface Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Porcupine PufferPorcupine Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Pink Spotted Watchman Goby.Lunare WrasseLunare Wrasse (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Yasha GobyBoth are shrimp-associated burrow gobies (Cryptocentrus vs Stonogobiops); the much larger pink-spotted may harass or crowd the small Yasha out of the shared burrow, though Yasha hovers more and conflict is milder.Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Niger TriggerfishNiger Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Blonde Naso TangBlonde Naso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Desjardini Sailfin TangDesjardini Sailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.Orange Shoulder TangOrange Shoulder Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pink Spotted Watchman Goby and may harass it.