ReefPicker
← Livestock checker
Randall's Shrimp Goby
Goby

Randall's Shrimp Goby

Amblyeleotris randalli

The showiest of the commonly available shrimp gobies — a pale body crossed by orange bars, carrying an oversized sail-like first dorsal fin marked with a dark eyespot that it flicks up as a signal. Like the other Amblyeleotris it lives in a burrow excavated and maintained by a pistol shrimp, keeping one antenna's contact with the shrimp while it watches the entrance, and it settles in far better when it has that partner and a soft sand bed several centimetres deep. It stays near the bottom and does not chase food in the water column, so target-feed frozen mysis and enriched brine toward its territory rather than relying on what drifts past. It ignores corals and ornamental shrimp, and its only real risks are being outcompeted at feeding time and jumping, so use a lid.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
3.9"
Min tank
20 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Sand bed, Bottom
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
Symbiosis · Pairs with a pistol shrimp.
Something look wrong? Report an error

Tankmates

How Randall's Shrimp 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 Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Pink Spotted Watchman 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.Wheeler's Watchman GobyRandall's Shrimp Goby and Wheeler's Watchman Goby are the same genus (Amblyeleotris) and will fight — keep only one.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Dogface PufferDogface Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Porcupine PufferPorcupine Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.Lunare WrasseLunare Wrasse (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Spanish HogfishSpanish Hogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Randall's Shrimp Goby.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Naso TangNaso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Scopas TangScopas Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Niger TriggerfishNiger Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Blonde Naso TangBlonde Naso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Desjardini Sailfin TangDesjardini Sailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Orange Shoulder TangOrange Shoulder Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Randall's Shrimp Goby and may harass it.