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Tangaroa Shrimp Goby
Goby

Tangaroa Shrimp Goby

Ctenogobiops tangaroai

A small pale shrimp goby speckled with orange-brown spots, with the first two dorsal spines drawn out into long trailing filaments that are its easiest identification mark. In the wild it lives on fine sand patches from about 4 to 40 m sharing a burrow with an alpheid pistol shrimp, and it behaves the same way in a tank — give it several centimetres of fine sand plus some rubble and it will pair up with a pistol shrimp and hold station at the burrow mouth. It is small, undemanding and takes frozen mysis and enriched brine without fuss, which makes it one of the easier shrimp gobies for a nano reef. It will not touch corals or ornamental inverts, but like all of the group it jumps, so the tank needs a lid.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
2.4"
Min tank
10 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Sand bed, Bottom
Keep one or a bonded pair.
Symbiosis · Pairs with a pistol shrimp.
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Tankmates

How Tangaroa 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.

Maroon ClownfishMaroon Clownfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Purple TangPurple Tang (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Coral HawkfishCoral Hawkfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Royal DottybackThe Tangaroa Shrimp Goby is a small, retiring burrow-dweller and gobies are named among the species a Royal Dottyback should not be housed with.Pink Spotted Watchman 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.Domino DamselDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Marine BettaMarine Betta has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Fuzzy Dwarf LionfishFuzzy Dwarf Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Tangaroa Shrimp Goby.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Yellow TangYellow Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Powder Blue TangPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Convict TangConvict Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Regal AngelfishRegal Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Achilles TangAchilles Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Naso TangNaso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Scopas TangScopas Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Keyhole AngelfishKeyhole Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Chevron TangChevron Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Mimic TangMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Powder Brown TangPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Wheeler's Watchman GobyTwo small burrow-dwelling shrimp-gobies of different genera (Amblyeleotris vs Ctenogobiops) may compete for the same burrow/substrate; usually manageable in a larger sandbed but can bicker.Square AnthiasSquare Anthias (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Blue-Throat TriggerfishBlue-Throat Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.Crosshatch TriggerfishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tangaroa Shrimp Goby and may harass it.