About Pinkspot Shrimpgoby
Shrimp goby with a built-in entertainment system: it forms a lifelong commensal pair with a pistol shrimp that digs and maintains a shared burrow. Get the goby and shrimp at the same time for best pairing odds.
The pink-speckled shrimpgoby is a species of goby native to the western Pacific Ocean where it occurs on silty substrates in coastal reefs, lagoons, mangrove swamps and tide pools. It grows to a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) SL.
Notes from the editors
What it looks like. Pale body with pink spotting along the flanks and on the head. Forms a lifelong commensal pair with a pistol shrimp (typically Alpheus randalli or A. djeddensis).
In your tank. The goby-shrimp relationship is the centerpiece. The shrimp digs and maintains a burrow; the goby acts as a lookout and dives for cover when threatened. Both benefit from the partnership and the behavior is endlessly watchable.
Care notes. Buy goby and shrimp together — pairing success drops dramatically with separate purchases. A 2-inch+ deep sand bed with substrate small enough for the shrimp to manipulate is essential. Reef-safe and peaceful.
Sourcing and feeding. Wild-collected as a pair from Indo-Pacific reefs ($50–100 for the pair). Goby is carnivorous (mysis, brine, copepods); shrimp eats leftover meaty bits.
Care info is a starting point, not a guarantee. Individual specimens, water chemistry, and tankmate dynamics vary. Verify against multiple sources and adjust to what you observe. See our terms & disclaimers.
Related fish
Sources & attribution
- Taxonomy and accepted name from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS AphiaID 278334).
- Description content adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: (c) coenobita, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (via iNaturalist or Wikimedia Commons).