Pinkspotted Shrimp Goby

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Common name: Pinkspotted Shrimp Goby, Singapore Shrimp Goby, Pinkspotted Watchman Goby, Pink-speckled Prawn Goby, Pink-speckled Shrimp Goby, Leptocephalus Prawn, pink and blue goby
Scientific name: Cryptocentrus leptocephalus
Max size: 6 inches / 15 cm
pH: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.020-1.025
Temperature: 74°F - 82°F (24°C - 28°C)

The Pinkspotted shrimp goby is a beautiful fish with a tan body decorated with pink and blue spots. The blue spots are smaller than the pink spots but appear in large numbers. The majority of the spots are on the front half of the fish. This shrimp goby grows larger than most other common shrimp gobies.  It is also more aggressive than most other gobies and you should only keep one goby or an established pair in the same aquarium unless the aquarium is very large. The Pinkspotted shrimp goby should never be kept with other smaller goby species. As it is larger than many gobies species it can be kept with larger fish species. It should however never be kept with too aggressive species such as triggers.

In the wild, the Pinkspotted shrimp goby forms a symbiotic relationship with nearly blind shrimps. The shrimp digs a cave while the goby keeps and eye out for predators and warns the shrimp if one approaches. The shrimp communicates with the goby with its antenna. The shrimp and the Pinkspotted shrimp goby then live together in the cave the shrimp dug out and both species benefit from the relationship.

Just like most other shrimp gobies, the Pinkspotted shrimp goby is a hardy species that can be recommended to a beginner marine aquarist with a large enough aquarium. It is easy to care for and feed and it can be kept in a fish only aquarium. It appreciates to be kept together with Alpheus shrimps, but shrimps are not obligatory. If you want to keep this fish together with shrimps, the common Tiger Snapping Shrimp (Alpheus bellulus) is a good choice. Keeping them with shrimps gives you a chance to see their natural behavior. These gobies are believed to pair up with a shrimp for life and it is not certain that the goby will accept the shrimp you provide as a "partner". Adding several shrimps to the aquarium increases the chance of your Pinkspotted shrimp goby pairing up with one of them.

Pinkspotted shrimp gobies originate from the eastern part of the Indian Ocean and the western part of the Pacific Ocean.

Pinkspotted Shrimp Goby care and aquarium setup

You can keep a single Pinkspotted shrimp goby in a 20 gallon / 80 L aquarium but if you want to keep other fish as well a 30 gallon / 114L is more suitable. You will need an aquarium of at least 60 gallon / 228 L if you want to keep a pair of Pinkspotted shrimp gobies.

The aquarium where you house Pinkspotted shrimp goby should be decorated with a lot of open areas as well as a lot of suitable caves and hiding places. If not enough hiding places are provided, this species easily becomes stressed. Large partly buried PVC pipes can be used to create suitable caves. This species is a good jumper and an aquarium containing Pinkspotted shrimp gobies needs to be well covered to prevent them from jumping to their deaths.

The Pinkspotted shrimp goby does well in reef aquariums but is not 100% reef safe as it might eat small shrimp. Other invertebrates and reef creatures are safe. The Pinkspotted shrimp goby might bully wrasses and small passive fish.

Ideal water conditions for the Pinkspotted shrimp goby are pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025 and temperature 74°F - 82°F (24°C - 28°C).

Feeding Pinkspotted Shrimp Goby

The Pinkspotted shrimp goby is a pickier eater than many other shrimp gobies and will not always accept flake food or pellets. They are carnivores and should be fed a varied diet containing different high protein food types. If your Pinkspotted shrimp goby accepts pellets you can use shrimp pellets as a base for its diet. The diet should also contain frozen food and different types of chopped se food. The Pinkspotted shrimp goby should be fed at least two times a day. Make sure that it actually gets enough food.

Breeding Pinkspotted Shrimp Goby

Pinkspotted shrimp goby are hard to sex. The species can be bred in aquariums. A pair should be put in an aquarium no smaller than 40 gallon / 150L (60 gallon/ 230 L is better). The aquarium should be decorated with suitable breeding caves; a suitable cave will be just large enough for the pair to squeeze themselves into it. They protect their eggs and fry aggressively and are usually good parents. The fry are sensitive but hardier than most other marine fry. Feed the fry small food.

Goby Articles:

Orangespotted Shrimp Goby – Amblyeleotris guttata
Randall's Shrimp Goby – Amblyeleotris randalli
Yellow Clown Goby – Gobiodon okinawae
Yellow Watchman Goby – Cyrptocentrus cinctus