Can I Keep These Fish Together?

[Coralfish1701]

So I recently set up a 40 gallon cube reef tank, and I was wondering what to stock it with. I really want to get a diamond spotted sand sifting goby, and I also want to get a yasha goby to pair with a pistol shrimp. Are these compatible, or will they irritate each other?

 

[Coralfish1701]

This is worded a bit strangely, I meant will the sand sifting goby bother the yasha goby and pistol shrimp?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Yasha haze gobies can be shy already, and while diamond gobies aren't really aggressive, they do maintain a burrow and chase off competition for it. In a 40g, the yasha will hide more with a sifter in the tank.

A smaller species that sifts, such as a rainsford or hectori goby.

 

[Diesel]

With enough hiding spots you should be fine.

 

[BluewaterLa]

All good advise, and I agree.
Remember with these or any fish we keep, they all claim territory and seek out a space to call home in the wild.
The difference in our aquariums is that space is already extremely limited compared to a natural reef so we can not have any guarantees that one situation will work for you and someone else.
Sometimes we must try to provide what we can for our inhabitants and see how the outcome will play out between species.
Some may say yes and some may say no about mixing the above species in a smaller tank.
I do believe with the right rock scape and sand depth you should be fine and think the advise that the Yasha may hide more due to being shy is pretty accurate and in time it may become comfortable with all tank mates.
Good luck and happy reefing

 

[BluewaterLa]

WELCOME to R2R

 

[michellejy]

You can usually have more than one type of shrimp goby together, but obviously the diamond goby isn't a shrimp goby. It gets significantly larger than the yasha goby too.

By the way, I bought a Yasha goby pair 3 1/2 weeks ago. They are in a tank with only two juvenile clowns that never venture to the bottom of the tank. The *only* reason I know that at least one of the gobies is alive is because I see small changes to the sand near a rock at the back. They are beautiful fish, but they are reclusive far beyond my expectations.