Question about wheeler goby

[mta_morrow]

I have a pair of wheelers gobies. One is darker than the other. I am assuming male and female as I bought them from DD as a bonded pair.

They have been together a few months. 3-4 days ago I assume the male began chasing the female throughout the tank.

I’m also assuming this is their spawning activity.

Now for the past 2 days, I only see the male what appears to be guarding the entrances to their shared burrow.

Haven’t seen the female.

Is it possible she is in the burrow with eggs?

This is what I think is the male guarding the burrow.

Also, my purple firefish is constantly hovering over one of the entrances which it has never done. It’s usually cruising the tank.
I think it wants eggs for breakfast. The wheelers is not letting it near the entrance.

 

[mta_morrow]

Bump

 

[mta_morrow]

Bump

 

[mta_morrow]

Bump

#reefsquad

 

[DSC reef]

I dont have any experience with those gobies but I'm sure a member does. I think your spot on with your theory though. Very cool to witness.

 

[mta_morrow]

I dont have any experience with those gobies but I'm sure a member does. I think your spot on with your theory though. Very cool to witness.

Thanks DSC reef. I feel good about the theory, but someone’s experience will make me feel better [emoji2]

 

[dbl]

Same response here...no personal experience but I would agree with your theory as well. Hopefully someone will chime in with confirmation or alternate positive theory.

 

[Eva Rose]

I would not stress. I had a YWG pair & now have a Wheeler’s Goby pair. Gobies often live in burrows that have 2 entrances. Often I have observed my gobies peering out one at a time. One might be inside the burrow, while the other guards.
At feeding time one Wheeler pops out of one hole as the other looks out of the opposite entrance.

When I first added my Wheeler gobies, I only saw the smaller one for 2 weeks. I looked carefully & could not find where the larger was hiding. Finally I saw that they were in the same burrow all along. My larger one is still more timid & stays behind the smaller at times.
Also gobies sometimes come out and sit tail to tail (each looking in the opposite direction) guarding their burrow.

I cannot describe spawning behavior. Both my goby pairs exhibited the behavior where only one guarded the burrow @ times. However mine were not spawning. If you don’t get an answer here, maybe the Fish Breeding Forum might be able to tell you if your pair is guarding eggs.

 

[eatbreakfast]

That reasonably sounds like breeding behavior, but I don't have firsthand experience with that.

 

[mta_morrow]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I will post here again when they both show up. I am hoping they get back into their old routine where they cruise around together.

 

[Eva Rose]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I will post here again when they both show up. I am hoping they get back into their old routine where they cruise around together.

A good time to spot your gobies is in the AM several hours before your tank lights come on. One (or both) usually is out at that time from the burrow. They tend to venture out farther at times when most other tank mates are asleep.

 

[mta_morrow]

Well here’s an update. Saw them both at the same time this evening. First time in a week.

The female, which is the one I haven’t seen, showed her face poking out of a new burrow on the opposite side of the tank.

The male was cruising the front of the tank.