Watchman goby problems

[kred47]

Hey,

so I have a ymg and pistol shrimp pair. I just moved them to a 40 gallon breeder and I saw the pistol burrow under a rock. I haven’t seen him since though and I can’t find his entry to his burrow. I’m a little worried he got buried, since the pump got kicked loose and covered his burrow in sand. Also the ymg can’t find him and is swimming at the top of the tank for two days now. He also went for a sump dive three days ago. I’m kind of worried about them, should I start moving rocks to find the pistol and see if I can reconnect them together???

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have 2 yellow watchman gobies and 1 pistol shrimp that share a "burrow". Sometimes I don't see any of them for a week. They have their little underground palace. I'm sure your critters are fine

Edit: ok, I mis-read your post, lol. The shrimp will have no problem finding his way out when he gets hungry. You can try looking for him but I'd give it a little more time.

 

[kred47]

I have 2 yellow watchman gobies and 1 pistol shrimp that share a "burrow". Sometimes I don't see any of them for a week. They have their little underground palace. I'm sure your critters are fine

Edit: ok, I mis-read your post, lol. The shrimp will have no problem finding his way out when he gets hungry. You can try looking for him but I'd give it a little more time.

What about the goby, should I be worried he keeps swimming at the top? In the cube tank he was always in his burrow. Also thank you for your response

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

What about the goby, should I be worried he keeps swimming at the top? In the cube tank he was always in his burrow. Also thank you for your response

How long has the 40 been running? Would disturbing the rocks and sand potentially stir up a lot of detritus and/or release other bad stuff?
You'll have to weigh the stress the goby is currently showing with the possible negative effects of searching for the shrimp. If you can, I'd wait a few days to see if things sort themselves out.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

You could also try to partially bury a piece of raw seafood near where you think the shrimp is and see if he comes out to get it.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Yeah I’d just wait. I got lucky where they found each other immediately and I got to see them pair up. However if it’s meant to be it’ll be. Pistol shrimp are amazing at hiding and difficult to catch. Even if you did turn your tank up side down you’d end up with a cloudy mess the second you start messing around with your sand. I tried traps, etc. and nothing worked (made the mistake of dumping the pistol into invert QT not realizing; I got lucky and found the shrimp free swimming one day and moved it to the same tank). I wouldn’t worry about the shrimp getting buried; digging and hiding is what they do.

Just give it time. My goby/shrimp have disappeared for months on end before popping back up (no clicking during that time either). These two creatures more than any other are a bit of an enigma and will surprise you when you least expect it. Just be patient and listen out for any clicking as proof of life. If nothing else, you could always just add a second pistol.

 

[kred47]

How long has the 40 been running? Would disturbing the rocks and sand potentially stir up a lot of detritus and/or release other bad stuff?
You'll have to weigh the stress the goby is currently showing with the possible negative effects of searching for the shrimp. If you can, I'd wait a few days to see if things sort themselves out.

The 40 has only been up for 5 days now. It would definitely stir up a lot to move the rocks. I’m going to wait until Sunday I guess because the tank really just settled in. I’m hoping the goby calms down tomorrow, he has had a few stressful days with the move and then the sump ride. Appreciate the advice

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The 40 has only been up for 5 days now. It would definitely stir up a lot to move the rocks. I’m going to wait until Sunday I guess because the tank really just settled in. I’m hoping the goby calms down tomorrow, he has had a few stressful days with the move and then the sump ride. Appreciate the advice

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[ariellemermaid]

The 40 has only been up for 5 days now. It would definitely stir up a lot to move the rocks. I’m going to wait until Sunday I guess because the tank really just settled in. I’m hoping the goby calms down tomorrow, he has had a few stressful days with the move and then the sump ride. Appreciate the advice

Just making sure since you posted in the “new” forum. The 5 day breeder has been cycled, right? Just making sure the YWG isn’t at the top gasping for air because of ammonia.

Otherwise, I’ve found it totally normal for a YWG to free swim when not paired.

 

[Karen00]

Pistols usually have more than one entrance. Mine has three (front, back and one of the sides). I'm always covering over their entrances (not on purpose) when I do my water changes and the sand gets moved when I'm siphoning detritus. It doesn't take long for my pistol to reopen the entrances and more often than not I will see him and the goby come out of one of the other entrances under the rock. I'm sure your pistol is fine. He's probably just getting the rock dug out in this new tank. The goby should find him but it could take a few days until he emerges. Keep us updated.

 

[kred47]

Just making sure since you posted in the “new” forum. The 5 day breeder has been cycled, right? Just making sure the YWG isn’t at the top gasping for air because of ammonia.

Otherwise, I’ve found it totally normal for a YWG to free swim when not paired.

Ya it was a direct transfer from my cube. Used 20 gallons of the previous tank water, biomedia from the previous tank, previous sand and previous rock. I’m hoping he finds his shrimp friend soon, buddy seems very lost

 

[Karen00]

Ya it was a direct transfer from my cube. Used 20 gallons of the previous tank water, biomedia from the previous tank, previous sand and previous rock. I’m hoping he finds his shrimp friend soon, buddy seems very lost

If you don't see your pistol soon you might want to get another one. It's possible something happened to it and you don't want your ywg staying stressed if he doesn't settle down. Stress might kill him. I would have to think if one of the pair goes missing it has to be stressful for the remaining creature. I don't think it's any trouble having two pistols in a tank (if it turns out the first one is still alive). You can always do a search on here about more than one pistol in a tank.

 

[kred47]

Pistols usually have more than one entrance. Mine has three (front, back and one of the sides). I'm always covering over their entrances (not on purpose) when I do my water changes and the sand gets moved when I'm siphoning detritus. It doesn't take long for my pistol to reopen the entrances and more often than not I will see him and the goby come out of one of the other entrances under the rock. I'm sure your pistol is fine. He's probably just getting the rock dug out in this new tank. The goby should find him but it could take a few days until he emerges. Keep us updated.

Ok definitely will, I’m going to try to see if I can find any entrances on the back side of the rock. It’s been about a day and a half since

Hey,

so I have a ymg and pistol shrimp pair. I just moved them to a 40 gallon breeder and I saw the pistol burrow under a rock. I haven’t seen him since though and I can’t find his entry to his burrow. I’m a little worried he got buried, since the pump got kicked loose and covered his burrow in sand. Also the ymg can’t find him and is swimming at the top of the tank for two days now. He also went for a sump dive three days ago. I’m kind of worried about them, should I start moving rocks to find the pistol and see if I can reconnect them together???

so I found my tigers burrow!!!!! But my YMG can’t seem too. It’s frustrating but at least I know they’re all good

 

[Karen00]

Ok definitely will, I’m going to try to see if I can find any entrances on the back side of the rock. It’s been about a day and a half since

so I found my tigers burrow!!!!! But my YMG can’t seem too. It’s frustrating but at least I know they’re all good

Nice! Maybe once the pistol comes out and the ywg sees him they will reconnect. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[kred47]

Nice! Maybe once the pistol comes out and the ywg sees him they will reconnect. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Took him a couple days but he found him. Thanks for the help!

 

[Karen00]

Took him a couple days but he found him. Thanks for the help!

That is awesome!!! Thanks for the follow-up. I love a happy ending!