Lg Yellow Watchman Goby

[deikens]

Ok I acquired a lg yellow watchman goby a few months back (6 months or so)... I have had smaller ones in the past but never one this size ~6-7 inches. I have a large pvc cave built into my live rock and it has claimed it as his. I know they pair with pistol shrimps, but this one has seemed to semi pair up with a blood shrimp (since I do not have a pistol shrimp, nor do I want one)... My question is has anyone ever had one pick off hermit crabs and sand snails and pull them into it's "cave"/"tunnel". I am fairly sure he is not killing them because my population of hermits isn't going down! Has anyone else ever experienced this... I can't seem to find any information on this behavior... I assume he just wants them to clean out the tunnel? Also I was thinking of adding some smaller tank mates, aka another clown (percula) , mandarin, or other gobies (like a Catalina)... Does anyone think he will eat smaller fish if it can swallow them?

[K-ROK]

Following found from: www.reeftime.com


Diet Information: Omnivorous - they will readily accept all foods, preferring meaty fares (ie brine shrimp, mysis), but microalgaes are also a regular food. This species should be fed at least twice daily.



Additional Information : These gobies are commonly found in a symbiotic relationship with Pistol shrimp in the genus Alpheus, the shrimp constructing and cleaning a burrow for the goby, while the goby keeps alert for possible threats to the shrimp.
These gobies tend to hide often so plenty of live rock should help make them feel secure. Some have reported that this fish has jumped from the tank so an aquarium hood with no escape points is highly suggested.
You may be able to keep mated pairs but it is not advisable to keep more than a mated pair of Yellow Watchman Gobies in smaller tanks. They may fight over territory with other goby species.



Tank Mate Compatibility : The Yellow Watchman Goby should do fine in most reef tanks, but care should be taken to ensure it does not get eaten by large or aggressive species.



Breeding Information: Breeding is easily accomplished once a pair is formed, but feeding the very tiny fry is quite difficult. They require smaller free-swimming food than even baby clownfish.



Determining Sex: Males tend to be bright white and females tend to more grey in color. It is unclear if the species is sexually dimorphic but the males and females can both change color.



Primary Area in Tank: Bottom-dwelling - likes to dig in sand and under rocks.