Blenny ID

[Heyguy74]

I just got this Blenny yesterday, can anyone ID it for me.

 

[AqOb]

looks like a wheelers shrimp goby too me..

 

[Candi]

I was going to vote goby as well, don't all blennies have the "horns" on their heads?

 

[eric65]

Looks like a Wheeler's Goby to me as well. Not to worry- even though he wasn't what you thought, they still have a ton of personality for a fish that size. I like my lil' guy.

Here's my Wheeler's for comparison:

 

[mladencovic]

looks like a wheelers shrimp goby too me..

If the first dorsal fin looks like the one on this pic http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/faunabase/_asp_bin/MapITcx.asp?d=Fishes&t=Amblyeleotris wheeleri

or corresponds to the description from here http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=7196

it would be the Amblyeleotris wheeleri (Gorgeous prawn goby, Wheeler's goby)

Otherwise check http://www.fishbase.org/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=405&areacode=&spines=&fins=&c_code= for some other gobbies that have similar patterns. I don't thhink it is a blenny but you can check them here http://www.fishbase.org/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=392&areacode=&spines=&fins=&c_code=

Candy, there are some blennies that do not have "horns", though I couldn't find any blenny that looks like that fish.

 

[Heyguy74]

Thanks for teh info. I think it is a Amblyeleotris wheeleri. It seems they like to have a shrimp as a partner. I have a cleaner shrimp in the tank now, would a pistol shrimp work? If not any paticular species of shrimp?

Thanks

 

[mladencovic]

Thanks for teh info. I think it is a Amblyeleotris wheeleri. It seems they like to have a shrimp as a partner. I have a cleaner shrimp in the tank now, would a pistol shrimp work? If not any paticular species of shrimp?

Thanks

It partners with the Pistol (Snapping) shrimp (Alpheus sp) not with the Cleaner shrimps, though it might look for the serveices of the Cleaner shrimp like other fish.

 

[Heyguy74]

Will the pistol shrimp harm other shrimp. I just did a google search on pistol shrimp, I see a youtube video of a pistol shrimp. There it is killing the exact same type of cleaner shrinmp I have. Is this normal for pistols shrimp to hunt other shrimp. Has anybody else had success with having a pistol and cleaner shrimps?

 

[eric65]

I've had mixed results with pistol shrimp. 3 years ago I had a pistol shrimp and he was the perfect tankmate. I rarely saw him and never bothered anyone from what I could tell. The only way I knew he was alive was the occasional popping sound. That was in a 30 gallon cube.

This time around I bought a pistol shrimp and if my suspicions are right- he was indeed a killer. He was never in his hole- he always seemed to be on the prowl looking for trouble. I also had a difficult time keeping any other inverts alive for more than a week. It wasn't until I saw an emerald crab alive one moment then minutes later he was on his back with the pistol shrimp on top of him. That was all the evidence I needed to place him in the 16 gallon. This was in a 7 gallon tank so maybe the small tank made it easier for him to take out other inverts.

Would I buy one again? Maybe, but it would definitely have to go into one of my larger tanks from past experience. As for the goby that he was paired with- he had no problem sharing his hole with another goby and he seems just as happy.

 

[Heyguy74]

Thanks. I would love to get another goby. Can I get the same species or should they be a different species?

 

[eric65]

I think it depends on the species if you can keep 2 of the same in a tank. Some are more aggressive than others. If you look under the Nano section you can see my minibow thread. I have a Watchman Wheeler's goby and a High Fin goby sharing the same quarters. In my case the High Fin seems much happier sharing his space with another goby.