Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby (Amblyeleotris Guttata)

Also Known As: Spotted Prawn Goby, Orange-Dashed Goby

Compatibility and Behavior
The Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby (Amblyeleotris guttata) is beautifully polka-dotted from head to fin. Bold, evenly spaced orange spots outlined in light brown scatter across a pale, almost translucent white-to-cream body, and because the pattern carries right onto the clear pectoral, dorsal, tail, and anal fins, the dots seem to float around the fish as it moves. Beyond the looks, the real draw is the partnership: like the other shrimp gobies, this one pairs naturally with a compatible pistol shrimp (such as the Tiger Pistol Shrimp), sharing a burrow and standing guard at the entrance while the nearly blind shrimp does the digging. It isn't strictly required, but the pairing is instinctive and usually happens on its own once the goby notices a shrimp nearby, and a paired goby is a bolder, more interactive fish. It's completely peaceful and reef safe, mixing well with other calm community fish like clownfish, dartfish, blennies, and small gobies, though it can be outcompeted by faster, pushier feeders.

Aquarium Requirements
Substrate and a lid are the two things to get right. This goby needs a sand bed of at least 2 inches for burrowing, ideally mixed with fine rubble or coral gravel to help hold a burrow together if it pairs with a pistol shrimp, and a tight-fitting, gap-free top matters since it's a capable jumper, especially in the first days after introduction. One structural note specific to the shrimp partnership: seat your rockwork directly on the tank bottom rather than on the sand, because a burrowing pistol shrimp can tunnel under loose rock and trigger a landslide. Beyond that it's an easy fish, happy in a tank of at least 10 gallons with moderate flow and a mix of open sand flats and scattered rubble near hiding spots that recreates its natural reef-flat home. Feed enriched frozen mysis, brine, copepods, and other meaty foods several times a day down near the substrate, since it prefers to pick food close to the sand.

Specifications
Approximate Size: 1.5–2.5"
Diet: Carnivore; frozen mysis, brine shrimp, copepods, and other finely chopped marine meaty foods
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Care Level: Easy
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons
Special Considerations: Needs a sand bed of at least 2 inches for burrowing; a capable jumper that needs a gap-free lid; forms a beneficial partnership with a pistol shrimp and is bolder when paired with one