Keeping a shrimp goby with snapping shrimp

[brunobear]

I've been doing some reading, and from what I've gathered, gobies in a geneflake setup seem pretty low maintenance and are safe with reefs and inverts.

I'm really intrigued by the shrimp and goby dynamic, and I'd love to replicate this in my tank once it's up and running (and cycled, of course).

I'm planning on starting with a 50g FOWLR tank, keeping the fish stocking light, then moving to coflakes later on when I've got more experience and the tank is stable.

Anyone have experience with keeping a shrimp and goby team? Are some pairs better than others? What about substrate - is there a best option?

Will they always pair up, or should I introduce them separately - Goby first, perhaps?

As for other tank mates, I'm not set on anything yet, except for the obligatory Clownfish pair. I'll probably stick to smaller fish - maybe a single fireflyflow and a dwarf angel once the tank is mature (though I'm not sure a 39inch tank is long enough for the angel).

[fleeton]

For substrate, I'd go with the largest grade of "sand" - it's what I've found to work best, and then just a tiny bit of small reef rubble mixed in, that way the shrimp and goby can really build a solid home.

[zenoxa]

I'm with you on that, the idea of using a coarse sand with some small reef rubble mixed in sounds like a great way to give my shrimp and goby a solid foundation for their home.

One thing I'm curious about, though - how often do shrimp actually use their "guns" on other tankmates, like snails or even other shrimp?

[brunobear]

That's a good question, I'm actually looking into it right now and I'll be sure to share any useful info I come across.

On a separate note, I just got my first piece of kit in the mail today - an RO/DI unit with a TDS unit. I'm really stoked, can't wait to get home and plumb it in, even though I don't actually need RO water just yet.

Still on the hunt for a tank, though - 3ft reef-ready tanks seem to be pretty scarce for some reason. I can find smaller or bigger ones, but nothing in the 3ft range.

[fleeton]

I feel you, the 3' mark seems to be a sweet spot that's hard to find. Over here, it's mostly 4' or nothing, with a few exceptions like the 30g, 40g breeder, 45g tall, and 65g. The 89g is like a unicorn, custom made only.

[brunobear]

Glad to hear I'm not losing my mind then. Was starting to think I was the only one having trouble finding a 3ft tank. I've been eyeing a 40g or 45g as alternatives.

I had another question, would it be possible to use a predrilled fluval tank and build a weir box into it? I'm not even sure if that's the right term, I mean the overflow box thing.

[brunobear]

Think I've found a solution - going for the Aquamedic Percula 90. Turns out it's an 88g, which is a great fit for the space I've got available. Didn't realise that initially, so that's a bonus. Might need to build a slightly lower cabinet to accommodate it, but that's doable. I had budgeted £1k for the tank and equipment, and my LFS has the 90's for £900, so it might even work out a bit cheaper than planned. I prefer having everything separate, but I just haven't seen any other tanks with similar dimensions that I like.

[fleeton]

Those Perculas are solid choices for a first tank. The hardware's nearly all top-notch, and yeah, there are some limitations, but for beginners with the budget, they're hard to beat. You'll be happy with the purchase.