Randall’s shrimp goby

Where they come from

Randall’s shrimp goby (Amblyeleotris randalli) comes from sandy rubble zones on Indo-Pacific reefs—think areas with little bits of shell, coral chunks, and sand where a burrow actually holds up. In the wild they’re usually posted up at the entrance of a tunnel system with a pistol shrimp roommate doing the excavation.

Setting up their tank

Give them a sandy bottom and a place to start a burrow and you’re 80% of the way there. They don’t need a huge tank, but they do need the right real estate: sand they can move, and rock that won’t topple when a shrimp decides to remodel.

• Tank size: 20g and up works fine for a single goby; bigger is nicer if you want more bottom-dwelling fish
• Sand bed: fine sand is best; about 2–3 inches gives them room to dig without hitting glass immediately
• Rubble: add a small pile of mixed-size rubble (shell bits, small coral chunks, small rock) right on the sand so they can “brace” the entrance
• Rockwork: set your main rocks on the tank bottom or on supports, not on loose sand—pistol shrimp love undermining
• Flow: moderate is fine, but don’t blast their burrow zone or you’ll watch them fight a constant sandstorm

Lighting is whatever your reef needs. The goby doesn’t care much, but if the sand is super bright and there’s no cover, they’ll act jumpier. A little overhang or a rock “ledge” near the burrow makes them way more confident.

What to feed them

These guys are easy to feed once they settle in, but they’re not great at competing with speed demons. Mine did best when I fed small meaty foods and made sure some actually hit the sand near the burrow.

• Frozen mysis (smaller pieces are perfect)
• Brine shrimp (better as a mixer than a main diet)
• Chopped krill or clam (tiny bits)
• Pellets like small marine carnivore pellets once they recognize them
• Occasional live foods (pods, live brine) if you’re trying to kickstart a picky new arrival

If you pair them with a pistol shrimp, don’t be surprised if the shrimp grabs food and drags it inside like it’s paying rent. That’s normal, and the goby still gets plenty if you feed a couple small portions.

Behavior and tankmates

Randall’s is a classic “burrow goby.” Most of the day you’ll see its head poked out, doing little darting grabs for food, then backing in when something swims by. They’re peaceful, but they’re also very committed to their patch of sand.

The famous pairing is with a pistol shrimp (often Alpheus randalli, but other compatible Alpheid pistols can work). The shrimp digs and maintains the burrow; the goby stands guard. You’ll see the shrimp keep an antenna on the goby like a little safety tether—one of the coolest symbioses you can keep.

• Great tankmates: clowns, small wrasses, dartfish, cardinals, firefish (with a lid), smaller reef-safe fish that don’t bully
• Usually fine: most peaceful inverts, cleaner shrimp, snails, hermits
• Be cautious with: other sand-perching gobies (territory overlap), larger hawkfish, dottybacks, aggressive wrasses, and anything that likes to camp the same burrow zone
• Avoid: predators that eat shrimp if you’re doing the pistol shrimp pairing (some triggers, bigger hawkfish, larger predatory wrasses)

Breeding tips (if you want to go down that rabbit hole)

They can spawn in home tanks, especially if you have a bonded pair and a stable burrow. You may never see the eggs because they’ll be laid deep in the tunnel and guarded. The “tell” is usually the male getting more protective and the pair hanging tight to the burrow for days.

Raising the babies is the hard part. Like most marine fish, the larvae are tiny and need live plankton foods (rotifers, then copepods/Artemia as they grow), plus a separate rearing setup. If your goal is just to enjoy the fish, it’s still fun to watch the courtship behavior even if you’re not trying to raise a batch.

Common problems to watch for

• Jumping: the #1 avoidable loss—use a lid from day one
• Not eating in a busy tank: they can get outcompeted; target feed near the burrow
• Rockwork collapses: pistol shrimp can undermine rocks that sit on sand
• Burrow keeps getting buried: too much direct flow or tankmates constantly kicking sand
• Stress from bullying: they’ll hide for days and lose weight if a fish claims their corner
• Parasites (ich/velvet): gobies aren’t immune—quarantine if you can, and watch for heavy breathing or flashing

Biggest success tip from my own tanks: set up the sand/rubble “starter home” before the goby goes in, keep the area calmer for the first week, and feed small amounts where it lives. Once it decides that spot is home, it becomes one of those fish you’ll catch yourself watching way more than you expected.