Gorgeous prawn-goby
Amblyeleotris wheeleri
Also known as: Wheeler's watchman shrimp goby, Wheeler's shrimp goby, Wheeler's prawn goby, Wheeler's watchman goby
Amblyeleotris wheeleri is that classic shrimp-goby that picks a sandy spot, makes a burrow, and basically turns your tank into a little nature documentary if you pair it with a pistol shrimp. It hangs at the burrow entrance, does the whole lookout routine, and flashes those red bands and blue speckling when it is settled in.
The gorgeous prawn-goby features a striking golden-yellow body with vibrant blue spots and an elongated dorsal fin, often sharing burrows with shrimp.
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Quick Facts
Size
10 cm
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Intermediate
Min Tank Size
20 gallons
Lifespan
5-8 years
Origin
Indo-Pacific
Diet
Carnivore - small meaty foods (mysis, brine, finely chopped seafood) and quality sinking pellets
Water Parameters
24-28°C
8.1-8.4
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Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Give them a sandy bottom (fine sand, 1-2 in) with a few small rubble pieces - they want to dig and perch, not hover in open water all day.
- If you can, pair it with a pistol shrimp (Alpheus randalli is the classic) and make a couple starter burrows by leaning a small rock on sand with some rubble under the edge.
- Keep the basics steady: ~1.020–1.025 specific gravity, ~72–78°F (22–26°C) to ~75–82°F (24–28°C) depending on your reef standard, and pH ~8.1–8.4; they can stress quickly with salinity swings from inconsistent top-offs.
- Feed small meaty stuff close to the burrow: mysis, brine, chopped shrimp, pods, and tiny pellets - use a baster and they will learn the routine.
- They are jumpers when spooked, especially right after you add them, so a tight lid or mesh top saves you from the classic floor goby situation.
- Tankmates: peaceful fish only (clowns, small wrasses, cardinals) and avoid bullies or sand-hunters like big wrasses, hawkfish, dottybacks, and most triggers that will harass them or redecorate their home.
- Watch for being outcompeted at feeding time and for a sunken belly - they can look fine but slowly starve if faster fish steal everything.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Pistol shrimp (Alpheus spp.) - the classic buddy for a gorgeous prawn-goby. They pair up, share a burrow, and its honestly one of the coolest behaviors you can keep in a reef.
- Other mellow sand-bed fish like watchman gobies or small fang blennies (think tailspot, bicolor if its not a bully) - as long as theres enough sand and hidey holes so nobody is forced to share one spot.
- Peaceful nano fish that stay in the water column like firefish, small dartfish, and chromis - they mostly ignore the goby doing its thing down by the burrow.
- Reef-safe wrasses that are not terrors, like a pink-streaked wrasse or possum wrasse - active but usually not interested in camping the gobys burrow or picking on it.
- Clownfish (especially ocellaris/percula) - generally fine as long as the clowns arent hyper-territorial and the goby has a safe corner of sand away from the clowns hangout.
- Small, peaceful cardinalfish like banggai or pajama cardinals - slow and calm, they dont compete for the same real estate and they dont hassle the goby.
Avoid
- Dottybacks (especially bicolor, orchid can go either way but plenty turn into little jerks) - they love caves and will absolutely bully a timid goby or steal the burrow zone.
- Hawkfish (flame hawk, longnose) - perch-and-pounce types. Even if they dont eat the goby, they can keep it pinned down and stressed, and they may go after the pistol shrimp if you run a pair.
- Big, pushy wrasses (many Halichoeres, sixline in a small tank) - constant cruising and nosiness turns into harassment, and they can pick at shrimp buddies too.
- Any predator-ish fish that can fit it in its mouth (bigger groupers, some lionfish, larger morays) - prawn-gobies are small and spend time near the sand, so they are easy targets.
Where they come from
Gorgeous prawn-gobies (Amblyeleotris wheeleri) are Indo-Pacific sand-dwellers that spend their lives posted up at the entrance of a burrow. In the wild they usually pair with an alpheid pistol shrimp, which does the digging while the goby plays lookout. That whole "tiny security guard" vibe is exactly what you see in a home tank too.
Setting up their tank
Think "sand, shelter, and calm." These guys are happiest on a sandy bottom with rubble they can use to reinforce a burrow entrance. They are not a fish you buy for a bare-bottom SPS raceway with 100x turnover blasting the substrate.
- Tank size: 20 gallons can work for a single, but 30+ feels way more relaxed (and gives you room for a shrimp partner).
- Substrate: fine sand is your friend. Aim for about 2-3 inches so a shrimp (if you add one) can actually build.
- Rubble: scatter small bits of coral rubble or small shells near where you want the burrow. They will drag pieces around like little contractors.
- Flow: moderate overall, but make at least one lower-flow sand zone so the burrow does not constantly collapse.
- Rockwork: stable rock on the glass, sand around it. You do not want a digging shrimp undermining a rock sitting on sand.
Cover the tank. Seriously. Prawn-gobies can and will launch themselves when spooked, especially in the first week. A tight lid or mesh top saves heartbreak.
If you want the classic pair behavior, add a pistol shrimp. The common picks are Alpheus randalli or Alpheus bellulus. Sometimes they buddy up fast, sometimes it takes days, and sometimes they just ignore each other if the tank layout does not give them a good "home base" area.
I have the best luck introducing the goby and shrimp at the same time, with a little pile of rubble on open sand next to a rock. They usually choose that spot and settle in instead of wandering.
What to feed them
They are easy to feed once they recognize your routine. The main trick is getting food down to the burrow entrance before faster fish vacuum it up. A shy Wheeler's will sit there watching food fly by like a kid pressed against a candy store window.
- Great staples: frozen mysis, finely chopped shrimp, brine (better as a treat), and quality marine pellets that sink.
- If they are new or picky: frozen copepods, small meaty foods like Calanus, and live brine can get them started.
- Feeding style: target feed with a turkey baster or pipette right near their spot.
Feed smaller amounts 1-2 times a day at first. Once they are bold and taking pellets, they are pretty low drama. If you have a pistol shrimp, it will steal food too, so plan for that.
How they behave and who they get along with
Wheeleri are peaceful little bottom sitters. Most of their "personality" is the burrow life: peeking out, shoveling sand, retreating when something startles them, then popping right back out. If paired with a pistol shrimp, you will see the goby hover at the entrance and flick its tail or body to signal danger. It is one of the coolest natural behaviors you can keep in a reef.
- Good tankmates: other peaceful reef fish (clownfish, small wrasses that are not bullies, cardinals, chromis, blennies that keep to rock).
- Use caution with: other bottom gobies that want the same real estate, especially other shrimp-goby species in smaller tanks.
- Avoid: aggressive dottybacks, big hawkfish, predatory wrasses, or anything that will harass the burrow entrance all day.
They do not bother corals, and they usually ignore cleaner shrimp and snails. The one exception is sand-stirring chaos: a super active sand-sifting goby or a big conch can bulldoze the burrow and stress them out.
Breeding tips
They can spawn in captivity, usually in a bonded pair with a secure burrow. You might notice them getting a little more defensive around the entrance and doing extra "housekeeping". The eggs are laid in the burrow, and the male typically guards them.
Raising the larvae is the hard part. Like most marine fish, the babies go pelagic and need tiny live foods (rotifers, then copepods) and a dedicated rearing setup. If you just want to witness spawning behavior, focus on stability, good feeding, and a calm tank. If you want to actually raise them, plan on a separate project tank and a live food pipeline.
Common problems to watch for
- Jumping: the number one killer. Use a lid from day one, not after the first close call.
- Not eating in a community tank: they can get outcompeted. Target feed and keep boisterous eaters from hovering over the burrow.
- Burrow collapse or constant rearranging: usually from too much flow on the sand, not enough sand depth, or no rubble to reinforce walls.
- Shrimp undermining rockwork: always place rocks on the glass or on supports, not on sand.
- Shipping stress and parasites: watch for rapid breathing, flashing, frayed fins, or white spots. Quarantine if you can, and do not rush them into a high-stress display.
If your goby disappears for a day or two, do not panic right away. They will sometimes stay tucked in after a scare, after a big rearrange, or while settling in with a shrimp. Check that it is still eating at least every couple days and that nobody is camping the burrow.
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