Datasheet Yasha Goby
German name:
Yasha goby
Scientific name:
Stonogobiopsyasha
Origin:
West Pacific, on the outer reef in 14 to 50m water depth on sandy-silty bottom
Size:
Body length 4.7cm – 5cm
Aquarium
Contents:
from 80 liters – 100 liters, seawater aquarium
water values
Temperature:
24°-26° C
Behave
Area:
lower area, near the ground
Lining:
Zooplankton, lobster eggs, small frozen and flake food
Behave:
Should be paired with Alpheus randalli
Number:
In pairs together with the cracker Alpheus randalli
Difficulty level:
Moderate to difficult, only suitable for experienced marine aquarists Jmk7, Yasha Goby, CC BY-SA 3.0
Origin
The Yasha goby, which is about 5 cm tall, stands out even among the not exactly colorless sea gobies with its particularly magnificent blaze of colour. In the western Pacific, it inhabits the sandy areas at water depths of 15 m to 40 m on the sea floor and lives as a commensal together with the pistol shrimp, with which it inhabits a common burrow. That is why the Yasha goby is also counted among the so-called guard or partner gobies.
This goby is a rarity and is only rarely offered in pet shops and at high prices.
Look
The Yasha goby has an elongated body with a round cross-section. The body is white with a faint yellowish belly. The flanks have three narrow, bright orange-red longitudinal bands that are partially interrupted towards the head. Several spots and stripes of the same orange-red color can also be seen on the head. The first dorsal fin is very long and thread-like towards the tip. The protruding eyes are relatively large in relation to the head and sit on top of the head – a typical feature of a bottom fish, which primarily orients itself visually. The mouth is also relatively large with bulging lips and a protruding lower jaw so that the mouth is inferior.
gender differences
The Yasha Goby belongs similarly to the Lance Symbiosis Goby (Stonogobiops nematodes) to the so-called simultaneous hermaphrodites: the male goby first releases sperm, then quickly transforms into a female, which releases eggs. Nevertheless, the goby lives in partnership with a conspecific. From the outside, males and females cannot be distinguished from each other.
Keeping the Yasha goby in the sea aquarium
The Yasha goby should always be kept in pairs and together with the shrimp or pistol shrimp Alpheus randalli – actually a type of shrimp – are kept. For its part, the cracker crab is not necessarily fixed on the Yasha goby as a partner; if necessary, it lives together with a wide variety of gobies. A species that is Randall’s partner goby Amblypleotris randalli was even named after him.
At first the Yasha gobies are quite shy and react with fright to any sudden movement in and in front of the aquarium.
The Yasha goby needs fine sandy soil, so-called silt, with a layer height of 8 to 10 cm. The crackling crab digs an elongated tube in the sand and deposits the excavation around the burrow opening. The Yasha gobies stand guard in front of the cave entrance: if the gobies are quiet, the crab knows that there is no danger. If a predator, a fish or a larger crab approaches, the gobies will hide in the cave together with the crab.
food
The Yasha goby is fed with marine zooplankton, e.g. B. Artemia, Cyclops and amphipods (Bosmids), floating shrimp (Mysis), lobster eggs and fine flake food.
The sea aquarium must be well covered, as the Yasha goby – newly placed in the aquarium – is a little skittish at first and then, under stress, could jump out of the tank.
The breeding of the Yasha goby
Mating and cross-fertilization as simultaneous hermaphrodites has already been described in the sex differences section. However, no further information is available on the successful breeding of the Yasha gobies.
socialization
Yasha gobies should be kept in pairs, if possible, together with a banger shrimp. It is not advisable to socialize with other fish, because these gobies are quite shy.