Steinitz' Shrimp Goby Care Guide
Amblyeleotris steinitzi is a wide-ranging Indo-Pacific prawn goby with brown-barred pale body that shares a burrow with alpheid shrimp.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Amblyeleotris steinitzi, Steinitz' Shrimp Goby, is a marine prawn goby with a broad Indo-Pacific range. FishBase describes a yellow-white body bearing five brown bars on head and body, usually with narrow orange bars on the lower side. It shares a burrow with a pale brown or marbled alpheid shrimp.
Taxonomy
- Family: Gobiidae
- Genus: Amblyeleotris
- Scientific name: Amblyeleotris steinitzi
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the Red Sea to Samoa, north to the Amami and Ryukyu Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef and throughout Micronesia. It inhabits sandy areas of outer lagoon and seaward reefs at depths of 2 to 43 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness: 8-12 dKH
- Substrate: sand bed for burrowing
- Lifespan: 4-8 years
Diet
A carnivore. In the aquarium it accepts meaty marine foods such as mysis and enriched brine shrimp, fed twice daily.
Compatibility
A peaceful bottom-dweller that stays near its burrow. It pairs with pistol shrimp and suits calm tankmates such as clownfish, cardinalfish and tangs; aggressive predators and lionfish should be avoided.
Reef compatibility
Reef-safe. It does not harm corals and stirs the sand bed; provide a sand area with rubble so it can excavate a shared burrow.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 25 June 2018).
Amblyeleotris steinitzi Breeding Guide
Overview
Amblyeleotris steinitzi (Klausewitz, 1974) is a reef-associated goby of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the Red Sea to Samoa, north to the Amami and Ryukyu Islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef and throughout Micronesia (FishBase). It reaches about 13.0 cm standard length and inhabits sandy areas of outer lagoon and seaward reefs at depths of about 2 to 43 m, sharing a burrow with a pale brown or marbled brown-and-white alpheid shrimp.
Sexing
FishBase lists no maturity or external sexing data for this species. As an Amblyeleotris shrimp goby it forms monogamous pairs, so sex is inferred from a settled pairing rather than fixed markings: two compatible fish holding one burrow without sustained aggression are treated as a pair.
Conditioning
Conditioning relies on stable reef parameters and frequent feeding. As a carnivore, the goby takes small meaty foods such as enriched mysis, brine shrimp and finely chopped marine items roughly twice daily. A securely paired alpheid shrimp lowers stress and keeps the fish feeding near the burrow rather than hiding.
Breeding Setup
A breeding-oriented system reproduces the lagoon and seaward-reef sand biotope with a deep sand bed and rubble for tunnel support. Pairing with a compatible alpheid shrimp is central: the shrimp excavates and maintains the burrow while the goby acts as a lookout, the shrimp keeping near-constant antenna contact with the fish (Amblyeleotris, Wikipedia).
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Amblyeleotris gobies form monogamous pairs and lay demersal eggs inside the burrow, which the male guards until hatching (genus account). Species-specific clutch size and exact triggers for A. steinitzi are not given in the cited references and are omitted; a stable, well-fed pair with a settled shrimp partner is the practical prerequisite.
Egg & Fry Care
The male tends the demersal eggs in the burrow until they hatch, after which the larvae are planktonic (genus account). Raising these planktonic larvae requires a separate rearing tank with appropriate very small first foods and stable conditions; a detailed protocol for A. steinitzi is not published in the cited sources.
Common Challenges
Successful home breeding of Amblyeleotris is rare because the delicate eggs and small planktonic larvae demand specialised care. The larval phase is the bottleneck rather than pairing or settling, and a tight lid is advisable since shrimp gobies readily jump from open tanks.