Yellownose Prawn-goby Care Guide
Stonogobiops xanthorhinica is a small western Pacific marine goby with a yellow snout that shares a burrow with pistol shrimp in a mutualistic partnership.
Overview
Stonogobiops xanthorhinica, the yellownose prawn-goby, is a small marine goby of the western Pacific. It has a pale body crossed by dark diagonal bars, a yellow snout and a tall first dorsal fin. Like its relatives, it lives in association with burrowing alpheid shrimp.
Taxonomy
- Family: Gobiidae
- Genus: Stonogobiops
- Scientific name: Stonogobiops xanthorhinica
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the western Pacific, including Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the northern Great Barrier Reef and southern Japan. It is reef-associated, occurring over sandy substrates on deep coastal slopes and sand flats at depths of about 3-45 metres, usually between 20 and 45 metres, in waters of roughly 21-27 °C.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity / hardness: reef-typical (carbonate hardness 8-12)
- Substrate: sand for burrowing
- Lifespan: 4-8 years
Diet
The species is a carnivore that feeds on small planktonic and benthic invertebrates near its burrow. In aquaria it accepts small meaty marine foods offered two or more times daily.
Compatibility
Stonogobiops xanthorhinica is peaceful and reef-safe. It hovers just above its burrow, typically in pairs, alongside an alpheid pistol shrimp in a mutualistic partnership where the goby watches for danger and the shrimp maintains the shared burrow. It is best kept with peaceful reef tankmates and away from aggressive predators.
Breeding
The species is an egg-layer; captive breeding is regarded as difficult and is rarely achieved, so most aquarium specimens are wild-collected.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2020), per FishBase.