Red Banded Goby - Amblyeleotris wheeleri

Red Banded Goby (Amblyeleotris wheeleri)

The Red Banded Goby, Amblyeleotris wheeleri, is a colourful and characterful marine shrimp goby with a pale body, bold red to orange bands and attractive blue or white spotting through the fins. Also known as Wheeler’s Shrimp Goby, Wheeler’s Watchman Goby or the Gorgeous Prawn Goby, this Indo-Pacific species is a peaceful bottom-dweller that forms a fascinating symbiotic partnership with pistol shrimps. It is reef safe, relatively hardy and well suited to mature peaceful marine aquariums with a soft sand bed, stable rockwork and gentle tank mates.

Common Name:
Red Banded Goby, Red-banded Goby, Wheeler’s Shrimp Goby, Wheeler’s Watchman Goby, Gorgeous Prawn Goby, Red Banded Prawn Goby.

Scientific Name (Latin):
Amblyeleotris wheeleri

Maximum Size:
Up to around 10 cm.

Water Type:
Marine

Origin / Natural Habitat:
Indo-Pacific, especially coral reef regions of the Western Pacific and surrounding tropical reef areas. Naturally found in rubble zones, coastal sand slopes, deep lagoons and sandy areas near or within coral reefs, from shallow water down to around 40 m. It is commonly associated with alpheid pistol shrimps, especially Alpheus ochrostriatus, sharing a burrow while the goby acts as a lookout.

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 24–27°C
pH Range: 8.1–8.4
Hardness or Salinity: SG 1.020–1.025

Temperament:
Peaceful, but territorial around its burrow. It is usually safe with calm reef fish, but may quarrel with similar shrimp gobies, small bottom-dwelling gobies or fish that try to occupy the same burrow area. Avoid aggressive tank mates that may intimidate it or prevent it from feeding.

Diet:
Carnivorous micro-predator. In the aquarium, offer frozen mysis, enriched brineshrimp, finely chopped prawn, clam, mussel, krill, copepods, cyclops and quality sinking marine carnivore pellets. Make sure food reaches the substrate, especially in tanks with fast mid-water feeders.

Minimum Tank Size:
A minimum of 100 litres is recommended for a single specimen, with 120 litres or more preferred if keeping it with a pistol shrimp or in a mixed reef community. Larger aquariums allow more stable territories and reduce conflict with other bottom-dwelling fish.

Behaviour & Activity:
A burrow-associated watchman goby that spends much of its time perched at the entrance to a cave or sand burrow, watching the surroundings and darting into cover when startled. When paired with a suitable pistol shrimp, the shrimp maintains the burrow while the goby keeps guard. Provide a soft sand bed, small rubble pieces and stable rockwork placed securely before sand is added, as digging can undermine loose structures.

Reef Safe:
Reef Safe
Safe with corals and most ornamental invertebrates. It does not nip corals or prey on typical reef clean-up crew animals. The main reef consideration is digging behaviour, which may move sand around the base of rockwork or onto low-placed corals if the aquarium is not planned carefully.

Special Requirements or Care Notes:
Provide a soft sand substrate and secure rockwork, as this species naturally uses burrows and rubble areas. A compatible pistol shrimp, such as a suitable Alpheus species, can encourage natural behaviour, but is not essential. Avoid housing multiple similar shrimp gobies in small aquariums unless they are a known pair. A secure lid is recommended, as gobies may jump when startled. Feed near the burrow if the fish is shy or if tank mates are strong food competitors.

Suitable for:
Beginner to intermediate fishkeepers

Availability:
Common in trade

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Please note that Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, and variation in patterns and colours will occur — that is part of the unique beauty of these animals.