Masked shrimpgoby

The masked shrimpgoby is a small marine goby in the family Gobiidae, found in the western Pacific. It lives on sandy and rubble bottoms near reefs, sharing a burrow with a partner pistol shrimp. It has a pale body marked with fine bars or bands and darker head markings, sitting alertly at the burrow entrance. Its most fascinating trait is a symbiotic relationship: the near-blind shrimp maintains the burrow while the sharp-eyed goby watches for danger. It is peaceful and best kept in a sand-bottomed aquarium, ideally paired with a compatible alpheid shrimp to display its natural behavior. It needs a deep sand bed, live rock, and a secure lid, as gobies can jump. It feeds on small crustaceans and zooplankton and accepts mysis, brine, and prepared foods. Suited to intermediate keepers.