Metallic shrimpgoby

The metallic shrimpgoby is a small marine goby (family Gobiidae) from the western Pacific, notably around Indonesia and the Philippines. Its pale body is crossed by several bold dark bars, and the fins carry iridescent blue and yellow spotting that gives the fish a metallic sheen. Like other Amblyeleotris species, it lives in a remarkable symbiotic partnership with alpheid pistol shrimp: the shrimp digs and maintains a burrow while the sharp-eyed goby stands guard, warning of danger. It is a peaceful, somewhat shy fish best kept singly or as a bonded pair. It suits a peaceful reef or sand-bottom aquarium with a deep bed of fine substrate and rubble for burrowing, ideally paired with a pistol shrimp to display its natural behaviour. It feeds on small crustaceans and readily accepts frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and prepared marine foods.