Can I have an Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby in a 6 g. Nanocube?

[Abarnswell]

I just saw a picture of an Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby and it's so darling! :loveface Is a 6 g. Nanocube too small for this little guy, if he's the only fish in it? And is there any chance in the world of me being able to find an alpheid shrimp to have a symbiotic relationship with him?

Here's what I found:

"The Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby, also known as the Spotted Prawn Goby or Orange Spotted Goby, was first discovered in the Western Pacific in 1938 by Flower. Its body is white with orange spots outlined in brown. It has the ability to form symbiotic partnerships with nearly blind alpheid shrimp. It provides a watchful eye while the shrimp digs a burrow for them to share.

It is best suited for aquariums that are 30 gallons or larger which have adequate hiding places along with ample swimming space. The aquarium should have a tight-fitting lid to prevent it from jumping out. The Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby adapts well to reef aquariums, although it does pose a possible threat to small, delicate ornamental shrimp. It prefers a bed of fine sand and loose coral rubble to sift through.

It is possible for the Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby to spawn successfully while in the aquarium.

Its diet should consist of a variety of fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, and table shrimp. It should be fed at least twice per day."

 

[Anonymous]

tough call but I would err on the side of caution and tend to say no???, a six gallon is a very small tank, but shrimp gobies are not very active. If you choose to try I would definitly give the tank time to age so that it can handle the bioload, and then maybe with weekly water changes?????? A 6 gal makes a nice zoa display tank, but you would definitly be better off with a 10 - 20 gal tank if you want fish too. You can find some of the partner shrimp at drfostersmith web site. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... CatId=1148

 

[Abarnswell]

Thanks! I don't have a problem going fish-free in this little 6g. Nano. I'd rather play it safe than have a fish who feels too crowded. After I have the 6g. under control, I will probably do a larger marine tank to have a few fish.

When you say a zoa display tank, what exactly does that mean? What's "zoa?" Do you mean corals only? And invertibrates (crabs, snails)?

 

[drty811]

zoa is a type of coral.... like in mikes tank from the TOTS contest, pics are on the home page. zoo's are the coral that you see in the pic that has the majority....they all look the same but different colors..hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

zoanthids are small colonial polyps that do very well in most tanks. They come in every color of the rainbow, spread resonably fast and make awesome nano tank colors as they tend not to sting much. You will need about 4 watts per gal or so, and some nice rock to aquascape with. Avoid pepermint and camel shrimp cuz they may harm them but most of the cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, snails make good additions.