Watchman Goby Pairng Question

SuperNemo · 12/07/2010, 10:37 AM

hi, i have a dark yellow watchman goby. i would like to get a pair. i have search and read through most of the threads and came to several conclusions, but am not sure about how accurate they are.

it seems that there is a rumor that watchman's are asexual when they are young? is this true, can't find any support for it though? if so, how small is young?

it also seems that the darker yellow (the one i have) are females and the brighter yellow are the males. how true is this point?

any help would be appreciated.

i have a 6 feet 125G tank. would this be big enough if i happen to choose wrong and get the same sex watchman. some advice is to put the watchman in a bottle and see if they fight. if not, then they can be a pair, but if they start attacking each other, then they are not.

thanks. jim

Sk8r · 12/07/2010, 11:17 AM

My advice is don't. They hate others of their kind and will fight to the death. Breeding this sort is not for new hobbyists.

SuperNemo · 12/07/2010, 12:13 PM

sk8r, i read your post on the death match with your watchmans. sorry to hear about it.

i'm not trying to breed them. i would just like a pair swiming together.

Angel*Fish · 12/07/2010, 06:40 PM

I don't know anything about sexing watchman gobies, but one of the keys to successful pairing is doing it in a situation where you are able to catch the fish if they don't get along. Like pairing them in a separate tank before adding them to the main tank.

When I paired my Red Sea mimic blennies I just ordered two and put them in a 30g quarantine tank together. I waited several weeks to be fairly certain they were going to get along and then added them to the main tank. Had they not gotten along, I had another place ready for one of them if so needed and I would have sold or given away the other.

It's always possible things could change down the road and you have to be willing to do what's necessary to save the fish. Catching a fish that's being picked on can sometimes be easier than catching a "happy" one, but you can't rely on that.

SuperNemo · 12/07/2010, 07:54 PM

angel, i have thought about how to release the new watchman into the DT. someone had a good idea of putting it inside a bottle/fish trap to see if there are signs of aggression. thats the method i will probably use.

well, from reading the reefkeeping article on breeding watchman's, it seems like a yellow and a white goby will have a higher chance of pairing up. the yellow is stated to be most likely the male and the white is most likely a female.

if there is aggession when i put the watchman in, he will mostly likely go into the sump. or maybe gives me a reason to setup a 29G (nano).

12/07/2010, 10:37 AM	#1
SuperNemo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 524	Watchman Goby Pairng Question hi, i have a dark yellow watchman goby. i would like to get a pair. i have search and read through most of the threads and came to several conclusions, but am not sure about how accurate they are. it seems that there is a rumor that watchman's are asexual when they are young? is this true, can't find any support for it though? if so, how small is young? it also seems that the darker yellow (the one i have) are females and the brighter yellow are the males. how true is this point? any help would be appreciated. i have a 6 feet 125G tank. would this be big enough if i happen to choose wrong and get the same sex watchman. some advice is to put the watchman in a bottle and see if they fight. if not, then they can be a pair, but if they start attacking each other, then they are not. thanks. jim

12/07/2010, 11:17 AM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	My advice is don't. They hate others of their kind and will fight to the death. Breeding this sort is not for new hobbyists. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/07/2010, 06:40 PM	#4
Angel*Fish cats and large squashes Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 5,951 Blog Entries: 1	I don't know anything about sexing watchman gobies, but one of the keys to successful pairing is doing it in a situation where you are able to catch the fish if they don't get along. Like pairing them in a separate tank before adding them to the main tank. When I paired my Red Sea mimic blennies I just ordered two and put them in a 30g quarantine tank together. I waited several weeks to be fairly certain they were going to get along and then added them to the main tank. Had they not gotten along, I had another place ready for one of them if so needed and I would have sold or given away the other. It's always possible things could change down the road and you have to be willing to do what's necessary to save the fish. Catching a fish that's being picked on can sometimes be easier than catching a "happy" one, but you can't rely on that. __________________ Marie So long, & thanks for all the fish! __________________________ Current Tank Info: Pairs: flame angels, cherub angels, Red Sea mimic blennies, yellow fin fairy wrasses, clowns, mandarins, blackcap basslets, shrimp gobies, damsels, dispar anthias, yellow clown gobies, threadfin cardinals --- Tanks: 100g reef, 2 x 30g refugiums

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12/07/2010, 12:13 PM	#3
SuperNemo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 524	sk8r, i read your post on the death match with your watchmans. sorry to hear about it. i'm not trying to breed them. i would just like a pair swiming together.

12/07/2010, 07:54 PM	#5
SuperNemo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 524	angel, i have thought about how to release the new watchman into the DT. someone had a good idea of putting it inside a bottle/fish trap to see if there are signs of aggression. thats the method i will probably use. well, from reading the reefkeeping article on breeding watchman's, it seems like a yellow and a white goby will have a higher chance of pairing up. the yellow is stated to be most likely the male and the white is most likely a female. if there is aggession when i put the watchman in, he will mostly likely go into the sump. or maybe gives me a reason to setup a 29G (nano).