Check out this pistol...

[Dave Harms]

I've had him a few months now. He has grown a bit since I got him. So far he hasn't paired with my Randall's goby. I have no clue if he is even a symbiotic type pistol or not, but he sure is cool!

In this photo he is hiding between the glass and my wave box. Usually he is rooting around under the rockwork in the tank.

I also have a bull's eye pistol in the tank. They seem to stay on opposite ends of the tank. I haven't been able to get a photo of the bull's eye, but he looks just like the photos on LA.

 

[Lance M.]

Nice. This is in your 15gallon?

I didnt know you could keep two different pistols in the same tank, especially a tank that small.

 

[Dave Harms]

Yup, it's the only tank I have. I've seen as many as 4 pistols in a 20 gallon tank (long term) with no problems. I hope mine do as well.

 

[Lance M.]

Wow. I just posted a new thread about adding a new candy cane with the one I already have. It will be in a 20L. I'm guessing it will be ok. If they dont pair up, there would be enough room in the tank for them to live separately since candy canes are so small. I guess I'll have to try it, if I can ever find another candy cane...

 

[Tangalong]

They are out there....just out of stock...I've been waiting for 3 for weeks...if you know anyone in CA they are readily available out there. F&S has them out of stock....they are called red-banded Pistols there. When you get them they are tiny though...1/2 inch.

Dave...that's a beautiful Pistol. What did LA say about them??

 

[Tangalong]

Just checking LA and your Pistol looks a lot like the Japanese Pistol except for the color of red...I had one and it was always cruising around after lights out with a piece of krill or something looking for his "Gobie", a Yashi that was afraid of him and hid all the time.

 

[olaf]

I got a pistol shrimp several years back and now I wish I didn't.
He snaps too much and eats all my smaller snails, hermit crabs and mini serpent stars. The only ones he doesn't bother are the big turbos and astrea snails.
He has tunneled through the ceramic background. I see crushed coral sized pieces of the ceramic falling out of his tunnels and and small shells (I have all live sand no crushed coral).
The snapping is so loud that I can hear it from any room in the house. It snaps the most at night. I think it snapping so much trying to break the ceramic apart. I have tried to lure it out but it will only come out snap and retreat. I got it when it was 0.5" long and now it is almost 1.75". It is green and black. It does not have any symbiosis with gobies. I think it is Alpheus heterochaelis or Alpheus lobidens, but both look to light in color.
Do these other moer colorful pistol snap snap as much?

 

[Dave Harms]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15349497#post15349497 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tangalong ...Dave...that's a beautiful Pistol. What did LA say about them?? [/B]

Actually I was saying the bullseye I have looks like the one on LA, since I don't have a photo of him.

Yes, this one does sort've look like the Japanese they list on LA, but the colors are a little different. Probably a closely related species I guess.

 

[Dave Harms]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15349930#post15349930 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by olaf
[B
Do these other moer colorful pistol snap snap as much? [/B]

Mine snap a few times a day, nothing that bothers me.

 

[olaf]

I have heard other pistols before but this one is crazy loud and sometimes it will keep snapping for a few minutes, stop for a little bit then snap again for a few minutes. I always wonder if it is attacking a snail or something. I did once see it snapping at my Green Mithrax Crab. Trying to get it away from its area. It did finally mocve away after see my flash light.

 

[Dave Harms]

Hehe. My pistols pop a lot when they cross each others path, but other than that they are pretty quiet.

 

[Lance M.]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15349497#post15349497 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tangalong
They are out there....just out of stock...I've been waiting for 3 for weeks...if you know anyone in CA they are readily available out there. F&S has them out of stock....they are called red-banded Pistols there. When you get them they are tiny though...1/2 inch.

Are you talking about the candy canes?

When I got mine he was about the size of my fingernail on my pinky. Now he's like 1.5'' long. Pretty cool but I never see him unless I throw a pellet in front of his tunnel and he'll come out and grab it.

I have a Japanese pistol in my 20H with a yellow watchman. The pistol is about 4'' long and there is like no sand under the rockwork. It's all pushed up in the front but he's pretty cool. He comes out frequently to walk around or move shells around.

 

[olaf]

I am not talking about candy canes but there is mention.
I watched my Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish stalk my pistol today. Exceptionally quiet today and maybe that is why.

 

[shoprat001]

I've got a pistol that looks exactly the same. He lives in my rock and I rarely see him. He's never paired with any gobies. I've tried a good sized Yellow Watchman and am now gonna try a Diamond Goby

 

[Dave Harms]

Cool! So far mine ignores my goby. Of course the goby is like 10 times his size.