Evil Pistol Shrimp?

[Lil B-rent]

I've started a new tank and its been up and running for 2 months ( not including cycle ) and just today, my YWG which I've had since my cycle was over, just turned up dead today. I have no idea why, water is close to perfect, and she has been eating very well every day. I did recently get a pistol shrimp 2 weeks ago and they paired up after 3 days. The YWG was found dead where the pistol shrimp always puts its extra food/stolen hermit crab shells. Has anyone ever had a pistol shrimp kill their goby guard?

 

[Sigmund]

I have had 2 different goby shrimp pairing with no aggression between them at all.

I would doubt the shrimp is to blame. Fish die for so many reasons and stresses it's often difficult to determine why it happened. This is especially true for fish that have only been in the tank for a short time.

If I was on the jury I would definetly let the shrimp off on all charges...

 

[Chibils]

Should Sigmund be right, the pistol shrimp probably dragged it back to the lair for food.

 

[Lil B-rent]

Hmm its just that the YWG's body looks different, instead of being torn up, it looks as if someone just cut halfway through his body, and I've never seen what a fish's body looks like after a confirmed pistol shrimp snap on it. I really liked them when they were paired though, would either of you put another goby in there to try and pair em up again? Or get another shrimp?
Oh, btw the only other fish in there is a 1 inch domino damsel, but I have no suspicions of him, before I got the shrimp, they were sharing the same whole that they slept in and the damsel actually looked like it would only come out if the goby was out too, otherwise it would hide, but maybe thats just a me.

 

[reefer1024]

a pistol shrimp will not attack the fish it is paired to, It depends on that fish for survival.

 

[Chibils]

That sounds like a pistol shrimp attack, but pistols are nearly blind and rely on their gobies for protection.

 

[dickhordishay]

Yeah, my ywg just died for seemingly no reason too. But it wasn't cut in half. It was cool watching him guard the pistol. I'm afraid to get another one though because he just stood guard all day and it was hard to get food to him.

 

[techreef]

i'm a little disappointed w/ my YWG too. he sits with just his head outside of his hole. has only been out swimming around the tank 1 night in the 2 months that I've had him.

As stated on previous pistol shrimp threads, the carribean pistols seem to be the most aggressive kind, and are the least predictable as far as "did it kill X in my tank?" My LR came with 4-6 carribean pistol hitchhikers, and i really wish that I had not put them in my tank. my snail and blue-leg hermit populations have taken a beating.

 

[sunfish11]

In the new issue of Coral Magazine there is a great series of articles on Watchman Gobies and their shrimp. According to the articles yes, pistols do sometimes kill thier gobies, and shrimp gobies aren't that blind. The pistols also protect the goby from mantis shrimp. Great set of articles. It also give the species of goby that goes with the species of shrimp.

Lisa

 

[Lil B-rent]

I have heard that the caribean pistol shrimp don't pair, but this one definitly isn't a caribean. Its almost like a candy cane pistol shrimp, but instead of red stripes and red antennae, they are blue.

Just ordered another goby, this time a high fin red banded, but still thinking of whether to sell my shrimp to the LFS or keep him and see what happens.

Definitely though, if another fish turns up dead and cut in half, Mr. Shrimp is biting the curb ( or going to the LFS )