MamaZooKeeper
New member
How big does a pistol shrimp get?? He is eating all my clean up crew. Is he gonns get much bigger???
How big does a pistol shrimp get??
- Thread starter MamaZooKeeper
- Start date
That's a tiger pistol. He'll probably reach a bit over 2" long, 3" absolute maximum.
Are you sure it's him eating your crew? Mine hates sand snails, but he doesn't damage them... He just shoots them until they hide in their shell, then he shoves them away. Only critters he eats are bristleworms.
Is he just taking them down into his burrow? That's him trying to use them as shoring in his tunnels... They'll probably get out. My hermits do.
You could possibly have a mantis or something else...
Are you sure it's him eating your crew? Mine hates sand snails, but he doesn't damage them... He just shoots them until they hide in their shell, then he shoves them away. Only critters he eats are bristleworms.
Is he just taking them down into his burrow? That's him trying to use them as shoring in his tunnels... They'll probably get out. My hermits do.
You could possibly have a mantis or something else...
MamaZooKeeper
New member
Im gonna try to get another cleaning crew then and try again. I love him but cant loose all my crew!!
MamaZooKeeper
New member
Manttis ??
MamaZooKeeper
New member
Never heard of them but the empty shells are all in the tiger shrimp caves. Ive been battling phosphate so maybe that killed em??
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
I can tell by the picture you easily are aware of their insane burrowing habits. Anything not anchored down would be used for a wall or ceiling. Including hermit crabs and snails.
I have a 3" tiger pistol in my 125 and he does pretty much the same as bettas, just shoves them away. He once stuck a hermit crab in his burrow and wedged it in the corner where it couldn't get out (which led to my hand going in there, getting snapped at, and feeling nothing)
Their "snap" is ment to just scare away potential threats and call for mates.. and they're blind! So basicly the goby has a shotgun.. which doesn't hurt at all and just makes a loud bang. I had my yellow tang actually go up right in my pistol shrimp's face not even half an inch apart and he snapped at it that close range.. no reaction from the fish except a quick startle.
Only a few species of mantis shrimp break glass, not even a single hitchhiking species can chip glass. Notably just O. scyllarus and G. chiragra which you'd never see hitchhiking and would buy at the LFS.
They're about just as loud as pistol shrimp too
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i-ahuZEvWH8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I have a 3" tiger pistol in my 125 and he does pretty much the same as bettas, just shoves them away. He once stuck a hermit crab in his burrow and wedged it in the corner where it couldn't get out (which led to my hand going in there, getting snapped at, and feeling nothing)
Their "snap" is ment to just scare away potential threats and call for mates.. and they're blind! So basicly the goby has a shotgun.. which doesn't hurt at all and just makes a loud bang. I had my yellow tang actually go up right in my pistol shrimp's face not even half an inch apart and he snapped at it that close range.. no reaction from the fish except a quick startle.
Only a few species of mantis shrimp break glass, not even a single hitchhiking species can chip glass. Notably just O. scyllarus and G. chiragra which you'd never see hitchhiking and would buy at the LFS.
They're about just as loud as pistol shrimp too
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i-ahuZEvWH8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
And why's that exactly? :hmm4:
The only thing bad about them is they'll bury your corals (RIP my many many lose ricordea frags..)
He does hate my plate coral.. we go to war with that sometimes.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QSuuPVJ-jgQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I wish I kept recording as seconds later he was snapping at the coral.. repeatedly.
Last edited:
Mine shot my 1" damsel in the face, and it was just fine. Pistols aren't dangerous to fish unless the fish are very small.
If you get snapped by a decent-sized one, it feels like being snapped with a rubber band. Stings a bit, but not bad at all.
I suppose there's a tiny chance that a pistol could pull snails/hermits out of shells, but their usual approach to food is to shoot it repeatedly, snip it a few times with their claws, and then eat it. I'd say that the pistol is just taking advantage of shells laying around.
If you get snapped by a decent-sized one, it feels like being snapped with a rubber band. Stings a bit, but not bad at all.
I suppose there's a tiny chance that a pistol could pull snails/hermits out of shells, but their usual approach to food is to shoot it repeatedly, snip it a few times with their claws, and then eat it. I'd say that the pistol is just taking advantage of shells laying around.
MamaZooKeeper
New member
Thats good to hear. I just hear those clicks all night n think stop eating my snails!!!!
MamaZooKeeper
New member
Hmmmm...never crossed my mind it might be him!!! U look for coral safe. ...not snail safe!
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
Oh right! Good catch, CBS can be predators of snails. Thats the mostly likely culprit.
Shrimp lack the big claws and such like crabs and lobsters do making them fairly harmless.. but in general yes they are oppertunistic.
Shrimp lack the big claws and such like crabs and lobsters do making them fairly harmless.. but in general yes they are oppertunistic.
MamaZooKeeper
New member
So many things to learn!! Ty.
