Whiterabbitrage
New member
A few people claim their Pistol Shrimps decorate the burrow entrance.
Has anyone found this to be true?
Has anyone found this to be true?
Pistol decorating?
- Thread starter Whiterabbitrage
- Start date
Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
Big time.
These pistol shrimp somehow map their own blue prints in their minds and create a better aquascape than us sometimes.
My first pistol shrimp picked up a shell and place it to the side of it's burrow.. then it used it as a garbage can for whatever it didn't want torwards it's burrow.
Whiterabbitrage
New member
No way. That's insane. A trash can? Someone posted pix of colored stones the shrimp supposedly found and arranged by its front door. That's crazy. I got some different shells, very tiny, for building materials, but going to add a few colored things as well and see what happens. I can't believe an invert would decorate. It's too far fetched. But I'm hoping its true cause that would be another proof of how complex these creatures are.
Mine arranged shells around the entrance, then fit things between the gaps. I don't think color matters, since they're nearly blind... It's the shapes they like, I think. I wouldn't exactly call it decorating, it looks like they're trying to make a strong structure. They'll line the interior of their burrow with things, too, like shoring.
Do you have a pistol shrimp? If not, I suggest you get one and a goby. They're incredible to watch.
I'm trying to catch mine in a bottle trap so I can rearrange without mushing him, but he pushed the bottle trap up and used it as a roof for a tunnel he's building out of his burrow.
Do you have a pistol shrimp? If not, I suggest you get one and a goby. They're incredible to watch.
I'm trying to catch mine in a bottle trap so I can rearrange without mushing him, but he pushed the bottle trap up and used it as a roof for a tunnel he's building out of his burrow.
Whiterabbitrage
New member
He used the trap as a roof? That's funny. Yes I have a pistol/ goby pair. They are fun to watch. He does use lots of things to shore up his tunnels, so I put tiny shells and put in tiny bits of coral rubble just for his use. He is constantly rearranging his tunnels. That's a good point about them having bad vision. But I'm still going to put various things in the tank and see what happens. You never know. I'll focus on shape since what you said makes a lot of sense.
@robotman, that's pretty cool... Do you suppose there's sand up in there that they're building in? Maybe try offering him a handful of tiny shells and see what he does.
I see you have another shrimp/goby pair... How does it work out with both of them in there? Do they fight? And... What kind of pistol is that? He's pretty, and that's an impressive claw.
Hey, you've got a righthanded pistol and a lefthanded pistol. I wonder if the side the claw is on varies according to species or individual.... Time to use Google!
Yep, he just shoved it up until he got it balanced and then started building around it. Goofus.
I've given mine a bunch of mussel shells, some of which are two-three inches long and an inch wide. He's really strong, it seems... He's actually built sort of a tunnel extension out of the shells and covered it over. It goes out to a couple of inches away from the rock he's usually under, which is impressive.
Does yours hate caulerpa? I added some feather caulerpa to my tank at one point, and it had a lot of sections that were only a few leaves. Whenever one drifted over near him, he would grab it and haul it down into his burrow. He would then shoot the **** out of it, apparently pinch it a lot, and then blow the tiny remaining bits out of his back entrance by paddling his swimmerets. I'm not sure what he thought he was doing. Maybe it was because the floating leaves frightened his tiny goby?
My little damsel swiftly learned to leave the goby alone once the pistol grew... He went after the goby once. Then he got shot in the face. Now he's terrified of the shrimp! He'll flare at the goby sometimes, especially when it puffs its face at him, but he darts away the second he even sees the shrimp's antennae.
I see you have another shrimp/goby pair... How does it work out with both of them in there? Do they fight? And... What kind of pistol is that? He's pretty, and that's an impressive claw.
Hey, you've got a righthanded pistol and a lefthanded pistol. I wonder if the side the claw is on varies according to species or individual.... Time to use Google!
Yep, he just shoved it up until he got it balanced and then started building around it. Goofus.
I've given mine a bunch of mussel shells, some of which are two-three inches long and an inch wide. He's really strong, it seems... He's actually built sort of a tunnel extension out of the shells and covered it over. It goes out to a couple of inches away from the rock he's usually under, which is impressive.
Does yours hate caulerpa? I added some feather caulerpa to my tank at one point, and it had a lot of sections that were only a few leaves. Whenever one drifted over near him, he would grab it and haul it down into his burrow. He would then shoot the **** out of it, apparently pinch it a lot, and then blow the tiny remaining bits out of his back entrance by paddling his swimmerets. I'm not sure what he thought he was doing. Maybe it was because the floating leaves frightened his tiny goby?
My little damsel swiftly learned to leave the goby alone once the pistol grew... He went after the goby once. Then he got shot in the face. Now he's terrified of the shrimp! He'll flare at the goby sometimes, especially when it puffs its face at him, but he darts away the second he even sees the shrimp's antennae.
Whiterabbitrage
New member
i could do so, they just kind of cuddle in this crevice together where i can see his fin and the shrimp just sitting when its not feeding time, the goby will come out onnce in awhile, they are pretty decent to each other, the pink spotted watchman would swim over occasionaly and sit at the hi fins door with the hi fin whenever i was living in my old place, what kind of goby and shrimp do you havre?
tigers freak me out but they are pretty. yeah idk what kind of pistol that yellow one is but its cool looking about an 1" long now, he was half that size when I got him a year ago, very cool
