Pistol Shrimp - Are they as deadly as my LFS warns?

[Saramela]

A brief introduction -

I've been keeping freshwater aquariums since I was 9, when I brought home my first goldfish from the local carnival (I'm 30). 6 months ago, we converted our 50 gal. freshwater tank to a saltwater tank. I did lots of research in advance, as far as equipment, maintenance and fish compatibility.

As in my freshwater experience, I try to choose community fish, since I would prefer to keep a variety of species, rather than one particularly aggressive fish. I also try to select my fish based on their natural habitats within the tank, i.e. open water swimmers, detritus scavengers, cave-dwellers, etc.

Along those lines, we recently added a Yellow Watchman Goby, partly because of his color and also because of his love for crevices in the live rock. I've read at great length about the relationship between gobies and pistol shrimp, so I set out to find a pistol shrimp for my goby. This brings me to my two questions:

1. If I get a pistol shrimp, will he get along with my cleaner shrimp (who happens to hang out on the opposite side of the tank than the goby, if that means anything)?

2. My LFS warned that pistol shrimp can destroy tanks and kill other fish. In my research of pistol shrimps, I knew they *could* do this, but I've also read about the many happy pairings of gobies and pistol shrimp that I didn't think it would be an issue in a passive community tank. Are there any pistol shrimp owners out there who could weigh in on this?

Thanks a ton in advance!!!

 

[mndfreeze]

It is pistol species specific. Most pisols in the trade that pair with gobies are harmless other then if a snail falls into their hole, it might shoot it out and kill it in the process.

Most complaints are centered around the pistol burrowing and collapsing the rock work due to the tank owner not placing the rock below the sand.

Other complaints are sand storms from burrowing. I've never had much of an issue with either of these problems.

Last complaint is people will sometimes get pistols that are NOT pairing species, and some do hunt other fish or shrimp.

Get a candy cane pistol or Tiger pistol.

 

[gearhead364ss]

Ive had a candy cane pistol shrimp in my pico for the last four months he was paired with a goby who decided to go carpet surfing.. and has been alone since and has not caused any problems in my tank.

 

[Fish Biscuit]

I have a tiger pistol & he hasn't bothered anything but might have taken out a hermit that would wander to the burrow on a regular basis. The peppermint is smart enough to stay away or back off when he comes out.

The tailspot will swim close to the burrow to check out when new construction is going on & both the shrimp & goby will run for cover if they think the tailspot is too close, usually 2 or 3 inches overhead is enough to make them bolt.

Nail down all your corals or they will be used for building materials & add about a pound of rubble for the shrimp to use. I love my pair, they are quite entertaining to watch.

 

[tao chuan fa]

Love watching my candy cane pistol do work!Master builder.YWG paired for 2 years now.No issues with any tankmates.Other neighbors include emerald crab,cleaner shrimp,fire shrimp,arrow crab,various hermits,clowns,wrasse.The only issue I had was with my spotted hawk pair.The first ccpistol I put in was promptly swallowed whole by my male hawk.Incredible to see,but what a helpless feeling...lame.Good luck brother.

 

[StephLionfish]

It is pistol species specific. Most pisols in the trade that pair with gobies are harmless other then if a snail falls into their hole, it might shoot it out and kill it in the process.

Most complaints are centered around the pistol burrowing and collapsing the rock work due to the tank owner not placing the rock below the sand.

Other complaints are sand storms from burrowing. I've never had much of an issue with either of these problems.

Last complaint is people will sometimes get pistols that are NOT pairing species, and some do hunt other fish or shrimp.

Get a candy cane pistol or Tiger pistol.

+1
Keep your pistol well fed and it shouldn't go after shrimp (unless they are persistent about staying in his hole.)

BTW, tao chuan fa, that's an excellent picture :thumbsup:

 

[J2T]

I have two pairs in my 75g, a randall's goby/tiger pistol and a YWG/candy cane pistol and have had no issues from either pair aside from grabbing lose frags to use in construction. I have a pair of cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp and various hermits. About the only thing my tiger pistol bothers are my dwarf cerith snails that he grabs one every so often for a snack. No issues with any fish either.

Coolest relationship in a tank IMO.

 

[Saramela]

Thanks for all of the great comments! I'll make sure to get a candy cane or tiger pistol shrimp. Luckily, I'm not worried about the live rock - built it on PVC below the sand from the start.

 

[SushiGirl]

I've had a candy cane for over a year that never paired with the orange-spotted goby. Shy & peaceful, fed with tongs (I guess I'm the goby LOL). Came out the other night for about 30 minutes...most I've seen it since I got it LOL.

 

[ssgtgonzo]

Keep in mind that the candy stripe pistol is one of the smallest kinds. The tiger is much bigger (on average). If you have a large tank, you run the risk of never seeing the shrimp if you get a candy stripe.

By the way, I have both in my 125, both with a goby...I see the gobies, I see the tiger from time to time, but I only see the candy when I look up through the bottom of my aquarium.

Having a commensal relationship in your tank is awesome!

 

[sdietz2469]

I have had several different pistols, and I have not had a problem with them eating fish or shrimp, I am starting my 300 and so far I have a mikes pistol shrimp and a few candied pistols. I have had red claws tigers and some oddballs, mostly they rely on their goby to eat, but some will take offerings of shrimp and such.

Yashi and candied

Mikes pistol

As you can see the mikes is probably 2.5" and when he snaps you can literally feel it in the tank. Could he hurt a fish, yes, but they pop for defense. The reason they pair with the gobies is cuz they are relatively blind and the gobies are lazy , so the shrimp digs and the goby lets him no when there is danger or food.

Shane

 

[n8ball2013]

Funny I come across this. Tiger pistol has pretty much wiped out my entire livestock. Tank has been established for years wtihout adding any rocks or coral. Once the pistol paired with the goby things started coming up missing. Unexpected deaths etc. I firmly believe the pistol shrimp is the culprit. Hes rather large at around 3 inches.

 

[SushiGirl]

I've read several instances like that with tiger pistols since they get to be pretty good-sized.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Hmmm, my tiger pistol is a bit over three inches, several years old, and a model citizen. I do target feed it a few times a week though.

 

[Triple One]

the arthropod who ate me

the arthropod who ate me

1. If I get a pistol shrimp, will he get along with my cleaner shrimp (who happens to hang out on the opposite side of the tank than the goby, if that means anything)?

2. My LFS warned that pistol shrimp can destroy tanks and kill other fish. In my research of pistol shrimps, I knew they *could* do this, but I've also read about the many happy pairings of gobies and pistol shrimp that I didn't think it would be an issue in a passive community tank. Are there any pistol shrimp owners out there who could weigh in on this?

Thanks a ton in advance!!!

Welcome to RC! We're all mad here :beachbum:

1) I have never kept a cleaner shrimp, but my tiger pistol shrimp has killed every peppermint shrimp I've attempted to add since adding the tiger. I have been reading through many many different pistol/goby threads lately and the reports on shrimp-gladiation vary pretty widely, so assuming I really do have Alpheus bellulus it seems to me that pistol shrimp, like pretty much EVERYthing else in this hobby, varies from specimen to specimen, and possibly region-of-origin to region-of-origin. They ALL like Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass though... :frog:

2) Re: "Destroying" the tank, I think that's an overstatement. Mantis shrimps can crack a glass tank but pistols just make a noise and move sand around (and possibly devour other unwitting tankmates). As long as your rockwork is stable (read: set on the bottom glass or eggcrate or something, not just atop the sandbed) and you don't mind the shrimp endlessly constructing tunnels out of whatever it can find (the coolest part, in my humble onion pin... my tiger actually makes post-and-lintel structures! but i mean it when i say "endlessly," because the adjustments never stop, and i eventually had to move my phoenix fungia up onto the rocks so it didn't keep getting partially buried), then you will not feel you have ruined your tank by adding a pistol shrimp. That said, they are carnivores, and can stun and eat most things small enough to dare exploring their burrow, but having a goby will deter most explorers.

I have had the shrimp for about 9 months now. I also have a blue-spot watchman goby, I think. I got them at the same time and introduced them together. It took about a week for the shrimp to finally decide where it really wanted to dig, and then another week to make a burrow big enough that the goby wanted to go in, but after that they were always together. I hear the shrimp almost every night but once didn't see the goby for five months straight, then about two months ago I saw it peeking out from under the main burrow rock, and I haven't seen it since. I don't know if it is actually still alive this time because I have seen the shrimp's antennae poke in and out of the burrow entrances a few times, but never the goby, and that's a little bit of a red card to me (which is why I have been reading up on shrimp gobies so much lately: I'm considering adding another to see if it fares better, but I have no idea how to be certain that the original is truly gone... hhhhhhhhh...). Either way, the shrimp hasn't killed anything major uzieppermint shrimp aren't 18 yet), at least that I know of, and I have plenty of curious fish that could easily wander into the seemingly-unguarded burrow, including an ocellated dragonet (many accounts of dragonets being popped by pistol shrimp), a Hoeven's wrasse, two royal grammas, and five yellow-stripe cardinals. The first two on that list bury themselves every night to sleep, and they've managed to not trigger any mayhem thus far, even if they've accidentally busted through the side from underneath the sand at some point... None of my other fish are particularly "at risk." ...at least I don't think so. Whether or not the shrimp killed the goby is a mystery, but almost everyone who seems to have serious experience posts that that is exceedingly rare (again, assuming BZA was correct in their taxonomy of my particular arthropod pal).

Anyway, hope that is at least somewhat helpful. The other members of the thread will either agree or disagree, and I may or may not be available for comment, but I wish you luck. :beer:

 

[icecool217]

I have owned 2 pistol shrimps at different times.

The candy cane pistol shrimp paired with my goby at that time. It was peaceful and never bothered any fish or shrimp in the tank.

The tiger pistol shrimp that I currently own is a bit different. I haven't seen it attack anything and has paired up with my orange spotted goby. I had a clownfish that died mysteriously and I acquired a new clownfish to pair with my current one. That evening, it swam wildly and it ended up dying the next day. I got another new one thinking that it was a one-off type of thing. Exact same thing happened.

One evening, with the lights off, I heard a snapping noise. I looked carefully and saw the tiger pistol swimming all over the tank! It was a weird sight. I think the pistol must have spooked the new clownfish leading to their deaths but pistols tend to be friendly, especially the candy cane one.

 

[BEASTIEPENDENT]

It is not known that an Alpheid (pistol shrimp) ever damaged a tank. That is known only experimental from an Stomatopod (mantis shrimp) and only with 4 mm glass.

Pistol shrimps mostly are no danger for any tank inhabitant but there are some… unclear cases… We had a very tiny Alpheus parvirostris (a little big longer than a centimeter, thats not half an inch) and think he might be responsible for some hermit crabs dissappearances. We had to destroy the stone in which he lived to find and ID him.

On the other hand we have an A. bellulus since some two years now (without a Goby, we don't keep fish) and he is a tamed lame guy who couldn't harm a fly.

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

DUST in water column?

DUST in water column?

I had a pair of tiger pistol and watchman...I found that they absolutely never stop tunnelling and...I did not mind the tunnels but the water was constantly dusty?

Does anyone else find that.... I am thinking of getting another pair and I am thinking it might not be so bad this time as my substrate consists with a lot of rubble in it not so fine as my substrate last time.

???

Your fast input needed everyone as I am buying another pair...
Thx
TIm