Pistol shrimp in reef tank

[janakaybravo]

Is Alpheus heterochaelis reef safe? I have acquired a pistol shrimp and have him in my QT tank. I have two inches of sand in there and hoped he would pair up with a high finned goby, but after a few days the goby disappeared. Is it possible that the shrimp ate the goby? The shrimp is red and white, and not the candy cane little pistol shrimp. I don't know if he's the Alpheus heterochaelis but looks similar. Does anyone have any direction to find out about this shrimp?

 

[yiliyang]

Pistol shrimps are reef safe.

 

[Paliya]

I dunno if this helps, but I have Alpheus bellulus (tiger pistol shrimp) and it's totally reefsafe. Spends it's days re-arranging it's cave and kickin it with my randalls shrimp goby. Sometimes make a bit of a sand storm, but no biggie.

I haven't heard of (or even seen) Alpheus heterochaelis before. But if it has no exceptional characteristics that set it apart from other pistol shrimp that people generally consider reef safe, I probably wouldn't be too worried. My goby disappears for a few days at a time sometimes, but he always re-emerges