Pistol Shrimp Owners Here Please

Bongo Shrimp

Bongo Shrimp

P. ceratophthalma
I just got a goby, pistol shrimp pair today. I'm wondering, in your experience, how long was it before you started to see the signs (like burrow entrances) of your shrimp in your tank. I have a small candy pistol.
 
I've had mixed experiences...a tiger pistol went MIA from the moment it was added till about 2 months later when I rescaped my rock. My Japanese pistol was visable to whole time, he wasn't shy and burrowed EVERYWHERE, became a pain after a while causing rock slides.
 
I have 4 pistols my biggest now about 3". Smallest 1 1/2". They burrow everywhere and have clicking wars. As far as entrance I see mine all the time because they simply cannot go behind the tank because I got 2 power heads pushing the sand up forward. I noticed the first couple entrance's about a week after I got them. Good luck with him.
 
Thanks, I haven't really seen anything yet, the goby and shrimp are both hiding still. But I did just get them both on friday so we'll see...
 
I've had several pairs and the pistol shrimp have always started burrowing immediately, but there have been times when I don't see them for several days. Just be patient, I had a similar issue with not seeing them for a week or so, and when I got impatient and moved some of the rock, I'm pretty sure I crushed the pistol.

So if you do get impatient, absolutely make sure you find the shrimp before re-placing any rock. And it sounds morbid, but watch for a nitrate spike as well - that is a sure-fire indicator that you lost one (or both).
 
I have several pistols in my 65 that were hitchhikers on my TBS rock. One was paired with a sponge! I THINK I have 3, and they've each moved several times, except the sponge guy who sticks solely with is sponge.

I have a pistol/goby combo in a nano that went in together, and that pistol went to work immediately, and was immediately LOUD.

Wait and see attitude. If you have some, spend some time sitting by the tank watching for puffs of sand... sure sign of excavation. Or, if you notice general cloudiness at some point...yep! burrow work is happening!

Good luck, and I hope you see your pair soon, they're a lot of fun to have and to watch.

But, plan on re-stocking snail and crabs fairly often!
 
Well last night right before I went to bed, I did the usual sweep with my flashlight to see what was going on in the tank. To my surprise, for the first time since I added him to the tank, I saw the yashia goby swimming around the area which I suspect is where the pistol is as well. There has been a lot of sand being moved around there so I'm sure that the two are together. It's funny though that the goby was out at night because so far I haven't seen him during the day. I'm sure he is hanging with the pistol and as the pistol makes more burrows, the goby will be more inclined to come out during the day. At least we made a little progress.
 
That is good to hear. My gobies were all nocturnal for a little while until they got more comfortable. What else do you have in your tank? My goby started coming out more when I added other fish to the tank because, obviously, he then had something that he thought he had to protect the shrimp from.

Also, you may not see the shrimp for a while as he clears out a part under the rock. Once the heavy lifting is done, they relax a little bit more and you should see them at the entrance. Mine have created pretty deep burrows (but I have a DSB).

And definitely expect to see your rocks shifting as he burrows. I learned to have larger flat rocks at the bottom if I know I am going to have a burrowing shrimp to prevent this (even though you should avoid this in tanks without burrowing shrimp because you are covering a lot of the surface area of your substrate, which can cause problems with biological filtration).
 
The only other fish are two reidi seahorses and a rainsfords goby. I'm just going to give it time, now that I know he's alive, I'm sure he'll start coming out more and more.
 
I found that my pistol came out more often after the addition of the goby since my first goby did not survive shipping. If you could try making a small over hang over the entrance so he feels protected my pistol and goby peruse the whole 110 gallon when its feeding time without any trouble.
 
Success!

Today, I found the goby in a tiny hole which I suspected was the shrimp's hole. When the Goby goes in the hole, the shrimp is right there next to him. It's a really small hole so the shrimp seems to push the goby out as he rearranges the sand and as he tries to make the hole bigger.
 
I'v had mine about 8 months and they are very active just can't see it most of the time. I never really see the pistol but my Yashia goby is always out at feeding time. Someone told me the other day they eat bristle worms. Is this true?
 
I just got a Goby and a Pistol Shrimp pair for 32 bucks. Not sure if that is reasonable? Mine is like a little bulldozer running around with alot of energy. I have had them for 3 days and the pair is building an elaborate maze under the live rock. I hope that the rock does not fall. It looks stable but the little shrimp is amazing at moving the sand and cruched coral. They are cool but they don't come out unless I feed them. Maybe one day they will be used to a big giant looking at them and chill out. What a strange universe that a shrimp and a fish can be such good homies. Peace
 
I just got a ymg and a pistol shrimp (not sure what kind though) and the pistol immediately started going to work in the front corner of my tank. Man, can he move some sand! It's been about 2 hours since I put the two in the tank and hes still moving sand. It seems like he digs a little than the ymg will follow him in the hole to check it out and when the ymg comes back out, the pistol will follow right behind him pushing sand again. I love to watch the two. Definitely interesting :)
 
my LFS once had a small pistol missing for around 3 years in a tank. they finally found it one day and it was really big. they can either be very shy and not show signs of life or very bold and go everywhere in the tank
 
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