Pistol shrimp pairing

[dalston]

I just picked up a Japanese pistol shrimp (Alpheus bisincisus) and want to find a gobie to pair it up with. Are there natural symbionts, the same as clown fish and anemones, or are all shrimp gobies compatable with all pistols?

What gobie would have the best chance of forming a symbiotic relationship with my pistol? Despite the common name, from what I've read, the origin of this shrimp is Sri Lanka.

TIA,
dalston.

 

[n00by]

Yellow Watchman Goby?

 

[dalston]

YWG probably wouldn't work, it's only in a 12gal which would be too small long term.

I was thinking more on the lines of a red banded high fin or Yashia, but not sure whether they would form a pairing...

 

[dalston]

Bumping for any other input

 

[mscarpena]

My Yashia is a great pair with my tiger pistols shrimp. Yashia's are awesome gobies.

 

[dalston]

Cool, that's what I was thinking...did you buy them as a pair or pair them yourself?

 

[romsoccer12]

yashia would outgrow your 12gallon. a YWG would not and neither would a banded high fin.

 

[romsoccer12]

a Dracula Goby, Orange Stripe Prawn Goby, Tangaroa Goby and i think a Wheeler's Watchman Goby could pair up with one. Im not sure and i dont have factual proof but i think if the pistol shrimp looks more like the goby, youll have a better chance. Since your tank is small, i would think they would find each other eventually. Try to add them at the same time and when you add them, seel off all holes near the bottom of the rock with sand and try to hand make a desired spot with your finger. Just dig out a little hole and once done aclimating, put them near that and hopefully theyll go there.

 

[dalston]

Thanks for the reply Colin!

I thought the YWG gets bigger than a yashia? from what i've read, the recommended minimum tank size for a yashia is 12gal and the YWG is 24...

Anyways, I added the shrimp a few weeks back now and I'm honestly getting tired of it. It's tearing up my 12 gal, using frags to build it's cave, buring frags and causing rock slides. I think i'm pulling it out tomorrow, the 12 is just not enough room for the shrimp.

 

[romsoccer12]

Brown watchman and blue watchman need that big of a tank but a YWG will be fine in a 10gallon. i dont think a pistol can outgrow a 12gallon either. Yashias can get big and mean.

 

[dalston]

It's not that the pistol would out grow the tank, it's just such a small ground surface area, wherever he digs, causes rock slides.

 

[romsoccer12]

when you put your baserock in,kind of push it a little deeper in the sand. every rock you put on top of the other, push it with your finger and if it moves a little, it probably will topple. you could also try super glue or leaning rock agaisnt the back. how deep is your sand bed and how much liverock do you have?

 

[dalston]

The sandbed is about 1.5" deep, there's about 20 lbs of LR in there. The base rock is pushed down, it's just digging around it causing some to fall into the holes. It also buried my acan lord frag.

Here's an old pic, it's much more 'grown in' now

 

[Tangalong]

I have a yasha that is a total coward...never comes out. . .still waiting for his party-striped Pistol. They are small and not so intimidating as the bigger shrimp. He ignored the red Asian Pistol and acted scared to deah of him. I'd go for the smaller if I were you. I have a Tiger Pistol with my tangaroa and they do fine. At least I think....don't see the pistol.lol

 

[romsoccer12]

i would make your sand beed at least up to 3 inches. a pistol needs lots of deep sand. are you saying hes kicking up sand all over your corals also?

 

[dalston]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15307689#post15307689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by romsoccer12
...are you saying hes kicking up sand all over your corals also?

Yeah that and stealing frags to build it's cave...anyways, it's gone now, I gave it away to a member of my reef club. It was just more hassle than it was worth.

Thanks for all your help though Colin!

 

[romsoccer12]

np. probably just an unlucky one. are you ever gonna try getting another?

 

[romsoccer12]

oh 2 more questions. what kind of pistol was it and how did you get it out?

 

[dalston]

It was a Japanese pistol shrimp (Alpheus bisincisus)

https://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+4&ddid=65618

From reading the page on DD, it seems this doesn't form a relationship with a goby anyways :lol:

Oh and to get it out, I just removed the top rocks, when it was in its cave, I put my finger in 1 end and caught it as it came out the other...pretty easy actually, I guess thats the benefit of a small tank!

 

[Tangalong]

If you just want your sand clean, why not just get a few nascarrius (MSP) snails? They work wonders in my 75 along with my gold-headed sleeper Gobie that takes mouthfulls of sand and swims over the LR reef dribbling it out ...lol You wouldn't want that type would you? It is funny to watch if you don't have a lot of corals to keep sand-free. Any Gobie if you get if you decide to try again, will need a DSB if you get a sand-sifting one. And +2 pm the 3 inch bed for a Pistol...mine is digging one out as we speak.