Pistol Shrimp, Will I ever see it?

[KUDA]

I recenty went to a lfs and they had a randall's pistol shrimp. They had it in a small little plastic tank inside the big aquarium. It was very small(1/2") but very pretty. I have been wanting a pistol shrimp for a while but would I ever see this thing? He was $25 and I wouldnt want to spend money If I never saw him. He would go in a 12 gallon AquaPod with a wheeler's watchman goby if I got him. Anybody ever owned a randall's psitol shrimp?

 

[graveyardworm]

I had one, it was very reclusive and after several weeks I didnt see it anymore. I have a feeling it died, or perhaps a brittlestar I had in there at the time ate it, cant say for sure.

 

[Big L.E.E.]

I usually see mine in the evening at feeding time. When my hi-fin goby, who's pair with the shrimp, comes out and waits to be fed, the shrimp will stick its nose out. However it rarely ventures more than an inch or two from its hole.

L.E.E.

 

[matter1331]

I have mine paired with a yasha goby and I see both of them all of the time. In fact, as I type, I'm watching them come out of their cave and the shrimp is "excavating". I think what it comes down to is how safe the goby feels it is for the pistol to come out. I'm not sure if you know this, but the pistol is pretty much blind, so when it is out it usually keeps one of its antenni on the goby's body, and if the goby twitches or flips its tail at the shrimp then he's back in the cave. I've seen mine go all the way across my 7 gallon and back with the goby in close proximity. Of course, I don't have any other fish and the only other inverts are cleanup crew and a pom pom crab.