Success with 2 pistol shrimp/gobies
- Thread starter 91Atrac
- Start date
I was thinking of adding a second pistol and either 1 or 2 gobies to care for both shrimp. 
jayelblock
New member
I tried a variation of this. I had two pistol shrimp of the same variety, and one goby. The shrimp paired up and proceeded to kill three fish, including their symbiotic partner. I gave the pair away to someone who had a dedicated tank for them.
Ouch!!!! What type of pistol did have? Can't imagine a tiny little CandyCane pistol capable of that, the Tiger gets bigger but I would still find it surprising. I know some can get fairly large and are not really suitable for our tiny captive spaces, gives them an unfair advantage.
jayelblock
New member
They were tigers. Very attractive and interesting to watch, but aggressive when mated. The female was about 2.5", and the male was a bit smaller. They would kill gobies at night that were sleeping on the sand bed. I don't know if it was opportunistic hunting, or just protecting their burrow, but I lost a lovely tangaroa goby (their partner) and two neon gobies. That was enough for me. I currently have a fairly larger pistol shrimp, but it's not the kind that takes a symbiotic partner. I have two tiny flaming prawn gobies in the tank with him along with other passive fish, and he doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Wow jayelblock, sorry to hear that and thanks for the heads up. I had a single Tiger with a Randalls goby and never any problem. I lost the shrimp last November and have been waiting on a replacement, maybe I'll go with a CandyCane instead of a Tiger as I have several smallish fish and don't care to lose any.
I have multiple pistols in my two tanks. In my 28g nano, I have a Tiger Pistol/YWG that have been in there for about a year and a Candy Striped Pistol/Yasha Goby that have been paired for about 3 months. They stay at opposite ends of the tank, but I haven't had any problem with them. In my 120g I have a Candy Striped Pistol/High Fin Goby Pair and a Target Pistol (almost 3" long). I have a few other gobies in there, but the Target Pistol won't pair up with them...he is a bit of a loner. So far all is good!
Ambition
New member
A friend of mine had a double pair of Randall's gobies and tiger pistols. It was cool to watch as they all shared the same burrow. The male goby would be the first watch, followed by his mate, then one pistol would come burrowing out then the other. By far one of my favorite relationships to watch in the tank.
