yasha goby/randalls pistol shrimp pair... sort of

[ComponentFault]

I have a question for you folks who have some experience keeping goby/pistol shrimp pairs.

I bought an already-paired yasha goby and a randall's (candy cane) pistol shrimp. I introduced them to the DT yesterday morning, and the shrimp took off like an invert possessed as soon as he was in the tank. He found himself a hidey-hole about midway up the rock and has hung out in there since. Every once in a while, I see a puff of debris coming out of his hole, so I assume he's renovating in there.

The yasha, meanwhile, seems pretty chill - content to hang out in the sandbed, normally out in the open (which is cool), and seems happy just exploring near the bottom. I haven't seen her move more than a couple of inches off the sandbed.

That brings me to my question... how likely are these two to find each other? I have a niggling suspicion that the pistol shrimp isn't coming down, and the yasha isn't going up :headwally:.

Do pistol shrimps tend to make multiple burrows? I've never had one before... It isn't the end of the world if they don't pair up again, but I'm hoping they will.

There are no other fish in the system, yet, though there is a small emerald crab and a mix of snails. The system is a 28g cube.

 

[SushiGirl]

I would think they'd eventually pair up in there in that size tank. I released our candy cane pistol onto a rock (so he wouldn't get eaten), and he made his way down it into the sand. The shrimp goby we added the same day (they weren't paired) has not paired up with it yet. We've had them both for a year in a 55. I keep waiting because we now just have the one goby in the tank, rather than 2 (the 2nd one was always on that side, and not a shrimp goby). I think it's a benefit that you don't have any other fish in the system yet, and I would guess the shrimp will move down when it realizes it's safe and won't get eaten.

 

[ComponentFault]

Thanks! I would like to see them pair up. It will be at least another month before the next fish goes in (I don't even have one in quarantine at the moment), so there's time for both of them to explore the tank before the competition arrives.

On a more amusing note, my emerald crab just parked his rear end over the pistol shrimp's little hole while reaching up for what I assume was some algae on the rocks. Two loud clicks later and the emerald crab is high-tailing it for the opposite side of the tank faster than I've ever seen him move. He doesn't seem to be injured, but I suspect he's going to give that area a wide berth from here on...

 

[SushiGirl]

LOL. My pistol never snaps at the hermits, the cerith snails, or strombus snails that get near/on/in his burrow, but once the fighting conch stuck its nose in there & he snapped and the conch yanked his nose back and took off LOL.

 

[ComponentFault]

LOL! I'll bet that hurt!

But you can imagine what the pistol was thinking: "snail... hermit... hermit... snail... hermit... WHOA!!!"

 

[SushiGirl]

:lmao: Yeah, I can only imagine what he was thinking!
Of course, he lives in there with several pretty large bristleworms, so maybe he just thought it was another one trying to get in. I hear him snap at them all the time when they try to steal his food.