Pistol Shrimp

[andrewsimon]

Hello All,

I have been thinking about getting a goby/pistol shrimp pair for my 20L. However, I have a few questions.

Will any shrimp pair up with any goby? Of not, what type of shrimp will pair with a yellow watchman goby?

Will the pistol shrimp eat any of my cleaner shrimp, snails, or crabs?

I'm pretty sure that that's all for now!

Thanks!

~Andrew

[Clownfish518]

Pistol shrimp/goby combos are very specific.There are several species of shrimp that pair up with gobies, but the easiest one to find in the trade is the tiger pistol shrimp, Alpheus bellulus. That should work out work out for you

[andrewsimon]

So the tiger will pair up with a yellow watchman?

Will the tiger hurt any of my shrimps, crabs, snails, etc.?

[Clownfish518]

No, the shrimp is harmless.

The tiger may pair up with the YW, and vice versa. The challenge is they don't always find each other in a large tank. Much better chance in a nano actually. Pretty good chance IMO. Better if you can find a pair already bonded

[andrewsimon]

It's a 20 long, so it's not that big...haha I don't think that they would have that much trouble trying to find each other...lol

[fata1ity]

Do they necessarily need to be a pair? Will the shrimp survive by itself in a small tank with no predators?

[andrewsimon]

I'm sure it would, I just like the looks of a shrimp goby with a shrimp friend...haha Just like the goby doesn't need the shrimp, I don't think the shrimp needs the goby.

[Clownfish518]

Yes, the shrimp and goby will both be just fine in a tank without each other.

[fata1ity]

Well I already have a goby in there and its a 28 gallon so there would of been fighting between the two if I got another goby .

[Clownfish518]

Another watchman/diamond type goby? Or another kind of goby all together?

[FallChinook]

We have a RSM130 and had a yellow watchman goby for about a month when we decided to get a pistol shrimp to go with it. Picked one up at the LFS (not sure what species, he/she's yellowish brown). They bonded immediately--really cool! What is NOT cool is that he is CONSTANTLY excavating under our LR! We've had to remove about 10lbs of live sand because he just keeps piling it up in front of the LR. So now the whole underneath of the LR is bare.....no sand. Oh, and I can forget about that acan or brain for the front in the sand! It would get buried alive!!
But, if you don't care about these issues, go for it!!

[untilthen]

i wouldnt say that pistols are harmless either... they have been known to take down other shrimps such as cleaners and peppermints.... i have lost a few peppermints due to the pistols gettin a bit hungry

YouTube - Pistol Shrimp sonic weapon - Weird Nature - BBC wildlife

[dianezoo]

I had a yellow watchman for several years and moved a Tigerpistol shrimp with his randle goby into the tank along with a coral banded shrimp that used to be paired with a yashia goby, until the yashia disappeared. Well the coral banded shrimp paired with my yellow watchman. I cannot put any corals on the floorsand of the tank or they will get sand dumpbed on them. All my rock is set on the glass bottom and the sand added after. They are constantly moving mounds of sand. I love watching them. (the coral banded was riginally a hitch hiker on live rock.

[l3fty999]

Originally Posted by andrewsimon

I'm sure it would, I just like the looks of a shrimp goby with a shrimp friend...haha Just like the goby doesn't need the shrimp, I don't think the shrimp needs the goby.

I see this just like the clownfish/anemone combo. Sure, the can do just fine without each other, but the point of this is to observe behavior. Yes, each is interesting on its own, but some things are just more interesting if they're in the right situation. I have a pair of clowns that were doing just fine without an anemone, but I picked up an anemone (Ritteri) and within about an hour and a half, they found it and I tell you what, I've been told lower animals can't express feelings, but I beg to differ! They would dive into the nem, shoot back out, dive back in, wiggle around, and do it all over again. Again, I realize they can do fine on their own, but what we are after here is to observe the behavior between the two, right?

[Xenomorph25]

I've recently purchased both a Yellow Watchman and a Pistol Shrimp. I also have a few camel shrimp and peppermint shrimp. So far they camel have stayed together and away from the peppermints, and the peppermints have stayed together and away from the camels. They prefer to stay on rocks, unless they get bold and run out onto the sand to nab a bit of detritus. The pistol shrimp, newly added has been adding little caverns underneath every piece of Live rock I've got in the tank.

This behavior will be good for keeping the tank's Live Sand circulating and moving. (As will my sand sifter stars...)

I haven't seen any move on the pistol shrimp toward either breed of shrimps (so far), and the watchman paired up with him (meaning he found the shrimp's holes and has been hiding) fairly quickly.

To those of you hoping that the pistol shrimp and the watchmen will pair, I think (in my limited experience) that the watchmen will eventually locate the shrimp (even in a big tank), as the pistol shrimp make a noticeably loud clicking noise.

Cool little guy for a tank!