I'm considering a pistol shrimp...
- Thread starter corrado007
- Start date
corrado007
Active Member
Yes !
Here's a photo of my pair although you can barely make out the bellus:
I can't view the photo, perhaps I have a browser issue. Is it visible to anyone else?
corrado007
Active Member
That's an awesome picture Cheeks, thanks for sharing. I also checked out your gallery and your full tank shot looks fantastic. Great job!
So, would you all agree that the safest choices as far as pairing with a yellow watchman and not eating tankmates would be a tiger or randalls pistol shrimp?
Thanks
So, would you all agree that the safest choices as far as pairing with a yellow watchman and not eating tankmates would be a tiger or randalls pistol shrimp?
Thanks
So, would you all agree that the safest choices as far as pairing with a yellow watchman and not eating tankmates would be a tiger or randalls pistol shrimp?
Thanks
Thanks and yes that's what I would recommend. Also keep in mind that the Alpheus randalli is tiny and if you have any Wrasses they may find him irresistable also if he doesn't build his den in front of the tank you'll rarely see him. My suggestion would be the Tiger pistol aka Alpheus bellus.
corrado007
Active Member
Yeah, I'm leaning toward the tiger myself now. Every youtube video with a yellow watchman and pistol shrimp pair seems to include the tiger pistol. That leads me to believe that these two are the most likely to form a symbiotic relationship and to believe that the tiger is safe.
I couldn't find a definitive adult size for the randalli, the one site I found that gave that info said 1/2 inch, is that correct?
I didn't realize that the randalli was smaller than the tiger. What is the size difference?
Are there other pros and cons with the tiger and randalli?
Thanks.
I couldn't find a definitive adult size for the randalli, the one site I found that gave that info said 1/2 inch, is that correct?
I didn't realize that the randalli was smaller than the tiger. What is the size difference?
Are there other pros and cons with the tiger and randalli?
Thanks.
The Tiger will grow to 3 times the size of the randalli.
I wouldn't get a randalli unless you have a Nano. The only advantage I see between the 2 is the randalli will not move anywhere near the amount of sand that the Tiger will which is great if you have a good amount of corals on your SB.
rlcline76
Active Member
Should be fine now
Very nice, cheeks!
corrado007
Active Member
Well, I have some corals on and near the sand bed. Since my halides are pretty intense I keep some stray softies and ricordea down there since they prefer it there.
What do you guys and gals think?
It sounds to me like the red banded pistol (Alpheus randalli) might be a better choice for my tank if he's less likely to cover my rics with sand but is just as likely to pair with my watchman as a tiger pistol would be.
Any other thoughts?
Thanks again everyone for all this great input.
corrado007
Active Member
This is from JCox on TRT, I thought it was a great pic and figured I'd share it. I can't imagine he'd mind.
rlcline76
Active Member
Well, I have some corals on and near the sand bed. Since my halides are pretty intense I keep some stray softies and ricordea down there since they prefer it there.
What do you guys and gals think?
It sounds to me like the red banded pistol (Alpheus randalli) might be a better choice for my tank if he's less likely to cover my rics with sand but is just as likely to pair with my watchman as a tiger pistol would be.
Any other thoughts?
Thanks again everyone for all this great input.
Really, just by the looks, if necessary you have some room to move things around. My randalls both occupy a small section of the tank and have slowly started reaching out here and there. I have shrooms and an anthelia that they have incorporated into their network. You just gotta keep an eye on the progress and be flexible with coral placement in the tank. Looks like you have plenty of decent places for them to dig! I like the barnacle look!
corrado007
Active Member
Great! It looks like the red banded pistol shrimp then.
Hey, thanks for all the help making the decision everyone, gotta love RS.
And thanks, I'm glad you like it. They looked funny at first but when they aged it started to look alright. There are tons of dwarf feather dusters and other stuff living in them. As a matter of fact, my Yellow Watchman sometimes hangs out in one.
Hey, thanks for all the help making the decision everyone, gotta love RS.
rlcline76 said:
And thanks, I'm glad you like it. They looked funny at first but when they aged it started to look alright. There are tons of dwarf feather dusters and other stuff living in them. As a matter of fact, my Yellow Watchman sometimes hangs out in one.
SubRosa
Well-Known Member
As far as being annoying that is definitely a judgement call.Mine pops early and often but it doesn't really interfere with my own activities.Personally I love the sound of running water,but I have to turn off my skimmer at night so my wife lets me sleep.Again it doesn't bother me,but it does her.As far as killing fish if they're small enough I agree,but the average pistol won't harm a 2" fish.Mine pops off at the fish all the time with no harm done.
John
rlcline76
Active Member
The phobia surrounding pistol shrimp is actually annoying. Sure they could whack a fish, they can whack their shrimp goby partner if the fish isn't healthy or isn't responding the way it needs to. It can also attack based on something intruding into its burrows uninvited. I encourage hobbyists to do careful reading before coming to any such conclusions. Most of the snapping I hear is during feeding, and they are warnings. I have never heard my shrimp snap at the fish, but they will snap at snails, hermits and other shrimp.
Really, when I hear something negative about pistol shrimp, it is generally from people who have never had them in their tanks. Might as well be equating them to mantis shrimp.
corrado007
Active Member
Does anyone have experiences they'd be willing to share about pistol shrimp and snails and crabs? This isn't the fist I've heard about snails and crabs being "attacked" by pistols.
Should I expect to loose my clean-up crew to a pistol shrimp? I've got peppermint shrimp, skunk cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of Nassarius, Astera, and Cerith snails along with a few small scarlet reef crabs and 2 emerald crabs.
rlcline76
Active Member
I never said attack in that sense. They do not always snap to kill. Most of the time I see them pick up smaller snails and hermits and move them away from their holes.
As for your question, they might be responsible for a small nassarius over the period of 7 months...and even then I am assuming!
As for your question, they might be responsible for a small nassarius over the period of 7 months...and even then I am assuming!