Pistol Shrimp

Can you keep a pistol shrimp without a goby? Because of their sight do you need to spot feed them or will they catch mysids and other things that I feed like the other shrimp do?

 

Oh, they can catch things Not only mysis, but chromis, hermits, snails, small clownfish, etc...
Some have had luck in a reef, but better left for a species only, IMO

 

So it would have a good shot at catching my clown gobies at some point?

 

Also, how big do they get?

 

I have a pistol and shrimp goby in my tank...it has never ate one of my fish, snails or crabs. I think as long as you keep the tank well fed you will be fine. In another tank I have a peacock mantis that is also a supposed "fish eater" but I keep him well fed also and I have fish living in with him. He ahs never tried to grab one of those either.

Is it true that they eat fish...yes they will. But if there is nothing else for it to eat then I believe it would go after it. I think most of the bad names giving to the mantis and pistol shrimp are from those who never had one. I heard all the rumors about how it will eat everything in your tank and ohhh they are sooo bad! But then I talked with people who have had experience owning them and researched more on it and now I have them and love them! I also believe that people who have them and find them eating a fish is truly it is eating an already DEAD one!

I can honestly say that I have not lost a fish to my pistol...I have lost a fish to my tang and a blue jaw and once a gold goat fish...but never to a pistol

 

Most of the sources i've researched say that they might eat fish. Is it less likely if they have a goby or does that make no difference?

 

i have a watchman& pistol that have been together for years and i have never had a problem but i always keep them fed ,like others have said if they have no other sourse of food anything is fair game i guess

 

hey man i have recently jsut purchased a rainsfod goby and a pistol shrimp the guy said dig out a hole under a rock with ur finger ( or whatever) and when u put them in it maybe hard but aim them both towards the hole and they will live and burry and build tunnels under there together....

i would show u a picture of mine but they actually moved to the back of my tank where the return has pushed a bunch of sand around these rocks ..... u can barely see them back there its a bummer, but when they are together its pretty cool to watch them

the only concern with the pistol shrimp is.... i think he may have killed my mandarin : (
the other night the mandarin came out from around where the pistol shrimp burries. he was all beat up fin halfway chewed up a cut on his side and he was gasping for air ..... im not sure if it was the pistol shrimp, but i have herd they can kill fish and thats the only thing i could imagine it being

sooo idk if any of this helps you, lol kind of a lot, but i thought i would share

good luck!

by the way im pretty sure the guy said you can put any goby with the pistol shrimp and they will bond dont quote me on that u might want to double check.....im going to that fish store again this week and ill ask him about to let u know if u havent already made ur decision

 

I have 2 LFSs. One is a store that everyone hates and gives terrible advice, but they're the only store in the area which is why they stay in business. My other LFS of sorts is one guy who goes to peoples houses and is based out of his basement. Yes, it sounds sketchy, but he is a really nice guy and gives lots of good advice. He also prequarantines fish, so im going to ask him about the pistol shrimp goby pair. He's kind of hard to get a hold of, so when I do get a hold of him i'll know.

 

It is hit and miss whether or not a pistol will match up with a goby. I was very lucky as I had a pinkspotted goby for a while and then decided I wanted to get the pistol. I put the pistol in the tank and it took a couple days to pair up but they did. Also I dont know if having a goby would keep it from going after another fish as like I said I think as long as it is well fed then it will not go after fish. Pistols can also survive without a goby as many many people have a pistol in their tank as a hitch-hiker and do not know at all that it is in there. That is how I got mine...the LFS had it come in as a hitch-hiker and they had no idea they had it...I found it in a tank and they could not believe it was there as they had not purchased any for months and months. Here is my pictures of mine


http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm169/schackmel/?action=view&current=100_1632.jpg

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm169/schackmel/?action=view&current=100_1633.jpg