Pistol Shrimp and Goby

[Rolo]

Hello mariners!

I just bought myself a Scarlet Pistol Shrimp and a goby of some kind. I don't remember the exact name, but it's got brwon stripes and a yellow head with a very long fin on the top. As you can see, I am not into proper terminology (sorry).

I was wondering if I made a mistake and they are not a compatible pair. Also, I was wondering if there are any rules as to how many pistol shrimps or threadfin gobies can be kept in a 90 gallon that is divided lengthwise by LR. I have it set up so that you can see from both sides.

Thanks for any information.

[smokinreefer]

i believe you have a threadfin or antannae goby, and dont worry it should pair with your pistol shrimp. i recently got a pair myself, but i dont think anyone has kept multiple pairs in a tank before. i was thinking of getting another pair also. perhaps you and me can be the first to try!

[Rolo]

Hello Smokinreefer

Did you get the exact same pair that I bought? Were they already together when you bought them? So far they haven't really paired up yet, although the goby is getting less and less shy. He doesn't really hide anymore. I noticed that the pistol shrimp has started digging around already.

I once had a mantis shrimp in my tank before, but fortunately it disappeared a while ago. I wonder if my dwarf lion ate him. I don't know what happened to him though, just glad it is gone.

I was wondering if the pistol shrimp makes any noise. Recently I've been hearing the cracking sound that the mantis shrimp used to make, but it is not as frequent. I hope I don't have another mantis shrimp. If I did, wouldn't it have killed my peppermint shrimps or other things?

Speaking of peppermint shrimps, I noticed the other night that a lot of little shrimp looking like babies were floating around the tank after the lights turned off. Could these be baby peppermints? They disappear during the day when the lights come on.

Happy reefing!

[smokinreefer]

hey rolo,

i got a tiger pistol shrimp, but it may be the same as yours, common names are used loosely among the Lfs. anyhow i have a banded goby, A. diagnalis(spelling). i had the goby for a few weeks before i got the pistol shrimp.

my shrimp began digging within a day also. and it took a couple days before they paired up. dont worry, your threadfin goby is a common prawn goby, so it should pair up soon. and pistol shrimp do make the cracking sound occasionally, definitely not as frequent as a mantis.

yup, it is very likely you have baby peppermints, very cool. but they wont last long in a aquarium. but they do make good snacks for the reef inhabitants.

later.

[smokinreefer]

oh yeah, do you still got thet dwarf lion? if you do, be careful cuz it will eat whatever it can catch and fit in its mouth, namely your shrimp/goby pair! keep a watch over that lion!!

[Rolo]

Thanks for the warning, but I took all of my rocks out to catch the dwarf lion and the two BIG-EYE squirrels that were in my main tank. I did this because I wanted to get some of these smaller fishes.
Regarding the BIG-EYE squirrels, they should really be called BIG-EYE PIGS. Not that there is anything wrong with pigs, I personally love pork. They are super-fast at eating and they can eat a lot. I recently returned them to the LFS, they're going to sell them and give me credit.
The pistol shrimp that I have is probably different from yours. Mine is all red with a little white tip on the claws. Have you seen this one before? I hope that it will still pair up with my threadfin goby.
So does anyone know if you can keep more than one pistol shrimp and more than one type of these gobies?
Thanks again.