Possible companion for pistol shrimp

[coyoteseven]

Just starting a new 10g nano and got a nice little surprise... the base rock of my LR 'tower' that I got out of my 90g, has a hitchhiking pistol shrimp. :dance:

Now my dilemma, I originally planned to put a green clown goby (http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20040331211152/www.liveaquaria.com/images/products/large/p_71055.jpg) in the tank, but may have to alter that decision.

My question to you, fellow nanoists (is that a real word? :rolleyes: ) is... will the green clown get along and possibly form a symbiotic relationship with the pistol shrimp or should I go with something different, like a yellow watchman (or similar type goby)?

[muzscman]

i have always wanted to know...what kind of relationship do these two things form? why does a goby and a pistol shrimp like hanging out together??

i to have a 10g and i'm wondering what to put in it fish wise....i might be going this direction so i'll be watching your thread!

:)

[Jordan55]

Green clown gobies, or yellow or citron for that matter.... will not form a symbolic relationship with your pistol shrimp.

Try a watchman, or similar type of goby to for a pair.

Here is a nice list of gobies that will form a pair with a pistol shrimp-

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1852


PS- Are sure it is a pistol... or are you guessing?

[Jordan55]

They form a pair because they both benefit.

The shrimp is blind, and may have trouble finding its out food. The goby will take food down to him when food is present.

The goby, in turn, is pretty much defenseless. The shrimp will protect him from predators.

I'm pretty sure (from reading experiences from people), that the pistol will take his claw and put it on the goby to make sure they are close to each other.

[coyoteseven]

Muzscman, here's a link from Live Aquaria describing, in short, the goby/shrimp relationship:

Pistol Shrimp & Gobies: A Safe Alliance (http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=236)

Thanks Jordan55, BTW, it is a pistol. I saw it last night sitting at the entrance of a large hole in the rock.

So, next question... if they won't form a symbiotic relationship, will they just ignore each other and still live in peace?

[Jordan55]

I would assume so, yes.

[yamamama]

My tiger pistol paired up with my tangaroa goby instantly, within 5 minutes of seeing one another. They haven't left each other's side since - love watching them build and prep their lair under my liverock/pvc. They also gang up on my nassarius during feeding times :)

[muzscman]

what does a pistol shrimp eat?? are they like mantis and only eat snails, hermits, things of that nature??

that's awesome how two completely different things will form bonds like that....man i love this hobby!

:)

[Jordan55]

They will eat frozen foods like mysis and brine and formula 1. Probably would snack on some flake too.

But in the wild I think they feed on algae.


I was just watching animal planet and the goby/pistold shrimp pair came on and talked about them..... IRONY!

[coyoteseven]

When I saw my pistol, he was chowing down on a Hikari Marine A pellet that I give my hermits.

Yamamama, do you happen to have a pic or a link to a pic of the tangaroa goby? Whoops... nevermind, found one. Nice looking little fish. :)

[muzscman]

i would love to have a clown pair in my tank and a pistol/goby combo...that has always been my dream...

not so sure...that's 3 fish.

also, how do pistols get along with other shrimp? at the moment i have a cleaner shrimp and a pepermint shrimp (who may be going to another home if i can ever catch the little guy..)...

:)

[muzscman]

oh, and if i ever do go with a goby/pistol combo, this would be my goby:

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/product_info.php?products_id=725&parent_category=4&category_search=61&root_parent_id=4

[SuperNerd]

...not all pistol shrimp form relationships with shrimp gobies and, as mentioned earlier, not all gobies form relationships with pistol shrimp.

Some pistol shrimp will harm or even kill the goby as well as other inhabitants in the tank.

Check the reefkeeping journal, it has an article that may be helpful to you.

Where is all your LR from?

[steelhealr]

The pistol shrimp will maintain the cave that the goby lives in. In fact, at night, the pistol will close up the front of the cave which the goby will open next day. They stay in contact with each and if the goby ventures far, the shrimp will retreat. Actually, the goby protects the shrimp by guarding the front of the cave. Both will share food. Here ya go:

Click here to watch Feeding-Yashia-Haze (http://media.putfile.com/Feeding-Yashia-Haze)

http://media.putfile.com/Feeding-Yashia-Haze

[SuperNerd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6331945#post6331945 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by steelhealr
The pistol shrimp will maintain the cave that the goby lives in. In fact, at night, the pistol will close up the front of the cave which the goby will open next day. They stay in contact with each and if the goby ventures far, the shrimp will retreat. Actually, the goby protects the shrimp by guarding the front of the cave. Both will share food. Here ya go:

Click here to watch Feeding-Yashia-Haze (http://media.putfile.com/Feeding-Yashia-Haze)

http://media.putfile.com/Feeding-Yashia-Haze

That was so cool. :)

Most of the randall shrimp I see at the lfs are penny sized...how big is yours?

What other fish do you have in the tank with them, how deep is your sand and is the LR sitting on top of the sand?

[Hutton]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=197

how do you like this hansome fella?

[Agu]

Where your rock came from is important. Atlantic/caribbean pistol shrimp won't pair up with a Goby.

I have a Hi Fin Goby and tiger pistol shrimp that paired up right away. It's the one in this link,

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/product_info.php?products_id=725&parent_category=4&category_search=61&root_parent_id=4

Venice Pets had them in stock for $30 last time I was there.

The pistols like to dig and make tunnels, They use rubble and shells to reinforce those caves. I went to the beach and got a couple of cups of rubble and shells (here I am sending you to the beach again :lol: ) and added them to the tank. Before I did that the pistol used a really nice frag as construction materials :mad: .

[ReefRob]

I have a Yellow Watchman Goby and a Tiger Pistol Shrimp pair and they are the highlight of the tank (not a nano). They paired up right away. The only problem is that the shrimp does so much excavating I've had to jack up a mushroom rock and a Galaxea so they don't get buried. They are inseparable. Highly recommended.

[coyoteseven]

My base LR is TBS, plus a couple of pieces of dead rock given to me by ladybug_Montreal after our last A.C.R.O.S. meeting (Thanks Dorothy, the fit was perfect! :thumbsup: ). So that means that in all probability my pistol is a Caribbean/Atlantic/Gulf species.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6332750#post6332750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Agu
Where your rock came from is important. Atlantic/caribbean pistol shrimp won't pair up with a Goby.

Just a little tidbit, when I first got my TBS, one of the rocks had a very small shrimp/goby pair in it. I'm pretty sure they came from the same rock, since they were sharing the same puddle on the tarp that I had laid out my TBS before placing in the tank. They were both greyish in color, and I assume, became early victims to the original dozen mantis shrimp (now zero after over 1½ years of trapping/skewering :uzi: :fun5: ) that came, BTW, free of charge with my TBS. :lol:

This makes me wonder if maybe there's a chance of a 'marriage of convenience' between say a yellow watchman and my pistol.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6332750#post6332750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Agu
The pistols like to dig and make tunnels, They use rubble and shells to reinforce those caves. I went to the beach and got a couple of cups of rubble and shells (here I am sending you to the beach again :lol: ) and added them to the tank. Before I did that the pistol used a really nice frag as construction materials :mad: .

You really like rubbing in that whole "living within walking distance of the beach" thing... ... ... don't you, Agu? :frog: :lmao:

[bigbenji]

I bought this fella without reading the fine print. Bullseye pistol shrimp do not usually form symbiotic relationships with gobies. My poor pink-spotted watchman paired up with a yellow-headed jawfish. Funniest thing I ever saw. OK, they weren't paired, but they fought over the same tunnel forever. I think I've got a pic of both heads sticking out. If I find it I'll post it.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1147

[steelhealr]

to SuperNerd...I have a firefish, sixline wrasse, true perc and tailspot blenny in the tank. The rock was originally placed directly on the glass bottom and sand filled in around before finishing the aquascape. Depth is 1- 1 1/2 inches.

The pistol was about 1/2" when I got him. He's about 1" to a little over that by now. When that guy maintains the cave, it literally looks like a snowthrower....plumes of sand come flying out of the cave. SH