Goonter Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 i have done research, and i have a pistol shrimp i bought for my reef tank, it says in many places it is reef safe, and i see a lot of people have them in their tanks paired with a goby .. (i think mine paired today) so i was curious, why on the ID thread, does it classify them with mantis shrimp and say they are harmful? http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=132956 Quote Link to comment
Reef Chicks Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I think the thread refers to pistol shrimp as another name for a mantis, not the actual pistols you keep with gobies. Quote Link to comment
rnewhou Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Yeah that thread isn't as clear as it should be. Pistol shrimp are fine in reefs, and if they're paired with a goby won't do much more than build and tunnel all the time. -Robert Quote Link to comment
eklikewhoa Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 The only thing I find that is not so reef safe about them is that they will pick up small frags and use it to cover their tunnels with. 2 Quote Link to comment
uglyamericanV1.5 Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 no no no no........ pistol shrimps have no place in anything 30 gallon or below. they are not aggressive they are shy they dont hurt anything UNLESS it gets in their terratory. they go absolutly crazy then. i had one carrabien in a 30 gallon....bought it at .5 inches, web site stated as safe.... 6 months later he is 2.5 inches, has killed two pom pom crabs, 1 sexy shrimp, 1 harlequin shrimp, a big ole cleaner shrimp and who knows how many snails, hermits.....he even chased a serpent star out of his lair....pinching him and snapping on him (totally tramatized little brad, had to save him and put him in the 75 gallon) when i saw the cleaner had bit the dust that was enough, made bottle traps, cigar traps, traps with fishing line, ect ect.....he is too blind to see the bait....they sense movement. so i had to tear down my tank to get him out. it sucked big time. i have a pistol in my 75 gallon that is much calmer and i think its because there is so much more room.....he does snap at stuff occasionaly but there is room for the offender to get out, the other pistol had claimed the whole bottom of the tank as ""his" do note that it states also that CBS and arrow crabs are reef safe on alot of these sites and the 30 gallons is the minimum........these are OBVIOUSLY not reef safe. good luck with the pistol Quote Link to comment
MSU Fan Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 There are some pistols that will attack other inverts, such as cleaner shrimp, but those are rare to find. Randalls, tiger stripe, and candy cane pistols are reef safe, won't harm anything except in defense, and will have a symbiotic relationship with certain gobies. Make sure your rock work is very secure because these critters burrow like maniacs. Quote Link to comment
MSU Fan Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 pistol shrimps have no place in anything 30 gallon or below. i had one carrabien in a 30 gallon....bought it at .5 inches, web site stated as safe.... I think that I have read that the caribbean pistols are the non-reef safe type, but I can't be sure. Quote Link to comment
Nick's Reef Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 The only thing I find that is not so reef safe about them is that they will pick up small frags and use it to cover their tunnels with. +1 they also do a great job of cleaning your sandbed, if only my snails worked as hard as my pistol! Quote Link to comment
lakshwadeep Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 The thread by Helfrich's chick is not being vague, but it is mainly specifying larger or hitchhiker pistols. I would suggest only getting a pistol that pairs up with a shrimpgoby (such as an Alpheus randalli). Quote Link to comment
adamskit Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I have a tiger pistol shrimp and must say for the most part he has behaved himself and done a good job keeping my sandbed clean. Great relationship with my goby! I did lose my cleaner shrimp after the tiger was added but nothing else has disappeared since then. Good luck. Quote Link to comment
BKtomodachi Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 no no no no........ pistol shrimps have no place in anything 30 gallon or below. they are not aggressive they are shy they dont hurt anything UNLESS it gets in their terratory. they go absolutly crazy then. i had one carrabien in a 30 gallon....bought it at .5 inches, web site stated as safe.... 6 months later he is 2.5 inches, has killed two pom pom crabs, 1 sexy shrimp, 1 harlequin shrimp, a big ole cleaner shrimp and who knows how many snails, hermits.....he even chased a serpent star out of his lair....pinching him and snapping on him (totally tramatized little brad, had to save him and put him in the 75 gallon) when i saw the cleaner had bit the dust that was enough, made bottle traps, cigar traps, traps with fishing line, ect ect.....he is too blind to see the bait....they sense movement. so i had to tear down my tank to get him out. it sucked big time. i have a pistol in my 75 gallon that is much calmer and i think its because there is so much more room.....he does snap at stuff occasionaly but there is room for the offender to get out, the other pistol had claimed the whole bottom of the tank as ""his" do note that it states also that CBS and arrow crabs are reef safe on alot of these sites and the 30 gallons is the minimum........these are OBVIOUSLY not reef safe. good luck with the pistol You make no sense. Quote Link to comment
CarterNichols Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 did you know that the bubble that is produced from a pistol shrimp snapping together it's claws (their trademark pop) can reach the temperature of the sun instantly Quote Link to comment
adamskit Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 That's a great video that many non reefers have picked up on all over the web. It would be great if there were one as well showing the relationship between the shrimp and the goby. It's really fun to watch since the shrimp is essentially blind he uses the goby as a lookout. The goby get's a great home and everyone's happy. Quote Link to comment
CarterNichols Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 (edited) That's a great video that many non reefers have picked up on all over the web. It would be great if there were one as well showing the relationship between the shrimp and the goby. It's really fun to watch since the shrimp is essentially blind he uses the goby as a lookout. The goby get's a great home and everyone's happy. , also, i always deliver Edited April 10, 2008 by CarterNichols Quote Link to comment
m1enbo1 Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 that youtube video w/ the snapping of pistol's claws are f'in bull. i got shot by one and it was just a pressure of water shooting at u. Quote Link to comment
CarterNichols Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 (edited) that youtube video w/ the snapping of pistol's claws are f'in bull. i got shot by one and it was just a pressure of water shooting at u. i think i may take the word of expert marine biologists with advanced equipment and decades of study under their belt over yours. no offense though. and more over, they don't say that it is the temperature that kills or stuns the shrimp, obviously if the shrimp was exposed to that temperature it would be deformed in some way, the release and collapse of the bubbles is so fast that its over before you feel the pressure... for an invert that is maybe 1/10k your size that sort of pressure delivers a much bigger blow than what you claimed to have felt when you were "shot" Edited April 10, 2008 by CarterNichols Quote Link to comment
adamskit Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 , also, i always deliver Now that's what I'm talking about! Thanks there is no end to what you can find on the Tube! Quote Link to comment
CarterNichols Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Now that's what I'm talking about! Thanks there is no end to what you can find on the Tube! no problem, the inrtabutt is a wonderful thing. Quote Link to comment
Eyford01 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Hi all, I just started my first SW tank, i have a 15g and i just found what i'm pretty sure is a little bitty pistol shrimp about 1 cm long that hitch hiked in on my live rock (it has been cycling a month now) he's cute and all but i intend to make this an invert based reef and just got 2 pom pom crabs. will there be issues when the lil guy gets bigger? if i have to choose one or the other the pom poms will win hands down, so should i leave him be or try and get him out? Quote Link to comment
FallenMonkey Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 The tigers and randalls are 100% reef-safe, but the ones that don't pair are not, I've got a 3g species tank for my 3" zebra pistol that has killed 4 gobies and somewhere around like 15 inverts including hermits, pom poms and emerald crabs. Quote Link to comment
lakshwadeep Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 eyford01: Does the pistol make snapping sounds? I think you will be safe. Quote Link to comment
rmalone Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) I have a tiger pistol in a 12g he has been no problem on snails, coral, hermits, fish or my blood shrimp (which is really too big for the tank but he's happy). The blood shrimp charged the pistol when I added the pistol, the pistol grabbed the five times bigger blood by an antennae and charged back. Lesson learned, when the pistol actually shows his face the blood leaves him alone. On another note my pistol has seemed to help with my cyano issue, perhaps a coincidence but as soon as the pistol started piling sand thus covering the cyano on the sand my problem went away fast. I figured that open areas under the rocks would help flow through and around them thus decreasing detritus buildup. Now I did add more flow and lowered light duration at the same time but I'm not convinced the pistol didn't help out. Anyone else have any thoughts on this idea?? Edited March 24, 2009 by rmalone Quote Link to comment
neuwave Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Not sure about you guys but I've had a tiger pistol with a hi-fin goby for months now. With multiple scarlet hermits, cleaner shrimp and 2 pom pom crabs. One of the pom pom's has been in the tank for 2 years now. Living side by side with the pistol for alittle over a year. Not a single injury to either. And yes if you put a Caribbean pistol shrimp in the tank it may (chances are good) it will kill something. Don't put Caribbean pistol shrimp in your tank. They grow very large in size and it will be like dealing with a slightly chill mantis shrimp. Althought the tigers pistols are fine. As for the tiger it can make a snapping noise if u mess with it. When I had to move my tank I rounded up the shrimp and once it left the water it snapped at me a couple of times (gotta admit pretty loud for a little guy). Give it a goby to hang out with and the shrimp will feel more at ease with a second set of eyes watching its back. They do move sand around alot and which greatly helps out the sand from getting compacted and covered in algae. You can even train it to take food from some tweezers. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment
The Nomad Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Hi all, I just started my first SW tank, i have a 15g and i just found what i'm pretty sure is a little bitty pistol shrimp about 1 cm long that hitch hiked in on my live rock (it has been cycling a month now) he's cute and all but i intend to make this an invert based reef and just got 2 pom pom crabs. will there be issues when the lil guy gets bigger? if i have to choose one or the other the pom poms will win hands down, so should i leave him be or try and get him out? Do you know where your rock is from?The majority of pistols who are troublesome are the ones from the caribbean that live with curly Q nems. Quote Link to comment
CaliSurferboy Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemD...&ddid=59293 ... want Quote Link to comment
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