Caution! Red Pistol Shrimp may be sketchy

[MNvikings]

So I had bought a red pistol shrimp and a yasha hase goby at the same time and introduced them into my biocube 29. The yasha went missing and ended up dead somewhere. Got another replacement yasha and it went missing the next day.

 

I watch the tank closely and see that the red pistol shrimp seems to roam a lot in the open. It gets fed pretty well at feeding time. After about a week I noticed that I had lost a few inverts. All I found were ripped up pieces of a Porcelain and Emerald crab.

 

I assumed it was due to stress at first and just let it go.

 

The other day I got a firefish and it was doing awesome the first day. Next day he's showing contusions, ripped fins, and chunks taken out of him. Me and my friends all witnessed an interesting event. The pistol shrimp snuck up to the firefish when it was chilling on the sand resting and POPPED it real good. This shrimp is almost 4 inches. The firefish got stunned and the shrimp kept popping it in it's wounds. It used it's pincer to hold as the gun claw unleashed the clicks into the body of the firefish. So sad to watch. Then it ripped it in half and ate the whole thing!

 

Now I think that the shrimp ate both yasha gobies. I only have 2 chromis and 2 young black ocellaris clowns for fish. The clowns don't hold a territory yet and the chromis are more peaceful about keeping territory.

 

Please beware. I think these guys need to be looked at with extreme caution. I lost a lot of cool fish and inverts.

[Walking_Target]

'Red Pistol Shrimp" isn't too descriptive man

 

The Randall's (sometimes called Tiger or candy cane) pistol shrimp Alpheus Randalli generally safe in mixed tanks and are one of the more popular choices.

 

The Red Pistol shrimp is a generic name, describing at least a dozen species, most of which are the larger members of the Alpheus family. Some are decidedly more predatory too.

[yoshii]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...&pcatid=704

Does it look like that? Cause yours might be some other pistol shrimp, this one only grows 2"

[saltylife]

Pistol shrimps can prey on other crustaceans and small fish. I saw it on the discovery channel...

(I'll try to find the link later... it was a cool video)

That is part of the reason they "pop" it's not only a defense but a mechanism to stun their prey.

!!!!!Never put a cleaner shrimp in the same tank!!!!!!!

 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-eKPrGxB1Kzc/pistol_shrimp/

 

I have a tiger pistol at my house that kills any invert I put in there...

[ToXIc]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-eKPrGxB1Kzc/pistol_shrimp/

 

dude thats nutz...

[deepair3]

dude thats nutz...

I had similar issues with peppermint shrimp. I put three in to take care of Aitapsia and they did. Then they attacked my Hammer coral and my clowns. They are gone and everyone seems happy again.

[Miami797]

Sneaking up on a fish and holding it with his pincer while he shoots him over and over again? That's pretty brutal. Maybe he played too many violent video games as a juvenile shrimp.

[nl24]

I have 2 cleaners in with my tiger and have never had a problem.

[crx2ner]

i have a japanese red pistol shrimp , he was actually the first thing i got after a CUC. Never had any problems with him, There was 1 time he'd be snapping like crazy all night, i later took the rock out he usually hit under and found there was a large bristol worm in the rock so i only assumed he was snapping at the worm. But so far ive had no problem with my fish (YWG, Purple Fire Fish, or 6 line) or any of my inverts (snails, hermits, or camel shrimp).

[Wence]

4 inches is pretty big for a Pistol Shrimp. Is there any chance you have a picture you can post? I've had two tanks that I've kept both Pistol Shrimp along with Cleaner and Peppermint Shrimp and have never had a problem. There was one other person I knew who had a mean one that kept attacking everything and had to remove it though, so maybe it's something people ought to watch out for.

[saltylife]

Well maybe you guys got lucky with yours but I know if i put one in with mine it would be dead in minutes...

I put some emeralds in there for bubble algae once, they didn't last a week... luckily they got the algae

But, literally all I would hear at night is his popping. lol.

He is a monster probably three or so inches I can get a pic later on if you would like. He is in my 8 gallon FOWLR with a nasty looking yellow watchmen.

[ToXIc]

i was planning to get one to pair with a goby.. but from what i'm reading it will kill my sexy shrimp.. am i wrong?

[Nick's Reef]

All the randall's pistols I've had with yashas killed crabs and snails. It's normal, well worth the couple bucks I lost in inverts.

[MNvikings]

this is what it looks like. no friggin' joke it's at least 3 inches and that is a safe estimate.

 

i wish i had the execution on video. poor little firefish... at least i didn't put a helfrichi's in there!!!

 

i have a skunk in there and he barely gets out of being popped sometimes at feeding.

 

to each his own, but i just wanted people out there to know. mine doesn't touch the nassarius snails or margaritas. it may be eating my stomatellas too. over $100 worth of livestock to feed that bugger. VORACIOUS APPETITE!!!

[Mustang Boy]

i would recommend getting him out of there asap i would take him out and trade him to your lfs and maybe order a randalli pistol which stay much smaller and from what i have heard are more peaceful.

[animalmaster6]

Ok let's clear this up everyone

 

Hitchhiker Pistol Shrimp- If you ever find a hitchhiker pistol shrimp try to identify it as soon as possible. Some are bad, some are good.

 

Red Banded Pistol Shrimp- Alpheaus randalli, is 100% reef-safe and I have evidence When my Sexy Shrimp was very small his hangout was right near the pistol and gobies burrow. These guys stay small and are 100% reef-safe.

 

Tiger Stripe Pistol Shrimp- Much larger species. Will take an attack at small shrimp and snails sometimes. Not 100% reef-safe.

 

Most larger pistol shrimp spcies aren't 100% reef-safe.

 

Discovery Channels pistol shrimp videos sure got people paranoid. Youtube has quite a few videos too.

The most important part of buying a pistol shrimp is finding out what the species.

 

Hopefully this cleared all the questions and confusion out.

 

 

 

 

 

i was planning to get one to pair with a goby.. but from what i'm reading it will kill my sexy shrimp.. am i wrong?

 

What species?

[lakshwadeep]

+1 to walking target. This is an unfortunate example that not all pistol shrimp pair with shrimp gobies. Alpheus randalli seems to be a small species even as an adult. Can you get a picture of your own pistol?

[Bongo Shrimp]

If the red one you posted up there is what you have, it may be commensal with an anemone rather than with a fish.