pistol shrimp

ninnybone · 12/25/2008, 07:53 PM

does anyone know how to get rid of pistol shrimp without removing everthing.he eats almost ever crab and some fish that i put in tank

Drag Racer · 12/25/2008, 08:22 PM

Make a trap. Take a water bottle, cut the top off and turn it around and put into the bottom half of the bottle. put some food in it. Weigh it down into the tank and wait.

ninnybone · 12/25/2008, 08:50 PM

use what four bait ?

Agu · 12/25/2008, 09:04 PM

First of all it's probably not a pistol shrimp as they're pretty benign. Odds are you have a mantis shrimp. I'd recommend you check the Mantis Forum for tips on how to catch it.

Moonstream · 12/25/2008, 09:36 PM

pistols arent big fish eaters, I dont think. I would have to agree that he is probably a mantis. for a trap, you could put some thawed, raw shrimp in there.

plateboy3293 · 12/25/2008, 10:41 PM

2+ its a mantis

nikon187 · 12/26/2008, 12:22 AM

yeah i've never heard of pisols killing fish, just mantis shrimp

Dante_JoseCuerv · 12/26/2008, 12:29 AM

I'm gonna take a wild guess but I don't think that pistol shrimp is taking anything out. I mean, those things don't very large so the chances that they're able to take out something much larger than them is highly unlikely. I second (or third or fourth?) the mantis.

reefD · 12/26/2008, 12:30 AM

true. but there are some pistols shrimps that don't form partner ships with fish and are actually territorial to anything that enters its burrows. i have a bulls eye pistol that isn't a symbiotic shrimp and he does hammer burrowing gobies until they stress and die. jaw fish don't last. peppermint shrimp he slowly kills off, and snails he'll scavenges after they die from hours of tossing around. had him for 7 yrs now and hes always done this.
now if you didnt buy this guy and he was a hitchhiker then you need to consider a mantis for sure! but pistols that are not symbiotic will have high territorial behavior that will stress and kill tank mates. and heck..hes a scavenger so he will then eat what dies. again if u didnt add him or havnt actually gotten a good look at him then consider strongly a mantis!

ninnybone · 12/26/2008, 06:26 AM

its a pistol and hes very mean lol stuff gone missing since the day i put him in there. hes got to go.ive tried water bottle trap before maybe i didnt leave it in there long enough.will try after work hope it work hes already cost me about 200.hes smart

plateboy3293 · 12/26/2008, 08:58 AM

What about a carribean pistol they are shrimp eaters and could probably kill a slow moving fish.

reefD · 12/26/2008, 10:50 AM

thought so. most hobbiest are used to the docile pistols and they dont know about the others. they are small just like the symbiotic shrimp and seem harmless. but once they get established and territorial. they have a tendency to create some havoc.

mine looks like this and hes a troublemaker to. live aquria said nothing about this behavior which i believe is because its touch and go. im sure majority of the time they are fine but every now and then you get a guy like the above thread. good luck.

K' Family Reef · 12/26/2008, 11:33 AM

we had a similar situation
after adding a tiger pistol to our 125 w/ over 200# of LR

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1300956

after mos of deliberation
on how to get it out... and various attempts at trapping etc... finally ended up removing the LR and netting the pistol... in the process (of removal - moving LR out/in stirring up sand bed etc) ended up losing several corals - on top of the fish/crabs/shrimp already lost since adding the shrimp...

it was then placed in our mini reef
(still undecided at the time what to do w/ it) w/ a lone damsel thinking (the damsel) would be safe but literally the next day the damsel was gone...

seemingly unreal 'circumstances' related to this particular pistol...

finally it ended up here

J/K

it was given away to a local reefer
and believe ended up in a 'specimen' nano tank paired w/ a goby where its (reportedly) since been a 'model' citizen.

this particular pistol was not underfed either-
almost daily feedings of mysis (shot into the burrow w/ a turkey baster) in an effort to curtail its negative impact on the other inhabitants.

although the majority of people
(seemingly) have good luck w/ these specimens... there are plenty of those (if this is researched out) who also have problems... and imo there probably many more that are having inhabitants disappearing - not realizing or considering who the culprit may be either!

regards

12/25/2008, 07:53 PM	#1
ninnybone Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: DuQuoin IL Posts: 11	pistol shrimp does anyone know how to get rid of pistol shrimp without removing everthing.he eats almost ever crab and some fish that i put in tank __________________ joe Current Tank Info: 75g soon to be reef

12/25/2008, 08:22 PM	#2
Drag Racer Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: West Bend, Wi Posts: 1,280	Make a trap. Take a water bottle, cut the top off and turn it around and put into the bottom half of the bottle. put some food in it. Weigh it down into the tank and wait. __________________ Why did I start this addictive hobby???????? Its not like I didn't have anything better to do. Link to my DIY HOB Fuge for 4 gallon tank http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1971283 Current Tank Info: 75gal fresh 4 Gallon Pico

12/25/2008, 08:50 PM	#3
ninnybone Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: DuQuoin IL Posts: 11	use what four bait ? __________________ joe Current Tank Info: 75g soon to be reef

12/25/2008, 09:04 PM	#4
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	First of all it's probably not a pistol shrimp as they're pretty benign. Odds are you have a mantis shrimp. I'd recommend you check the Mantis Forum for tips on how to catch it. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

12/25/2008, 10:41 PM	#6
plateboy3293 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hillsborough, New Jersey Posts: 1,038	2+ its a mantis __________________ Wars come and go but my soldiers stay eternal Current Tank Info: 155 gallon bow

12/25/2008, 09:36 PM	#5
Moonstream Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 2,581	pistols arent big fish eaters, I dont think. I would have to agree that he is probably a mantis. for a trap, you could put some thawed, raw shrimp in there.

12/26/2008, 12:22 AM	#7
nikon187 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 4,717	yeah i've never heard of pisols killing fish, just mantis shrimp __________________ ----------------- Current Tanks: New 210 custom 84 x 24 x 24, 60g sump, SWC 250 extreme with bubble blaster 5000, 2 vortech mp40, 2 vortech mp10, 12 T5, Water blaster 5000, warner marine bio pellets, 60g clownfish cube, red carpet anemone with a 25g sump,SRO octopus 1000sss, 250w radium, lumenarc large.

12/26/2008, 12:29 AM	#8
Dante_JoseCuerv Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sugar Grove, IL Posts: 1,214	I'm gonna take a wild guess but I don't think that pistol shrimp is taking anything out. I mean, those things don't very large so the chances that they're able to take out something much larger than them is highly unlikely. I second (or third or fourth?) the mantis.

12/26/2008, 12:30 AM	#9
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	true. but there are some pistols shrimps that don't form partner ships with fish and are actually territorial to anything that enters its burrows. i have a bulls eye pistol that isn't a symbiotic shrimp and he does hammer burrowing gobies until they stress and die. jaw fish don't last. peppermint shrimp he slowly kills off, and snails he'll scavenges after they die from hours of tossing around. had him for 7 yrs now and hes always done this. now if you didnt buy this guy and he was a hitchhiker then you need to consider a mantis for sure! but pistols that are not symbiotic will have high territorial behavior that will stress and kill tank mates. and heck..hes a scavenger so he will then eat what dies. again if u didnt add him or havnt actually gotten a good look at him then consider strongly a mantis! __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol Last edited by reefD; 12/26/2008 at 12:35 AM.

12/26/2008, 06:26 AM	#10
ninnybone Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: DuQuoin IL Posts: 11	its a pistol and hes very mean lol stuff gone missing since the day i put him in there. hes got to go.ive tried water bottle trap before maybe i didnt leave it in there long enough.will try after work hope it work hes already cost me about 200.hes smart __________________ joe Current Tank Info: 75g soon to be reef

12/26/2008, 08:58 AM	#11
plateboy3293 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hillsborough, New Jersey Posts: 1,038	What about a carribean pistol they are shrimp eaters and could probably kill a slow moving fish. __________________ Wars come and go but my soldiers stay eternal Current Tank Info: 155 gallon bow

12/26/2008, 10:50 AM	#12
reefD Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Schenectady,New York Posts: 4,968	thought so. most hobbiest are used to the docile pistols and they dont know about the others. they are small just like the symbiotic shrimp and seem harmless. but once they get established and territorial. they have a tendency to create some havoc. mine looks like this and hes a troublemaker to. live aquria said nothing about this behavior which i believe is because its touch and go. im sure majority of the time they are fine but every now and then you get a guy like the above thread. good luck. __________________ DAVID Current Tank Info: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol

12/26/2008, 11:33 AM	#13
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	we had a similar situation after adding a tiger pistol to our 125 w/ over 200# of LR http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1300956 after mos of deliberation on how to get it out... and various attempts at trapping etc... finally ended up removing the LR and netting the pistol... in the process (of removal - moving LR out/in stirring up sand bed etc) ended up losing several corals - on top of the fish/crabs/shrimp already lost since adding the shrimp... it was then placed in our mini reef (still undecided at the time what to do w/ it) w/ a lone damsel thinking (the damsel) would be safe but literally the next day the damsel was gone... seemingly unreal 'circumstances' related to this particular pistol... finally it ended up here J/K it was given away to a local reefer and believe ended up in a 'specimen' nano tank paired w/ a goby where its (reportedly) since been a 'model' citizen. this particular pistol was not underfed either- almost daily feedings of mysis (shot into the burrow w/ a turkey baster) in an effort to curtail its negative impact on the other inhabitants. although the majority of people (seemingly) have good luck w/ these specimens... there are plenty of those (if this is researched out) who also have problems... and imo there probably many more that are having inhabitants disappearing - not realizing or considering who the culprit may be either! regards