Best type of aragonite substrate for a pistol shrimp?

Toxic Slurpee · 05/25/2012, 10:42 AM

I am in the process of setting up a new 90 gallon and one of the things I'd like to put into it is a YWG/Pistol Shrimp combo.

What's the best type of substrate for the shrimp to dig in? And how deep should I make the substrate bed?

Sugar Magnolia · 05/25/2012, 10:50 AM

I used Carib-sea special grade sea floor aragonite along with a smaller grain size. .05-2.0 mm grain sizes. The pistol will use the larger pieces to construct the burrow entrances. A depth of about 1 1/2-2" will be fine. Prepare for an ever shifting sand bed.

SweetTang · 05/25/2012, 12:53 PM

Don't forget to brace all your rocks!!!! I have PVC under mine......PS are like little bulldozers who are never satisfied with their burrow. Also, don't put any small frags on the sand bed.....he will drag them in his burrow and use them to block the entrances at night.

The pros out-weigh the cons for me....I love my YWG and PS pair!

disc1 · 05/25/2012, 07:11 PM

Ditto to what both those folks said and I'll add to be sure to give him plenty of rock pieces and pebbles to drag around and build with or it will use your favorite frag as a brace or a door to the tunnel.

How they always know which frag is your current favorite is beyond me. But they always do.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Agu · 05/25/2012, 08:15 PM

Add some rubble for the pistol shrimp to build it's tunnels. The more building materials it has the less likely it is to grab frags.

05/25/2012, 10:42 AM	#1
Toxic Slurpee Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 115	Best type of aragonite substrate for a pistol shrimp? I am in the process of setting up a new 90 gallon and one of the things I'd like to put into it is a YWG/Pistol Shrimp combo. What's the best type of substrate for the shrimp to dig in? And how deep should I make the substrate bed?

05/25/2012, 10:50 AM	#2
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	I used Carib-sea special grade sea floor aragonite along with a smaller grain size. .05-2.0 mm grain sizes. The pistol will use the larger pieces to construct the burrow entrances. A depth of about 1 1/2-2" will be fine. Prepare for an ever shifting sand bed. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

05/25/2012, 07:11 PM	#4
disc1 -RT * ln(k) Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Little Rock Posts: 9,705	Ditto to what both those folks said and I'll add to be sure to give him plenty of rock pieces and pebbles to drag around and build with or it will use your favorite frag as a brace or a door to the tunnel. How they always know which frag is your current favorite is beyond me. But they always do. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2 __________________ David Current Tank: Undergoing reconstruction...

05/25/2012, 08:15 PM	#5
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Add some rubble for the pistol shrimp to build it's tunnels. The more building materials it has the less likely it is to grab frags. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

05/25/2012, 12:53 PM	#3
SweetTang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 198	Don't forget to brace all your rocks!!!! I have PVC under mine......PS are like little bulldozers who are never satisfied with their burrow. Also, don't put any small frags on the sand bed.....he will drag them in his burrow and use them to block the entrances at night. The pros out-weigh the cons for me....I love my YWG and PS pair!