Are pistol shrimp/goby pairs a good idea?

Sk8r · 03/13/2014, 11:18 PM

They're kind of fun if you have a small tank, one under 50 gallons---that you can unbuild if you have to, in order to catch the shrimp.

If you get up into the 50's and above, there is so much rockwork some of the downsides of the pairing start to come home.

Pistol shrimp can turn killer when they grow larger: tiger pistols I know for a fact can become a major problem. I had one kill his goby 'friend'---a fish I was quite fond of---and then go on to kill two dartfish and another goby before I could track him down and take him back to the lfs.

Candycane pistols can also be a problem if you have a drilled tank with overflow slits: right straight into the sump/fuge, and not long for this world if they get swept up by the pump.

g

03/13/2014, 11:18 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Are pistol shrimp/goby pairs a good idea? They're kind of fun if you have a small tank, one under 50 gallons---that you can unbuild if you have to, in order to catch the shrimp. If you get up into the 50's and above, there is so much rockwork some of the downsides of the pairing start to come home. Pistol shrimp can turn killer when they grow larger: tiger pistols I know for a fact can become a major problem. I had one kill his goby 'friend'---a fish I was quite fond of---and then go on to kill two dartfish and another goby before I could track him down and take him back to the lfs. Candycane pistols can also be a problem if you have a drilled tank with overflow slits: right straight into the sump/fuge, and not long for this world if they get swept up by the pump. g __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.