Adding a tiger pistol shrimp was a huge mistake - anyone else?

[lba4590]

My tiger pistol shrimp is the WORST. No one warned me.. Just sharing in case anyone decides this will be a peaceful critter to add! You might get lucky, but I’m really really regretting my decision not to wait until I found a nice little Randall’s.

Three days ago, he murdered my beloved female yasha goby whom he’s shared a home with for the past 5 months. I found her stunned in the middle of the tank, barely alive, fins ripped to nubs and the pistol shrimp out of his hole (really unusual) picking at her fins. I don’t have proof this is what happened, but I have no other explanation, she was extremely healthy.

Not only that, but I’ve lost $100s worth of frags to this stupid shrimp. First night I put some frags on the sandbed, all 4 were gone by morning. Sometimes he’s nice enough to return the empty frag plugs after they’ve died. And so of course I learned to glue everything down.. and he learned to pull them off the rocks.. today I saw him trying his absolute hardest to pull one of my big RFAs into his burrow and probably damaged it in the process... UGH. Oh and yes he has plenty of shells and rubble scattered around the tank, but he REALLY likes those frag plugs.

Am I the only one with this experience? Was I just unlucky enough to get an evil rogue shrimp?

 

[aurora.k]

Um, my tiger is a total little gentleman (or lady?). It has never done any of those things not the past 3 years - probably full size at three inches or so for a while (at least a year) was with a yellow watchman that I sadly lost to a tank lid incident and now for two years a blue spot watchman. do you have a deep sand bed? Mine normally is fine just to excavate - then re-excavate, then move and remodel - and so on.

 

[Jedi Knghit]

I received a pistol shrimp with some rocks I received from KP Aquatics, so I did some research before deciding what to do with him. There are some stories out there about evil pistol shrimp, but who knows if the shrimp is really the problem or just taking advantage of an easy meal with a dying fish nearby. I decided to put him in the DT after he molted in a QT. He darted the full length of the tank, half way back across then turned and was heading the other direction again. He was passing in front of the rock my Molly Miller likes to hang out on. Two vicious hits later and he was a tasty snack.

 

[Sharkbait19]

My tiger pistol has killed some Xenia, but nothing too big. He almost killed my brain coral, but I've since learned to put frags on the side that he isn't. I too wish I held out for a Randalli

 

[vabben]

Wow! My Tiger Pistol is a model citizen. He used to throw sand onto my scoly that was near his cave until I moved it. Other than that he defiantly hoards snail shells.

 

[Redfoxtang]

Crazy I’ve honestly never heard of a pistol doing such things. Besides making caves and throwing sand everywhere. But mine usually hides in his caves and rarely comes out. Sucks yours is complete opposite.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I called mine wall-e because much like wall-e he finds both inexpensive and expensive artifacts and hoards them. He also likes to push garbage out into the open. He’s annoying, but fun.

I need to get him a goby so that he’s less skittish though.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Yesterday he did this, proving my point further.

 

[Arabyps]

My Tiger Snapping Shrimp never causes a problem. He is more "heard than seen" with his loud snapping. He hides in caves during the day and forages for left over food that settles on the sand bed at night. He doesn't bother the other livestock.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Mine is okay ish, I lost a couple zoa frags on plugs that weren't securely stuck on the lower rocks and just resting (so I thought) out of reach, I'm assuming the nosey hermits had knocked it onto the sand bed and I never saw them again, well until last weekend when it must have been having a spring clean as 4 empty shells and 2 empty frag plugs reappeared 2 years later.

 

[vabben]

I called mine wall-e because much like wall-e he finds both inexpensive and expensive artifacts and hoards them. He also likes to push garbage out into the open. He’s annoying, but fun.

I need to get him a goby so that he’s less skittish though.

LOL! Mine is still pretty skittish with his Goby. But does come out during feeding time.

I will be curious to see his shell hoard when I upgrade.

 

[Trouble1375]

We had one that killed 3 small damsels and drug the carcasses into his cave to snack on. He also constantly moved around the GSP. We have since re-aquascaped the entire tank and I only see his wide-barred Goby still using the same cave - no signs (visual or sounds) of the Pistol. Not sure if he got spooked out of his cave and got crushed when we moved everything or what but the GSP no longer gets moved and we haven't lost any more small fish. We didn't move the rocks immediately around his known cave entrances because we were trying to protect him even though he did manage to kill a few fish. If we get another one, it'll be a small one - not one that is 3".