Goby and Pistol Shrimp, input please

[Jobet]

Ive noticed that different folks have an array of different goby/pistol shrimp pairings in their respective tanks. Im setting up my first reef tank (jbj 28 cube) and i want a pair in my tank. Im leaning towards tropic eden mesoflake dry sand (2.7mm).
Is this grain size too coarse for the borrowing habits of the shrimp?
Also, how do i pair them, or will it occur naturally?
Is there a strong chance they won't pair up?
What's the life expectancy of the shrimp?
And lastly, what's your favorite pistol shrimp/goby combo?

Im relatively new to all this, so if i dont make sense, kindly let me know please, lol.

 

[Tahoe61]

Ive noticed that different folks have an array of different goby/pistol shrimp pairings in their respective tanks. Im setting up my first reef tank (jbj 28 cube) and i want a pair in my tank. Im leaning towards tropic eden mesoflake dry sand (2.7mm).
Is this grain size too coarse for the borrowing habits of the shrimp?
Also, how do i pair them, or will it occur naturally?
Is there a strong chance they won't pair up?
What's the life expectancy of the shrimp?
And lastly, what's your favorite pistol shrimp/goby combo?

Im relatively new to all this, so if i dont make sense, kindly let me know please, lol.

The finer the gran of sand may cause increase cloudiness when the pistol is at work. Pistol shrimp are incredible diggers, I would not be concerned regarding that choice of sand. I could tell when my pistol shrimp was molting because the water quality was notably improved.
I had a Tiger Pistol and a Yellow Watchmen Goby in my JBJ 28, it worked well.
They will pair naturally.
No idea the life span of pistol shrimp, I would hazard to guess more than a couple years.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I've had pistol shrimps last as little as a couple of months or as long as a year and half, but there is potential for one living longer than that. I always replace them so my goby has a little buddy to take care of, plus it's my favorite animal partnership in nature and it's fun to watch They usually pair up in a few days but I've also had them pair up in seconds after the shrimp was introduced.

My current pairing is a Randall's Goby and Tiger Pistol Shrimp but be aware that the bigger the pistol shrimp the more likely it is to do things like eat starfish and snails, move around or even bury corals, and create massive dust storms. My current shrimp was a model citizen when I first got it, but it has recently developed a taste for starfish and as such killed my red fromia star and 3 year old sand sifting star.

If you want a really awesome smaller pair, I would get a yasha or yellow rose goby and a peppermint pistol shrimp.

If money isn't as much of an issue, there's also the white cap goby and it's preferred pistol shrimp species, they are almost always sold as a pair but can be somewhat difficult to keep and would be better suited for a mature aquarium.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I have a YWG and Randall pistol. My sand is very course and contains a lot of shell fragments. The pistol uses these to create support structures around the entrance. Really cool to watch.

You can pair them in a smaller QT tank in a Tupperware filled with sand and a rock and let them develop a relationship in a smaller environment before putting them in the DT. Not sure if that really helps or not but mine stayed together upon introduction into the larger tank.

 

[Daydream Corals]

They will find each other naturally. Usually within the first 48 hours have been in my case the three different times I've had a watchman goby and pistol shrimp. I assume if its going to be for a nano tank they will find each other. good luck !

 

[Jobet]

Good stuff, thanks!

 

[Susan Edwards]

I have a barber shop goby and a pistol shrimp. I knew where the pistol had it's burrow so when I added the goby, I released at the burrow. Love at first sight.

 

[Dash]

My YWG / fine-striped pistol pair were the first guys in my first tank, and they’re going strong after 2 1/2 years. The shrimp was quite tiny but has since more than doubled its size. They had a 4-month separation due to the YWG’s stay in a hospital tank (the pistol hid for the entire 4 months). During that time I upgraded to a 6-foot tank. They managed to re-unite after the YWG was put into the new tank and wandered around all night. Love conquers all;Smuggrin

Their relationship is fascinating to observe.

Blondie & Snape (and Peach):

 

[BestMomEver]

Just a suggestion... pistol shrimp can do a number on aquascaping. Rock collapses aren’t uncommon. To combat this, we took 2” pvc and sliced it into little round sections about an inch tall (think doughnut). We pressed them into the sand and set the live rock on top. That way the shrimp can dig to his heart’s content, making a little maze to play in. And best of all, my rock doesn’t collapse!