How To Feed Pistol Shrimp?

[Tnops]

Hello, I got a pistol shrimp without a goby and I havent seen it since I put it in the tank. I think I know where its burrow is. Do I just use a baster and blast melted frozen food into that hole or is there something better that I can do? Can't get a goby at the moment.

tank is 75 gallons

 

[Chrisv.]

Hello, I got a pistol shrimp without a goby and I havent seen it since I put it in the tank. I think I know where its burrow is. Do I just use a baster and blast melted frozen food into that hole or is there something better that I can do? Can't get a goby at the moment.

tank is 75 gallons

I do pellets for the pistol. I have a long thin acrylic tube and I drop a few pellets at the mouth of his den. I first did it at night. Now he comes out when the light are on.

 

[Tnops]

I do pellets for the pistol. I have a long thin acrylic tube and I drop a few pellets at the mouth of his den. I first did it at night. Now he comes out when the light are on.

you think it will take sinking algae wafers?

 

[davidcalgary29]

you think it will take sinking algae wafers?

These are better.

 

[Chrisv.]

I use tdo chroma boost for mine. That and new life spectrum.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Mine just scavenges on the fish food or whatever else is on the bottom.

 

[Chrisv.]

I should add that mine was living in a tank with no fish, so there was nothing to scavenge.

 

[Tnops]

I should add that mine was living in a tank with no fish, so there was nothing to scavenge.

yea same situation. Only got snails and cleaner shrimps in there

 

[Sharkbait19]

Mine was in my tank while it was fallow for a bit. Ravaged the bristleworm population though.

 

[Tnops]

Mine was in my tank while it was fallow for a bit. Ravaged the bristleworm population though.

Yea I only added it now as my fish are in QT because of velvet and the DT is still going fallow so that I don’t have to QT the pistol as it is the last invert I’m adding

 

[Beau_B]

I never directly feed my Randall's. It went through a 3mo fallow period too. I dropped some pellets in occasionally during that time, but I have yet to ever see it come out and grab anything.

I think I read somewhere they tunnel in such a manner to create flow that carries food bits through. I could also be completely making that up.

 

[Tnops]

I’ve noticed a bloom in isopod, hydroid, and copepod population after fallowing. Maybe the pistol shrimp can survive off them? Haha

 

[Karen00]

I use the same wafers as @davidcalgary29 uses. Any sinking wafer for carnivores will be fine. I put one just outside his burrow everyday and I see him pull it in. I also have a goby paired with him so I also target feed mysis and other frozen food into the burrow so my pistol might also be getting some of that but he's for sure taking the pellets. He came out the other day and I'm quite shocked at how big he's gotten. He's still small but has easily grown 1/4" more. He must be molting in his burrow.

 

[Tnops]

I use the same wafers as @davidcalgary29 uses. Any sinking wafer for carnivores will be fine. I put one just outside his burrow everyday and I see him pull it in. I also have a goby paired with him so I also target feed mysis and other frozen food into the burrow so my pistol might also be getting some of that but he's for sure taking the pellets. He came out the other day and I'm quite shocked at how big he's gotten. He's still small but has easily grown 1/4" more. He must be molting in his burrow.

ok, I'll look to get a small bag of some carnivore sinking pellets

 

[fachatga]

I’ve never target fed my pistol nor ywg. The gobi swims to get food sometimes and the shrimp just scavenges

 

[Karen00]

I’ve never target fed my pistol nor ywg. The gobi swims to get food sometimes and the shrimp just scavenges

I'm paranoid about all of my burrowing or cryptic creatures starving so I target feed. They probably get enough food but I don't risk it. I know how quickly they can go downhill if they aren't getting enough food. You're probably correct in the way you do it. I guess I picked up the habit from my freshwater tanks with gobies. They aren't scavengers nor do they swim far for food so I have to target feed just to be safe. My saltwater Hi Fin is pleasantly plump and I'm fine with that and my pistol appears to be growing. Haha