Pistol Shrimp Help!!!

[DisneyMatt10]

Okay, before I give up on this hobby and start ripping the tank apart, I need some help!!

I recently got a pistol shrimp for my tank. I researched them, and I found nothing but good about them, so I went ahead and got one for the tank. . . Well, fast forward a few weeks and he has gone one a murdering spree. He has killed 2 of my fish, he's killed almost all of my hermit crabs, and almost all of my snails, and we came home tonight to find him feasting on one of my emerald crabs. . . I can't take it any longer, he is seriously killing everything in my tank. All I can think to do is to drain the tank, put the fish in quarantine, and kill the shrimp from lack of water. I can take all of my rocks out because they are cemented to the bottom of the tank, and when I try to catch him all he does is run and hides under the rocks. I'm so freaking frustrated I'm about to call it quits.

Can anyone provide me with some advice on what to do that might help talk me off the ledge??

Thanks in advance,
~Matt

 

[meir]

Try like a bottle trap or the like

 

[meir]

It's worked for shrimp before

 

[meir]

Try chasing it in and if that don't work leave good in it

 

[DracoKat]

Im wondering if you got the wrong shrimp by accident.. a mantis shrimp or something. got a photo?

 

[helen ann]

awwwwwww, sorry about your fish!

 

[DisneyMatt10]

Try like a bottle trap or the like

That's on my "to-do" list. I just have to figure out how to do the "bottle trap."

Try chasing it in and if that don't work leave good in it

As soon as I figure out how to make a bottle trap I'll do that!!

Im wondering if you got the wrong shrimp by accident.. a mantis shrimp or something. got a photo?

He'll never come out to be seen. He hides under the rocks, and seriously NEVER comes out. I've only seen him a few times when he comes out a night, and I'll only see a little part of him. Never the full shrimp.

awwwwwww, sorry about your fish!

It is what it is. Is so frustrating. I'm going to try the bottle trap thing, and if that doesn't work then I give up.
~Matt

 

[NanaReefer]

I am very skeptical that it is the Pistol doing all that killing, let alone any killing.
I've been keeping them for 7yrs and never have they killed anything.
Exactly how do you know it's the Pistol? Please don't say you've heard it snapping because mine does it all the time, which doesn't even have an effect on his Goby buddy.

 

[DisneyMatt10]

I am very skeptical that it is the Pistol doing all that killing, let alone any killing.
I've been keeping them for 7yrs and never have they killed anything.
Exactly how do you know it's the Pistol? Please don't say you've heard it snapping because mine does it all the time, which doesn't even have an effect on his Goby buddy.

Okay, I can't say for certain that it's the pistol shrimp, but the pistol shrimp is the ONLY new thing that was added to the tank, and every since he was added things have magically come up missing. No corpses, no nothing. They just vanish. I've never had a problem like this until the pistol shrimp was added. Then today my partner came come and saw the pistol shrimp eating one of the emerald crabs. . . So we've pretty much ruled that it has to be the pistol shrimp, because before we never had any problems, and now fish are just disappearing, and he's been seen eating the emerald crab. . . I have no idea what else could be causing it.
~Matt

 

[NanaReefer]

It's not the Pistol doing the killing I assure you. Scavenging yes.
I'd be checking your parameters, temp, stray voltage, ammonia etc etc.
Check 10-15' around the tank for jumpers. You have cats/dogs.
Try a different LFS for livestock.

 

[lewis.maryann08]

I bet it is a tiger shrimp I had one because my LFS ordered me the wrong one and he never came out either and when he did he was after something he was mean I tore my tank apart to get him out...

 

[TheEngineer]

I had a tiger pistol shrimp for years. It never bothered anything, except my frags it liked to use as doors. I'd like to see a picture too.

 

[Reefapprentice]

Sounds typical of a stomatapod. Heard of pistols taking shrimp and fish that are going out but never healthy active fish. May I ask what fish you have lost to the "pistol"?.

 

[DisneyMatt10]

Sounds typical of a stomatapod. Heard of pistols taking shrimp and fish that are going out but never healthy active fish. May I ask what fish you have lost to the "pistol"?.

A Banggai Cardinalfish, and damsel.

I had a tiger pistol shrimp for years. It never bothered anything, except my frags it liked to use as doors. I'd like to see a picture too.

If I could get a picture for you I would!!! It's white with brown stripes on it, and it's "popping" sound is very noticeable.

~Matt

 

[TheEngineer]

Look like this?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Gobie_and_Shrimp.JPG

 

[DisneyMatt10]

^ Yep!!! With the same looking gobie with it!!
~Matt

 

[NanaReefer]

Your Yellow Watchman Goby would be more threatening to other fish than your pistol. Protecting territory is all. Still wouldn't kill though.
I'd look into other causes.

 

[TheEngineer]

^ Yep!!! With the same looking gobie with it!!
~Matt

Pistols are almost blind, they really aren't hunters. If suspect something else, he may jut be coming in to clean up the mess afterwards.

 

[DisneyMatt10]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm going to keep monitoring the aquairum. I'm glad to know it isn't the shrimp. I'll try to figure out the other cause!!
~Matt

 

[Vincent100]

Iv had a pistol in my tank for well over 6 months that came in a rock
Iv never seen him not even once but I hear him every night snapping away
Iv never lost fish apart from jumpers and ich so Id go with its not the shrimp aswell
Hope you find out what's going on and don't give up .... You'll miss reefing