Pistol shrimp kills everything!?

[ReeferHolland]

My pistol shrimp killed my blood shrimp 2 days ago and now he killed my cleaner shrimp and eats it together with my blue hermit. LFS told me it nothing like that could probably happen...
So now I don't want him anymore because I really liked my cleaner shrimp.
He is also constantly snapping at my clowns. They are the only 2 fish in the tank and I'm affraid he will kill one of them very soon, is this possible?
I somehow managed to see him snapping at my clowns at night. When they sleep they are just wobbling around the tank very slowly and when they swim by and accidently touch one of his feelers he instantly snaps at the fish.
What is the probability that he kills one or both of my clowns? Seems very high to me
And how can I catch my pistol shrimp if I want to?

Is there any way to introduce new cleaner shrimp without getting killed by the pistol shrimp?

My tank is a redsea 200L

 

[jpark457]

Mine stays in a burrow behind a YWG at all times. He’s the only shrimp but I have a few crabs he hasn’t bothered. Mine is a candy cand / randals? Red and white stripes and tiny. He came as a hitchhiker w a coral on a rock I bought from a tank breakdown. I do hear snaps relatively often at night

 

[OrchidMiss]

Personally, I'd feed him more. Larger chunks of shrimp, scallops, clams, whichever.

 

[ReeferHolland]

Personally, I'd feed him more. Larger chunks of shrimp, scallops, clams, whichever.

I want to feed more but I keep having bacterial blooms/outbreaks after doing that. Also because he killed both my shrimps the waste is now causing another bacterial bloom. My water parameters are good though. 0 ammonia or nitrite, 5 nitrate, 0 phosphate.

 

[OrchidMiss]

I want to feed more but I keep having bacterial blooms/outbreaks after doing that. Also because he killed both my shrimps the waste is now causing another bacterial bloom. My water parameters are good though. 0 ammonia or nitrite, 5 nitrate, 0 phosphate.

Ok, let me clarify.
Don't feed the whole tank, and only use a piece of food no larger than the size of half your pinky nail. Use tongs, and let him "hunt" it outside of his lair. I would do this every other day until he refuses the food.

 

[ReeferHolland]

Ok, let me clarify.
Don't Fred the whole tank, and only use a piece of food no larger than the size of half your pinky nail. Use tongs, and let him "hunt" it outside of his lair. I would do this every other day until he refuses the food.

Okay thanks, I understand. But my clowns also chase that food and I'm still affraid he kills them. So I should feed them first I guess?

Whats your advice about feeding the rest of my 200L tank? I have 2 clowns, the killer shrimp, 8 snails, 2 blue hermits of 2 and 4cm and 2 small 1cm halloween hermits.
Theres also 3 tiny ricordea florida and a small discosoma. The biggest one is like 2,5cm. Do they consume anything? Is a weekly 10% waterchange enough?

I currently feed the fish frozen food and small pellets, and some pellets for the hermits

 

[OrchidMiss]

Lol if you're quick, the shrimp won't let the clowns get too close. They will learn better very quickly. Watch your inverts, tho. If you don't keep him fed, your clean up crew will disappear.
How old is your tank?

 

[OrchidMiss]

What I've done in the past (I have a trigger, hawk, and a pair of clowns) is to use the tongs and let everyone else rip it apart. They will quickly get disinterested, and you can feed the shrimp easily. Just be sure not to leave any uneaten pieces in there

 

[ReeferHolland]

Lol if you're quick, the shrimp won't let the clowns get too close. They will learn better very quickly. Watch your inverts, tho. If you don't keep him fed, your clean up crew will disappear.
How old is your tank?

Yes thats what I suspected. I think I'm going to get rid of him. I like a more peacefull tank. Cleaner shrimp are way funnier imo. Will the pistol shrimp kill hermits and snails too?

My tank is like 3 months old. Never experienced any ugly stage (yet). No algae. Only the bacterial blooms after overfeeding. They magically disappear after a few days with some carbon and a new filter sock and a 20% waterchange.

Wanna know the "secret" recipe?

 

[ReeferHolland]

What I've done in the past (I have a trigger, hawk, and a pair of clowns) is to use the tongs and let everyone else rip it apart. They will quickly get disinterested, and you can feed the shrimp easily. Just be sure not to leave any uneaten pieces in there

What are the tongs?

 

[TigerReef]

Do you have a Goby to pair with your Pistol Shrimp? Pistol shrimp cannot see and rely on the Goby to protect it and bring food to their lair.

 

[pshootr]

What are the tongs?

Large tweezers

 

[TheyGaveItToMe]

Do you have a Goby to pair with your Pistol Shrimp? Pistol shrimp cannot see and rely on the Goby to protect it and bring food to their lair.

Having a pistol shrimp without a goby, is the same as letting your cranky blind grandfather out in public without his nurse. He will literally just roam around screaming at "these dang kids" to "get off his lawn".

 

[TigerReef]

Having a pistol shrimp without a goby, is the same as letting your cranky blind grandfather out in public without his nurse. He will literally just roam around screaming at "these dang kids" to "get off his lawn".

...a cranky blind grandfather with a loaded... wait for it... pistol! Boom.

 

[taricha]

What kind of pistol shrimp exactly?
This really doesn't sound like any of the mellow alpheus randalli that I've had - like in @TigerReef post.

(though mine had always been paired with a shrimp goby)

 

[Tamberav]

My pistol shrimp killed my blood shrimp 2 days ago and now he killed my cleaner shrimp and eats it together with my blue hermit. LFS told me it nothing like that could probably happen...
So now I don't want him anymore because I really liked my cleaner shrimp.
He is also constantly snapping at my clowns. They are the only 2 fish in the tank and I'm affraid he will kill one of them very soon, is this possible?
I somehow managed to see him snapping at my clowns at night. When they sleep they are just wobbling around the tank very slowly and when they swim by and accidently touch one of his feelers he instantly snaps at the fish.
What is the probability that he kills one or both of my clowns? Seems very high to me
And how can I catch my pistol shrimp if I want to?

Is there any way to introduce new cleaner shrimp without getting killed by the pistol shrimp?

My tank is a redsea 200L

Can we get a pic of the shrimp?

Not all of them pair with fish and not all are safe.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

do you have any caves in your tank? It sounds like the pistol shrimp is out in the open all the time, its not normal, it should go hide under a rock most of the time.

Are you sure its a pistol and not a mantis

 

[aws2266]

I had a pistol shrimp do the same thing, actually ended up killing fish as well. Lost clownfish, emerald crab, damsel and various other inverts. I ended up pulling him and his goby out of my 120g and putting them in their own fluval 13.5g. Mysterious deaths stopped occurring when I did that.

 

[Cell]

Pistols shrimp in our tanks don't kill fish. They certainly couldn't harm an emerald crab. Snails and other small shrimp are fair game.

 

[ReeferHolland]

do you have any caves in your tank? It sounds like the pistol shrimp is out in the open all the time, its not normal, it should go hide under a rock most of the time.

Are you sure its a pistol and not a mantis

Yes its a pistol Im sure. It does hide all the time and makes holes, his feelers come out of the hole.
I cant find him anymore now. He left the spot where he killed 2 shrimps