Pistol Shrimp owners

[terraincognita]

I have a Yellow Watchman Goby and i would like to pair him with a Pistol Shrimp.

Just wondering how loud is the click/pop form pistol shrimp. Also how often does the sound occur? Every 5 minutes? Maybe once a night. Twice a week?

Lastly which pistol stays smallest and is most peaceful. Thanks.

If they properly pair having a Goby will mute the pistol shrimp greatly to 1 or 2 pops occasionally sometimes once a week. (that you're around to hear at least in my experience.)

Without a Goby normally when I've had them it's 2-8 times a day of popping. It's pretty infrequent, and the volume is as if you had an empty tank, and dropped a quarter size rock into the water, the "plink" it makes when it hits the bottom, that's like a comparison I guess in loudness, (not sound) It sounds like your glass is cracking, but it's not as loud as if your glass ACTUALLY cracked... if that makes sense....

It's mainly at night, when they become more active, between 1-2 hours before lights out and 1-2 hours after

 

[shakacuz]

i hear my pistol shrimp quite often, actually. more so at night. he’s paired with a female yasha goby.

 

[Bigdaddy05]

I have a tiger pistol with a yellow watchman goby and then another type of pistol shrimp that's really small and I don't remember the name the tiger shoots just about every night and scares me and my wife all the time that the tank is gonna break!

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

If they properly pair having a Goby will mute the pistol shrimp greatly to 1 or 2 pops occasionally sometimes once a week. (that you're around to hear at least in my experience.)

Without a Goby normally when I've had them it's 2-8 times a day of popping. It's pretty infrequent, and the volume is as if you had an empty tank, and dropped a quarter size rock into the water, the "plink" it makes when it hits the bottom, that's like a comparison I guess in loudness, (not sound) It sounds like your glass is cracking, but it's not as loud as if your glass ACTUALLY cracked... if that makes sense....

It's mainly at night, when they become more active, between 1-2 hours before lights out and 1-2 hours after

Aside from a good "get off my lawn" snap when a hermit crab stumbles into his cave, my Tiger likes to give out a big snap within minutes of lights out each night. It's like a massive "shrimp on duty" announcement every night. Don't have to look at the clock to know what time it is! My Randall's gets snappy around feeding time, I suspect because the bristleworms are annoying when you're that small.

Good description of the sound. Sometimes they are shockingly loud for their size, even my Randall's can make you jump! But most of the time I think of it as similar to the sound of someone clipping their nails.

They really are neat little guys. Can't imagine having a tank without a goby/shrimp pair now.

 

[fachatga]

I hear mine all the time. He’s excavated under every rock. I love him. I can hear him from my bedroom upstairs and the tank is downstairs. It’s not super loud but way louder than I would ever expect a tiny shrimp. Friends are always in shock that the snap they just heard was the tiny shrimp.

 

[skylar]

I used to have a Yasha Goby paired with Red Banded Pistol shrimp. You can definitely hear the snap, but it's a pretty low volume snap. Not enough to startle you or annoy you at all. My Red Banded stayed pretty small.

 

[sacutshall]

The snapping is not any louder than snapping you're fingers. Like others have said they hear it more when lights go out. Because some tank mate shelter in his home and they do get use to over night guest after a while. one big pajama party.
I recommend adding one. try to add a piece of flat rock. On witch you can stack other rock on it But not flat and smooth something with some pockets and holes. Once he has dug out a place and if you have sand base. Check with your LFS for hand full of empty snail and hermit crab shells drop them near the entrance. He will use them to sure up his condo. I use crushed coral gravel he has NP with it. He'll even use old frag plugs. I had a 1"sq plug he move inside his condo. He will also do some remolding.

 

[olonmv]

I normally love my tiger pistol but today he played hide the frags and I was mad at him. Found all my frags moved throughout the tank buried in the sand. He mainly snaps at night and it always makes me nervous because it sounds like creaking wood and it makes me think that my homemade stand is falling apart.

 

[bnord]

Have a Yellow watchman and a undescribed pistol from a Rock from KP Aquatics In a 180. Never have seen the Pistol, and clearly not bonded with the goby. Hear it 1-2 times an evening and see minimal Lanscaping. Like hearing it because it reminds me i did not also pick up a Mantis from same KP rock. - smile

Have a tiger and a pale watchman in a 15G WB and the live together and the shrimp have completely terra-formed the tank - photo tomorrow.

No idea what the caloric balance is on this shrimp as all it does in moves sand, positioning coral rubble and Macro algae. Watch this guy all day as it is an office desk tank. Reminds me to be determined at what i do.

So, if you don’t mind surrendering a corner of your tank to constant re-arranging, then go for it.

One of our LFS sells bonded pairs by the way.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

No idea what the caloric balance is on this shrimp as all it does in moves sand, positioning coral rubble and Marco algae. Watch this guy all day as it is an office desk tank. Reminds me to be determined at what i do.

No kidding, I swear they never sleep. Always working! I watched my guy pick up one of my big red-legged hermits the other day and carry him away from the burrow like he was nothing. Apparently the snaps weren't getting the message across! ;Hilarious

 

[fachatga]

My sand sidter star has to ride the glass to get around him. Gets attacked. He’s brutal sometimes.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

I recommend adding one. try to add a piece of flat rock. On witch you can stack other rock on it But not flat and smooth something with some pockets and holes. Once he has dug out a place and if you have sand base. Check with your LFS for hand full of empty snail and hermit crab shells drop them near the entrance. He will use them to sure up his condo. I use crushed coral gravel he has NP with it. He'll even use old frag plugs. I had a 1"sq plug he move inside his condo. He will also do some remolding.

Thought I'd share a picture of my shrimp's latest building project. It's always changing. He's quite the architect! Shells and reef rubble are a shrimp's best friend!