Pistol shrimp vs. Six-Line Wrasse

[Mogwai]

Bought a Six-line wrasse yesterday and acclimated her. She was fine, looks healthy and swimming all around the rockscape underneath around it observing and picking at copepods, etc. My pistol shrimp is all underneath my rock work burrowing. Lights been on for 3 and half hours and now I can't find my wrasse. Looked last night to see if I could see where it made its home. Couldn't find her. So I'm guessing the Pistol shrimp made a meal out of it. Anyone else have or had this happen to them before?

 

[SlugSnorter]

Wrasses my have gone after pistol, depending on the pistol they could fight. Wrasses also hide sometimes and when added in

 

[Bucs20fan]

I find it highly unlikely that a pistol, even a large one would be able to down a healthy sixline. Remember, pistol shrimp are more or less blind and mainly crustacean hunters. My bet is on the wrasse is hiding because of the tank addition and is pouting. If the wrasse died from something else, then it is possible the pistol drug the body into its burrow for a large meal though.

 

[Bucs20fan]

FWIW when I bought my sixline I didnt see it for well over a week after I added it to the tank.

 

[Mogwai]

Wrasses my have gone after pistol, depending on the pistol they could fight. Wrasses also hide sometimes and when added in

The only things keeping me from fully believing the wrasse is dead is the *Scarlet Skunk cleaner shrimp*, Conch, Hermits and nassarius snails. They smell death fast. Lol

 

[Bucs20fan]

The only things keeping me from fully believing the wrasse is dead is the *Scarlet Skunk cleaner shrimp*, Conch, Hermits and nassarius snails. They smell death fast. Lol

"When in doubt, follow the nassarius" thats how you find a death lol.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

As mentioned, the wrasse is most likely hiding as it gets used to the tank.

Is anyone here actually aware of a case (preferably confirmed by video and/or scientific study) of a goby-paired pistol shrimp (or even one not paired) actively hunting? Because the only confirmed case I can find at the moment is one of an apparently unpaired pistol shrimp killing a cleaner shrimp that came right up to the front of the pistol's burrow.

Between the fact that I can't find any verifiable evidence of these shrimp actively hunting and the fact that their primary diet is thought (with at least one study's worth of supporting evidence) to be their goby partner's feces*, I'm strongly inclined to believe that these shrimp basically go out of their way not to kill most things (but they will defend their territory - i.e. their burrow). So, personally - unless someone has verifiable information that says otherwise - I would guess the odds of a pistol shrimp taking out two fish (including one that is relatively large) while they are not actively encroaching on it's burrow and while it has access to it's primary food source are extremely low. That's not to say it couldn't happen, just that it seems incredibly unlikely.

*Here's the link to the study referenced above:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312094089_A_novel_aspect_of_goby-shrimp_symbiosis_gobies_provide_droppings_in_their_burrows_as_vital_food_for_their_partner_shrimps

 

[Mogwai]

FWIW when I bought my sixline I didnt see it for well over a week after I added it to the tank.

Oh my!... I'm freaking out at 24hrs hours. You said a week. You're stronger than I am. Lol

 

[Bucs20fan]

Oh my!... I'm freaking out at 24hrs hours. You said a week. You're stronger than I am. Lol

You think a week is bad, try buying a firefish goby, aka dart fish. They will hide for weeks sometimes. Lots of our saltwater species are all reef based and they are genetically designed to hide when uncomfortable. How long it takes them to become comfortable is what sets them apart.

 

[Mogwai]

You think a week is bad, try buying a firefish goby, aka dart fish. They will hide for weeks sometimes. Lots of our saltwater species are all reef based and they are genetically designed to hide when uncomfortable. How long it takes them to become comfortable is what sets them apart.

I haven't seen my pistol shrimp either. He usually is excavating 30 minutes after lights come on. Lol. Oh man... this has gotten intense! Lol

 

[Bucs20fan]

I haven't seen my pistol shrimp either. He usually is excavating 30 minutes after lights come on. Lol. Oh man... this has gotten intense! Lol

Pistols are great hiders, best way to keep track of them is buy a shrimp goby. Once they find each other they will be inseparable. And the goby is much easier to spot than the pistol lol.

 

[Mogwai]

Pistols are great hiders, best way to keep track of them is buy a shrimp goby. Once they find each other they will be inseparable. And the goby is much easier to spot than the pistol lol.

I have a yellow watchman Goby for about 8 months now. Had it before the pistol shrimp and as soon as I put the shrimp, he was magnetized to the shrimp instantly.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Thats the tried and true pairing, and a great thing to watch.

 

[MollyDog]

I have a similar set up, my 6 line went missing a few days ago and I’m currently trying to pretend I know why. I have a 20 gallon with a brittle star, BT anemone, and a pistol shrimp that you can hear 20-30 times a day clicking.. as well as some porous rock work. So I’m wondering if he got stuck, consumed or if he’s just hiding still…

 

[jmichaelh7]

It’s most likely in the sand bed

I don’t think a pistol would go after and demolish

 

[homer1475]

More then likely the six line is hiding in the sandbed.

I've had sand sleepers hide for a couple weeks at at time, only to emerge looking totally fine.

I would use a red flashlight, and search at night.

A pistol shrimp cannot kill a healthy fish the size of a six line. The six line on the other hand, can most certainly kill the pistol.

 

[Troylee]

A couple months down the road you’ll wish that sixline “ missile with Teeth” never re appeared in your tank… it doesn’t play well with others..

 

[MollyDog]

Ok fair enough I poked around yesterday for a little bit but with no luck. I have a strong number of Nass. Snails so assume if he did parish in the tank he wouldn’t last long. Starting to think the BTA might have got him?

 

[Bucs20fan]

Ok fair enough I poked around yesterday for a little bit but with no luck. I have a strong number of Nass. Snails so assume if he did parish in the tank he wouldn’t last long. Starting to think the BTA might have got him?

BTA is pretty unlikely, BTA are probably the least likely to eat a fish anemone. Rock flowers eat more fish than BTA's do, and thats saying something. Only way the BTA would have gotten it is if it was dead and flow brought it to the nem. More than likely it passed away and your CUC did its job.

After seeing it in "live action" people really underestimate how quickly nassarius snails alone can eat a dead fish.

 

[homer1475]

Worse thing you can do to an already stressed sand sleeper is to go poking around in the sand to try and spook them out.

Just leave him be. He'll either emerge like nothing, or it's dead. My money is just hiding in the sand till it de-stresses.