Pistol shrimp with Valentini puffer?

macyjones1984 · Oct 1, 2024

Hi, I have a 35 gallon with just a few fish, mostly corals. I already have a valentini & a Randall’s goby. I am wondering whether a pistol shrimp would be safe with the puffer in the tank. This one has eaten all of my emerald crabs. I’m not sure if the shrimp & goby will be able to hold their own. The goby has set himself up in a kind of isolated rock cove, but the puffer does sometimes cruise down there. Any thoughts appreciated!

revhtree · Oct 1, 2024

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Max19 · Oct 1, 2024

macyjones1984 said:
Hi, I have a 35 gallon with just a few fish, mostly corals. I already have a valentini & a Randall’s goby. I am wondering whether a pistol shrimp would be safe with the puffer in the tank. This one has eaten all of my emerald crabs. I’m not sure if the shrimp & goby will be able to hold their own. The goby has set himself up in a kind of isolated rock cove, but the puffer does sometimes cruise down there. Any thoughts appreciated!

Hey macyjones, I have a 26 gallon with a pistol shrimp watchman goby pair, and while I don’t have a puffer or anything scarier than 2 clownfish, I can say with certainty that as long as you have a good amount of rock work in the tank, they should be just fine. The pistol shrimp love digging caves and both the goby and pistol shrimp will spend most of their time in the cave, and they will always stay close to the entrance so if something comes near they can dart back to safety. Just make sure your rocks are glued because the amount of digging is unreal. Also make sure you get a breed that can pair with gobies (ex: tiger pistol). The whole point of the relationship is that they will work together to stay safe from predators. So long as your puffer isn’t flipping rocks over it should be all good. However do note I know nothing about puffer care/dangers and can only speak to the pistol shrimp/goby info, so I’d wait to hear from someone who has a puffer before pulling the trigger.

vetteguy53081 · Oct 1, 2024

vetteguy53081 · Oct 1, 2024

macyjones1984 said:
Hi, I have a 35 gallon with just a few fish, mostly corals. I already have a valentini & a Randall’s goby. I am wondering whether a pistol shrimp would be safe with the puffer in the tank. This one has eaten all of my emerald crabs. I’m not sure if the shrimp & goby will be able to hold their own. The goby has set himself up in a kind of isolated rock cove, but the puffer does sometimes cruise down there. Any thoughts appreciated!

I dont see an issue with this especially if the shrimp is in the tank first