Red Banded Pistol Shrimp Aggression?

[Crested]

Hey everyone, I plan on setting up a 13.5 gallon nano tank and want to stock it with
- 1 firefish goby
- 1 YWG
- 1 Red banded pistol shrimp

I have seen some things saying that pistol shrimp can be aggressive and kill inverts and sometimes other fish. I was just wondering if this is true or if it's just a luck thing? Like depends on the personality of the shrimp? Is 13.5 gallons too small? I saw that the red banded is generally more peaceful and smaller than others like the tiger. Im really hoping for a nice peaceful tank and would love to see the shrimp/goby relationship. Thanks in advance

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I don't think you will have any issues with a red banded/peppermint pistol shrimp other than it occasionally deciding to cover up any sand bed corals with sand, and clicking of course

 

[norfolkgarden]

The tiny randalls pistol shrimp is supposed to be great and not cause problems. Lots of people rave about them.[emoji846]
No personal experience.

The 1.5" 'red' pistol shrimp caused problems.
Personal experience! Grrrr

Positive ID is *very* important.
[emoji846]

 

[mta_morrow]

I have had both tiger and candy cane / red handed pistols with gobies.

I had to remove the tiger who I named “Bob the Builder”. They are larger than the candy cane and can move some serious amounts of sand.

I currently have 2 candy canes in my current tank paired up with gobies and the sand movement is minimal and localized.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Your red banded pistol shrimp will not be an issue and is an excellent choice. I have the same combination of shrimp & goby and once they build their home the shrimp will rarely venture more than half its body length outside the hole.

 

[mta_morrow]

Your red banded pistol shrimp will not be an issue and is an excellent choice. I have the same combination of shrimp & goby and once they build their home the shrimp will rarely venture more than half its body length outside the hole.

^^^^^^Yup!

 

[Crested]

Your red banded pistol shrimp will not be an issue and is an excellent choice. I have the same combination of shrimp & goby and once they build their home the shrimp will rarely venture more than half its body length outside the hole.

Awesome, glad to hear that! Just a quick question, do you kind of target feed yours? Or do they venture out to pick up the pieces on the bottom?

 

[wesman42]

I had a pistol shrimp get eaten by an eel...it was a tiger pistol. I'm actually kinda glad it got eaten because after reading about them I came to a similar conclusion that they're not very nice to have around.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Awesome, glad to hear that! Just a quick question, do you kind of target feed yours? Or do they venture out to pick up the pieces on the bottom?

I initially target fed it. But luckily for me it settled in the center front part of the tank and food generally floats past him each time I feed. He'll come away now from his hole 8-12" to retrieve food during feeding. I never feed the pistol - I assume he's chowing down on goby poo, fauna in my sand, and the occasional foodstuff he grabs when it ends up near the opening.

 

[Pbh-reef]

Just want to ask the folks on this thread a question- I suspect my candy cane pistol has killed my skunk cleaner shrimp in my nuvo 10. How worried Should I be that the pistol will kill fish once I had them to the tank?

 

[norfolkgarden]

Just want to ask the folks on this thread a question- I suspect my candy cane pistol has killed my skunk cleaner shrimp in my nuvo 10. How worried Should I be that the pistol will kill fish once I had them to the tank?

Very. Based on the tank size and the nano fish that will do well in that size tank.
3 inch fish normally have little to worry about.

Watch "Pistol Shrimp sonic weapon - Weird Nature - BBC wildlife" on YouTube

The cleaner shrimp was natural prey. Nano fish are a bit outside natural prey but on the list if they harass the pistol shrimp.
It's hard for them to avoid each other in a 10 gallon tank.

Have you considered a yasha gobi to go with the candy cane pistol shrimp?

Not a lot of movement but a happy duo for a tiny tank.[emoji846]

 

[Pbh-reef]

Ok thanks. I am planning on adding a high fin or similar shrimp goby and a couple of other small fish. I had thought the Randall’s pistol was a safe option for fish. Not sure what to do now.

 

[Katrina71]

Ok thanks. I am planning on adding a high fin or similar shrimp goby and a couple of other small fish. I had thought the Randall’s pistol was a safe option for fish. Not sure what to do now.

Get the pair! I have a hi fin and candy cane that barely move anything. The coolest relationship! My son has a large hateful female watchman and tiger pistol. The pistol actually protected the goby when she was badly stung by his BTA. He made sand dunes around her.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Ok thanks. I am planning on adding a high fin or similar shrimp goby and a couple of other small fish. I had thought the Randall’s pistol was a safe option for fish. Not sure what to do now.

You are doing well.

Lol, The Randalls *is* the safest. But they are still a predator.

I do not miss our 3" pistol shrimp. That was a really good predator. [emoji53]

The gobies you mention to pair with the pistol shrimp will be nice and perhaps a purple fire fish that stays high up in the water column should be fine. A bonded pair might still squeeze into that tank but you will have to watch filtration like a hawk.

Keep in mind you will be near maximum bioload at that point with just 1 purple fire fish.
[emoji846]

 

[FreeEnergyReefer]

I have a pair of ywg's & a candycane pistol in a 75 w/ 2 clown pairs a mandarin pair a fire shrimp n snails,crabs n snails in the fuge w/ a small 6 line I have to find a home for. They all get along great been thinking about adding another candycane pistol n fire shrimp so everyone would be paired up haven't found the perfect candidates yet.