Buying a Pistol Shrimp

[Bear Claw]

I'm trying to buy a Randal's Pistol Shrimp as soon as possible for my Yasha Goby. None of my LFSs have any. Anyone know the best place to buy them online? Or should I just wait for my LFSs to have them in stock? FYI it could be a while before the LFSs have them.

 

[afrokobe]

I have ordered them from reefcleaners before and got a healthy specimen. Generally I try to buy my inverts at LFS, you could try seeing if they can special order one for you? I got one my others one through that way

 

[Andreas' Reef]

If you're in Raleigh I would say you could order them at liveaquaria since they have them at a decent price.

saltwaterfish.com has them at a decent price as well

 

[afrokobe]

I got my yasha through saltwaterfish. It was delayed overnight and still arrived healthy

 

[Andreas' Reef]

I live in Canada so I wouldn't know but I'm just going off what I've heard.

 

[Bear Claw]

I have ordered them from reefcleaners before and got a healthy specimen. Generally I try to buy my inverts at LFS, you could try seeing if they can special order one for you? I got one my others one through that way

I tired that. They said their supplier didn't have any available. I will check out reef cleaners

 

[afrokobe]

I tired that. They said their supplier didn't have any available. I will check out reef cleaners

ah ok, it could be seasonal... irrc last year I was looking around the same time and I think i had trouble finding them around too. When fall hits, I think there were a lot more randalls around

 

[Bear Claw]

If you're in Raleigh I would say you could order them at liveaquaria since they have them at a decent price.

saltwaterfish.com has them at a decent price as well

It doesn't look like live aquaria sells them

 

[Bear Claw]

ah ok, it could be seasonal... irrc last year I was looking around the same time and I think i had trouble finding them around too. When fall hits, I think there were a lot more randalls around

Yea that's what they said too. That's why I was gonna try and find one online

 

[Andreas' Reef]

ah ok, it could be seasonal... irrc last year I was looking around the same time and I think i had trouble finding them around too. When fall hits, I think there were a lot more randalls around

Yeah the species tend to fall back a bit in the Fall if that makes sense. They become more reclusive. Could be seasonal but sometimes divers have a hard time.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Yea that's what they said too. That's why I was gonna try and find one online

https://www.saltwaterfish.com/product-pistol-shrimp-randalli
Sorry, i was looking at a tiger pistol but I found one on saltwaterfish

 

[XtraKargo]

I'd order one online, and take the chance. I waited 2-3 months for my LFS to get a Candy Cane shrimp while my yasha was in the tank. It later died, either due to a fish fight, or from an article I read in Coral mag they get stressed without their pistol shrimp teammate. I think a shrimp does fine w/o the goby, but not vice-versa.

Good luck in your search! Please keep us updated on how it goes.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

I'd order one online, and take the chance. I waited 2-3 months while my yasha was in the tank. It later died, either due to a fish fight, or from an article I read in Coral mag they get stressed without their pistol shrimp teammate. I think a shrimp does fine w/o the goby, but not vice-versa.

Good luck in your search! Please keep us updated on how it goes.

Gobies and shrimps are meant for each other. If a goby dies, the shrimp gets disoriented and starts moving heaps of sand around knocking over rocks. Gobies get stressed without a shrimp and stay in their cave all the time. When my goby didnt have a shrimp it never came out. now my goby spends most of its time outside the cave.

 

[Bear Claw]

Anyone have any experience with blue zoo aquatics? They have them in stock and their prices are much more reasonable

 

[Bear Claw]

I have ordered them from reefcleaners before and got a healthy specimen. Generally I try to buy my inverts at LFS, you could try seeing if they can special order one for you? I got one my others one through that way

What about blue zoo aquatics?

 

[XtraKargo]

What about blue zoo aquatics?

Here is a recent review here on R2R. I haven't personally, but I was considering buying from them as well.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blue-zoo-aquatics-opinion.998044/

 

[afrokobe]

What about blue zoo aquatics?

I haven't personally ordered, but I think its the same drop shipping services as the other LA ones. (saltwaterfish, reefs4less, etc.)

 

[afrokobe]

You could also try @Eric Cohen here from tankstop. Love the aussie rock from him, he might be able to find you your shrimp

 

[ReefED!]

These can be hard to find. There was a 6 month period or so where nobody had them.

Sadly I think they're hard to get captive bred - if at all (many crustaceans are very difficult).

I have a question for the thread - can multiple be housed in larger tanks?

They're very small and I would expect them to settle in various areas but I introduced a second one to keep my 2nd watchman goby company and it disappeared

It may very well still be alive but I haven't seen it.

FWIW I like these guys a lot more than tiger pistols because they stay smaller and are not aggressive at all. Very cute little guys

You won't see them much though.

edit: I ordered mine from blue zoo and everything was great. My only issue was that blue zoo ran significantly lower salinity in their fish water, which makes acclimation more difficult - wasn't a fan of that.

edit2: they also have some really sus recent google reviews.

 

[Budman93]

I'm trying to buy a Randal's Pistol Shrimp as soon as possible for my Yasha Goby. None of my LFSs have any. Anyone know the best place to buy them online? Or should I just wait for my LFSs to have them in stock? FYI it could be a while before the LFSs have them.

Word to the wise be careful ordering these guys online. I received one the size of a tic tac and never saw it ever again after i ordered it online. My carpenters wrasse was trying to eat it cause it was so small so i presume it eventually became fish food