How is my pistol shrimp alive?

[Vanilla]

For reference, I put this pistol shrimp and goby in my tank about 6 months ago and never saw them again assuming they died somewhere.

Yesterday while doing a water change I see this thing poking its head out from under one of my rocks, behold its my pistol shrimp but no goby (most certainly dead at this point).

My question is how did it survive, especially without the Goby? The other shrimp I fed need to be target fed, never was able to target feed the pistol bc I didnt know where it was.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

For reference, I put this pistol shrimp and goby in my tank about 6 months ago and never saw them again assuming they died somewhere.

Yesterday while doing a water change I see this thing poking its head out from under one of my rocks, behold its my pistol shrimp but no goby (most certainly dead at this point).

My question is how did it survive, especially without the Goby? The other shrimp I fed need to be target fed, never was able to target feed the pistol bc I didnt know where it was.

Life uhhhhh finds a way.

But in all seriousness they are pretty hardy and in my experience don't really need much in terms of direct feeding. While you are asleep he's grabbing up detritus and other bits that end up in his cave.

 

[tzabor10]

I hear mine making loud snapping sounds at night. Usually see them every few months.

 

[Vanilla]

I hear mine making loud snapping sounds at night. Usually see them every few months.

Lol I've been hearing a weird noise from my tank and wondering what it was, almost certainly the shrimp

 

[Reeferbadness]

i've had my pistol shrimp for over 4 years. No Goby. I hear him from time to time. Spot him maybe every couple of months poking his head out for some food.

 

[SonOfaGoat]

In my old 80g after tearing it down I found a full size pistol shrimp in a large piece of liverock. I hadn't added anything in over 2 years so it was thriving inside. Never saw it but heard clicking, just thought it was equipment all along.

 

[Schulks]

I think the only way a pistol shrimp can die is to another pistol shrimp. lol

I added a candy cane pistol and yasha goby to an aquarium and lost the yasha about a month in. Then the pistol disappeared. Nearly a year later I found him in the back AIO compartment and he was double the size. I think they eat water. I still have him and he is even bigger. I picked up another yasha goby and see them all the time.