Multiple Pistol Shrimp (same type)

[LobsterOfJustice]

Anyone know if multiple pistol shrimp of the same type will get along? For example:

I have a pair of Yasha gobies with a candy pistol. Can I add a second pistol and all 4 of them live together?

In a large tank, could multiple separate pairs of goby/pistol coexist? For example one goby/pistol pair on one end of the tank and a separate goby/pistol pair on the other end? Either with the same species of goby, or with two different species of gobies (same species of pistol)?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Anyone know if multiple pistol shrimp of the same type will get along? For example:

I have a pair of Yasha gobies with a candy pistol. Can I add a second pistol and all 4 of them live together?

In a large tank, could multiple separate pairs of goby/pistol coexist? For example one goby/pistol pair on one end of the tank and a separate goby/pistol pair on the other end? Either with the same species of goby, or with two different species of gobies (same species of pistol)?

They can (though it may be gender/sex dependent).

It you can get them paired, all four would share a burrow, yes.

I've heard of this working before too, so yes (I'm not sure on the same vs. different species part with members of the same sex though).

It's absolutely worth a shot.

They are monogamous and will share a burrow - and not just for the mating season, but permanently (and most Alpheus spp. are this way - see the links at the bottom). I would assume they have two separate sexes (i.e. that they aren't hermaphroditic), but I don't know for sure. Additionally, I'm not sure how to sex the shrimp, but I've heard it's quite difficult to do without taking the shrimp out of the water.

If you're careful with the pairings, you can get two gobies and two shrimp living and breeding in the same burrow:

"When the sexual maturity is reached, normally a pair male-female of gobies shares the same burrow together with a pair of shrimps."
(Quote from the reefs.com article linked below.)

A quick note here on pistol shrimp diet - pistol shrimp do not seem to be predatory, rather they seem to be more opportunistic, omnivorous scavengers (the only "hunting" that seems to take place outside of the burrow is done by the gobies, not the shrimp, and - to my knowledge - no one has ever confirmed if the shrimp actually eat the "prey" brought to them by the gobies; it might be that the goby eats them rather than the shrimp, or the shrimp might eat them as people generally assume):

Goby and shrimp associations: more than meets the eye - Coral Reefs

link.springer.com

For examples of the shrimp and goby pairings (both in and out of aquariums), see these links:

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/nftt/index.php

Aquarium Fish: Sharing a small house without conflicts: the pistol shrimp and the shrimpgoby’s life

Coral Reefs, thousand of species, thousand of associations: but the relationship between little gobies and their shrimp partners is one of the most famous and better balanced, where everybody wins and nobody loses. A wonderful example of mutualistic symbiosis.

reefs.com

UWL Website

Breeding and Heterosexual Pairing in the Snapping Shrimp Alpheus estuariensis (Caridea: Alpheidae) in a Tropical Bay in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract. We investigated aspects of the breeding biology, including the reproductive period, egg production, and heterosexual pairing of the snapping shri

academic.oup.com

I can't find the paper where it was discussed, but I remember reading through where someone tested four different methods for introducing/pairing broodstock. 3 of the 4 were pretty effective for getting them to pair while the fourth had frequent aggression.

I only remember two methods off-hand: one method was just dropping them into the same tank; the other was putting them in breeder boxes (or breeder box like setups) where they could see each other and sense the chemicals in the water from each other but not actually interact with each other physically. Dropping them in is the one that often resulted in aggression, so I wouldn't recommend that. I'd introduce them through the breeder box method. In theory, you should be able to tell if they're aggressive/calm and if they're bonded or not within a few days/weeks. (That said, these methods may be more effective on fish that do more swimming and less sitting in a burrow; I'm not sure, but I'd be curious to find out.)

With the shrimp, you can theoretically sex them (though you may need some magnification help - see the quote below) and introduce them to hopefully pair the same way as the fish; but if you're unable to sex them, then you'd basically just get two and skip to the introductions.

How to sex the shrimp according to Bob Fenner (I know this method holds true for Synalpheus spp., but I can't find any verification that it works for Alpheus spp. as well):

"Very hard to distinguish sexes externally... Females are characterized by gonopores with U-shaped slits on the coxae of the third pereopods (first walking legs) while males have oval gonopore openings on the coxae of the fifth pereopods (third or last walking legs"*

*Source:

FAQs about Pistol (including Goby) Shrimps, Reproduction/Culture

 

[OrchidMiss]

They can (though it may be gender/sex dependent).

It you can get them paired, all four would share a burrow, yes.

I have a mated pair, they're so fun to watch. I had a YWG that paired with them, then a a yasha after the YWG passed. All 3 of them shared a burrow.