Pistol Shrimp - Serial Killer?

[SnoQ]

Last week I added a candy cane pistol shrimp to my tank along with a yellow watchman goby. I never did see the goby and pistol paired up. Since the pistol's arrival, I've had two firefish go missing and today I came home to find my watchman dead. I've also only seen 1 of 3 pistol shrimp in the last 24 hours, but I know they can really hide so they may not actually be missing. My water is good and it seems that the only fish I'm missing are the ones likely to hide down in the rocks & sand. I do have a spot tail blenny that is safe so far but he's picked a hole up at the top of my rocks to hang in.

Has anyone else had a pistol shrimp that despite having a good food supply has started killing fish in the tank?

 

[DOI]

I personally have never encountered a pistol that has ever killed a fish in a tank. I have added them to tanks and have never seen them again but have only heard them for years on end. Pistols do prey on cleaner shrimp and firefish really aren't that much bigger so I would assume that they will kill them. Try to avoid small fish with them.

 

[SnoQ]

I really like firefish and think the pistol shrimp may have to go. I've been reading about how there are sometimes rogue pistols that will kill even the goby they are meant to be paired up with it despite having food available. All of my fish that hang up higher in the tank are fine so I do think the pistol is the culprit.

 

[prsnlty]

LOL, My pistol shrimp even tries to attack me when I come near the tank are where he calls home. He chases everyone and every thing away! Every sand sifting goby I put in the tank does dissappear in a few days and I'm begining to think he is the cause. But in a 125g he will prove to be impossible to catch.

 

[jstlsn]

My Pistol Shrimp, when alive, was a Coral Frag Serial Killer. It would take any frags in the sand an use them to build its home. Some I have never found. I am sure I will find some dead coral frags buried in the sand whenever I take this tank down.

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

I have a one eyed engineer goby from my pistol shrimp but it never hurts anything. It tries to get me when I get to close. The sad thing is the engineer goby lives with the shrimp. Lol

 

[SnoQ]

I took my tank apart yesterday but couldn't find him. I went through the sand pretty thoroughly so I think he was inside one of the rocks so I left them sitting out for a while. I feel bad doing that but I couldn't find him to get him back to my LFS and I wasn't going to put him back in there to do more damage. I haven't heard any clicking since so hopefully that's a good sign.

 

[bige]

I've never had any trouble with my pistol. It has no trouble at all

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

It sounds crazy but are you 100% it did it. Sometimes things die for unseen reasons. If you can't find it, it could have died before the fish unless you heard it.

 

[buddythelion]

Candy cane pistol shrimp has got to be the whimpiest and tiniest of all pistol shrimps. I don't think it could take down a fly if it wanted to. I've had my fair share of them and had one for 2+ years.

 

[SnoQ]

Hmm...well maybe I did somehow end up with a Mantis and just didn't know it. Something was definitely clicking and I assumed it had to be the pistol shrimp. Since putting the tank back together I haven't heard anything.

 

[pache11]

An older thread....

Randall's or Candy Cane Pistols do not kill fish!!! They will occasionally kill a small hermit crab or snail, but never fish. I have had them for over 6 years. Most of the candy cane pistols are very small, under 3/4" and can do little damage. The largest ones only get to 1 1/2".

This is my tank a JBJ 12gal. They don't need a lot of space and they pair almost instantly with the correct goby. Especially if the shrimp is introduced first. When I first put the Yasha in the tank it was disoriented and the pistol went right up to it and directed it to its hole.

 

[jdwmba88]

An older thread....

Randall's or Candy Cane Pistols do not kill fish!!! They will occasionally kill a small hermit crab or snail, but never fish. I have had them for over 6 years. Most of the candy cane pistols are very small, under 3/4" and can do little damage. The largest ones only get to 1 1/2".

This is my tank a JBJ 12gal. They don't need a lot of space and they pair almost instantly with the correct goby. Especially if the shrimp is introduced first. When I first put the Yasha in the tank it was disoriented and the pistol went right up to it and directed it to its hole.

This is totally incorrect as i just witnessed with my own eyes my candy cane pistol latch onto a tiny pygmy angelfish, pull it into its cave never to be seen again. Watched it all happen.