What is Wrong with my Pistol?

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Apollo7235

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I didn't get a chance to test the iodine on my DT directly after the water change, but I do have some very good news!

Pistol Pete seems to have made a full recovery. He has dug a comfy little burrow beneath the sponge filter in my QT and even did some landscaping by positioning some MarinePure Gems near the entrance, strong little fella that he is.

Meanwhile, my Bullseye Pistol (GunSmoke) is still doing great in my DT. Since he finished off the last of my poor Spiny Astraeas, he has been coming out morning and night to eat, sometimes even sticking his claws into my Sea Squirt (I chopped off the end so I can feed the chunky stuff), when he feels I'm not feeding him quite fast enough.

That being said, think I should move Pistol Pete back in to my DT? Darla (his Watchman) has been looking awfully lonely in there without him, but I don't want to risk another near-death experience for my poor little Tiger. I would imagine if the Bullseye is thriving, wouldn't he as well?
 

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I didn't get a chance to test the iodine on my DT directly after the water change, but I do have some very good news!

Pistol Pete seems to have made a full recovery. He has dug a comfy little burrow beneath the sponge filter in my QT and even did some landscaping by positioning some MarinePure Gems near the entrance, strong little fella that he is.

Meanwhile, my Bullseye Pistol (GunSmoke) is still doing great in my DT. Since he finished off the last of my poor Spiny Astraeas, he has been coming out morning and night to eat, sometimes even sticking his claws into my Sea Squirt (I chopped off the end so I can feed the chunky stuff), when he feels I'm not feeding him quite fast enough.

That being said, think I should move Pistol Pete back in to my DT? Darla (his Watchman) has been looking awfully lonely in there without him, but I don't want to risk another near-death experience for my poor little Tiger. I would imagine if the Bullseye is thriving, wouldn't he as well?
Give it another few days in qt to make sure he is 100% better, and then I would attempt moving him back. Maybe mess up the sand and rocks where possible in the dt so the bullseye isn’t as territorial.
 
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Give it another few days in qt to make sure he is 100% better, and then I would attempt moving him back. Maybe mess up the sand and rocks where possible in the dt so the bullseye isn’t as territorial.
The Bullseye lives up in a rock. I haven't seen him come down a single time since I added the rock a week ago, but that's not saying much, obviously. I'll definitely move the sand around a bit and see if that helps out. I am planning to pick up a few fish this weekend, so I need to move this little dude so I can move my corals into the 5-gallon and get the sponge filter in the 10-gallon where it belongs.

Thank you! I will keep this thread updated. I suppose it really must have been the result of some shrimp-on-shrimp bullying action, huh?
 

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The Bullseye lives up in a rock. I haven't seen him come down a single time since I added the rock a week ago, but that's not saying much, obviously. I'll definitely move the sand around a bit and see if that helps out. I am planning to pick up a few fish this weekend, so I need to move this little dude so I can move my corals into the 5-gallon and get the sponge filter in the 10-gallon where it belongs.

Thank you! I will keep this thread updated. I suppose it really must have been the result of some shrimp-on-shrimp bullying action, huh?
I guess we will never know for sure. Once back in, keep an eye on both, maybe even set up a camera. It would be interesting to see what could have caused this and if it can happen again.
 
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Okay, wait... Maybe this is a clue? Or maybe it's normal? What is it doing? Cleaning itself? It almost looks like there's a pouch it is putting something in?

 

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Okay, wait... Maybe this is a clue? Or maybe it's normal? What is it doing? Cleaning itself? It almost looks like there's a pouch it is putting something in?


I would say it could be eggs but I don’t see any (and I think that’s a male)...
I think that it is something to do with food when they do that.
 

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My Tiger is one of two pistols in my 38-gallon tank. The other is a Bullseye who lives in the rocks and leaves the Tiger alone.

The Tiger’s paired Watchman abandoned him yesterday (she does this regularly), then this morning this is how he looked when I fed. I found him under a rock laying sideways, so I lifted the rock because I thought he was dead and this is what happened. There is a piece of claw that I noticed on the sand bed a few days ago, so I figured he must have recently molted. He has been eating great and been perfectly healthy to this point, but now he is face first in a rock, which I know is not normal.

Any idea what could be wrong with the little dude? Can I help him somehow?

For reference, my Watchman, Neon Goby, and Bullseye Pistol are all doing fine, as are the snails.

gotta reload it with ammo LOL. But for real thats a concern.
 
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I would say it could be eggs but I don’t see any (and I think that’s a male)...
I think that it is something to do with food when they do that.
Weird. He had done it a few times before I was able to video. When I tried feeding him yesterday, he didn't seem interested so I skipped this morning's feed. I'm sure he's been coming out and cleaning up after I leave, but I can't be sure. Why do you think he's a male, by the way?
 

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1621285035394.gif

To my understanding the snapping claw on males is significantly larger than that of females.
 
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Update:

Pistol Pete is completely back to normal (minus one antennae) and back in my DT. I noticed a molt 'shell' from my Bullseye in the DT and it has been doing amazing, so I decided it was time to move the little fella back in with his homewrecker of a Watchman, Darla.

Darla spent a grand total of a few hours with him before abandoning him (again) to move in with the Bullseye..... Shameful.

Anyway, I think we can probably chalk this one up to a lost fight with the Bullseye... Hopefully it doesn't happen again and we can enjoy some harmony in my little slice of the ocean!

 
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If it gets bad again you could always set up a 10 gallon for the pistol and a goby.
Ohhhh heck no. My husband would divorce me, hahaha. I already have 3 tanks: my display, a 10-gallon fish QT, and a 5-gallon coral/invert QT. The only reason I've gotten away with it this far is because I promised him that the 2 QT's are temporary....and they are... but temporary for how long is another question.
 

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Ohhhh heck no. My husband would divorce me, hahaha. I already have 3 tanks: my display, a 10-gallon fish QT, and a 5-gallon coral/invert QT. The only reason I've gotten away with it this far is because I promised him that the 2 QT's are temporary....and they are... but temporary for how long is another question.
That’s why you have to space out buying things... always have a need for it that way lol
 

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