What kind of pistol shrimp is this?

[SaltyGinger42]

I got a pistol shrimp a few weeks ago and I can't seem to figure out exactly what type he is. He doesn't seem to want anything to do with my YWG and he seems to just like to steal my crabs changing shells for his little cave. He does get along fine with my fire shrimp though. Here are the best pics I could manage to get, sorry for the bad quality

 

[Jimbhoy13]

No idea sorry.

 

[SaltyGinger42]

No idea sorry.

Yeah I can't figure it out either. I've seen pictures of a carribean pistol shrimp that kinda look similar, but then I'll see the Carribean shrimp labeled under a picture that looks completely different the further I scroll. Thanks for looking man

 

[Mattyreefs]

Look up curly-que pistol shrimp. Does it look like that? Can't tell from the picture. Does it have any spots/patterns or just solid red?

 

[SaltyGinger42]

Look up curly-que pistol shrimp. Does it look like that? Can't tell from the picture. Does it have any spots/patterns or just solid red?

He has wavy patterns on his sides and is more of a brown red. He has very defined blue legs though. I just lurked him out with some food and got a good look at him. Couldn't get a good picture though

 

[Sharkbait19]

Looks like alpheus biscinisus, the red flathead pistol shrimp. Not a pairing shrimp but a very beautiful one.

 

[Mattyreefs]

Like this?

My experience when I was looking for a pistol to pair with my ywg was most of that they call Caribbean pistol shrimp don't pair. Ended up getting a tiger that paired instantly with two different gobies.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Looks like alpheus biscinisus, the red flathead pistol shrimp. Not a pairing shrimp but a very beautiful one.

Missed the part about blue legs ignore that.

 

[SaltyGinger42]

Missed the part about blue legs ignore that.

Like this?

My experience when I was looking for a pistol to pair with my ywg was most of that they call Caribbean pistol shrimp don't pair. Ended up getting a tiger that paired instantly with two different gobies.

Thanks you all. I think I've narrowed him down to the blue spotted pistol aka the blue legged pistol shrimp. He won't pair with my goby and he is dragging my little hermit crabs away so he may go back to my LPS soon. Thinking about getting a tiger pistol or a candy stripe pistol cause they are more so known to pair with the goby's. He's pretty much identicle to this picture

 

[Mattyreefs]

Thanks you all. I think I've narrowed him down to the blue spotted pistol aka the blue legged pistol shrimp. He won't pair with my goby and he is dragging my little hermit crabs away so he may go back to my LPS soon. Thinking about getting a tiger pistol or a candy stripe pistol cause they are more so known to pair with the goby's. He's pretty much identicle to this picture

I love watching the relationship between my tiger pistol and yellow watchman and they paired instantly. But full disclosure, there's days (give or take once a week) where I really think about rehoming him. It's like he wakes up and decides today is the day we destroy the place. Anything not glued down gets dragged around and used for his burrow... Frags, rocks, hermits, snails. I keep one piece of rock in the tank as a barrier for when he gets like that.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I love watching the relationship between my tiger pistol and yellow watchman and they paired instantly. But full disclosure, there's days (give or take once a week) where I really think about rehoming him. It's like he wakes up and decides today is the day we destroy the place. Anything not glued down gets dragged around and used for his burrow... Frags, rocks, hermits, snails. I keep one piece of rock in the tank as a barrier for when he gets like that.

Does the goby calm the shrimp down at all? That’s every morning for my tiger lol.
My tiger also takes hermits. They eventually escape. I did see it eat a bristle worm though.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Those Caribbean Blue Leg pistol shrimp are pretty common hitchhikers on rock from Florida. They will not pair with a goby. They will live in crevices on the rock while still small and then start burrowing homes as they get older. They are prodigious diggers and will move a lot of sand from under the rock and create large tunnels. If you keep them make sure your rock is stable on the bottom. Pretty entertaining creatures and very loud when they snap their claw.

I have had three in my system imported with my TBS rock. One was large and I gave him to my LFS, where he lived for a few years until our freeze in Texas this year. I have two more small ones, each living on its own rock "island" in my display. When one snaps the other will shortly respond - I wouldn't doubt if they use the sound for communication as well.

 

[Mattyreefs]

Does the goby calm the shrimp down at all? That’s every morning for my tiger lol.
My tiger also takes hermits. They eventually escape. I did see it eat a bristle worm though.

They went in at the same time so I've never seen the tiger without the goby. Honestly I think the goby makes him more comfortable to venture further from the burrow which is when he does the most damage. So if anything I'd say it makes it worse lol.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

I love watching the relationship between my tiger pistol and yellow watchman and they paired instantly. But full disclosure, there's days (give or take once a week) where I really think about rehoming him. It's like he wakes up and decides today is the day we destroy the place. Anything not glued down gets dragged around and used for his burrow... Frags, rocks, hermits, snails. I keep one piece of rock in the tank as a barrier for when he gets like that.

I find my tiger gets wild when it's molting time. As if he doesn't want to molt in his home burrow so has to make a special molting burrow (and has to dig up the entire tank to eventually choose the same spot every time). Love that shrimp but there are days...

 

[SaltyGinger42]

I managed to get him out of the aquarium yesterday and took him to my LFS so here's the best picture I got of him. He was snapping at the polyphs on my BTA and chopped a leg off my fire shrimp so he had to go. Wanting to try to get another pistol for my Goby though. Would you all recommend the tiger pistol or the candy stripe pistol. I've heard the candy stripes are generally more docile but can't find anything concrete

 

[Sharkbait19]

100% a Caribbean
I have a tiger. If you don’t mind it messing up your scape all the time it is a good shrimp and quite active. Candy pairs with a larger variety of gobies and is less destructive. I personally prefer tiger pattern.

 

[ying yang]

I think you made right choice by getting him out your tank and back to lfs.
I've only had my tiger pistol + ywg about 3 weeks and new to saltwater so not much experience on most things but when i started a thread and asking about pistols pairing or pistol killing other shrimps like video above.i got told blue legged carribean are one the more agressive pistols and a tiger or candy cane are better choices.
Something like ywg + tiger pistol and yasha goby and candy cane are good choices as ywg + tiger pistol slightly larger and yasha goby and candy cane slightly smaller but both will pair with each other.( not from my experience but just what few told me) but snapping at your bta and ripping claw off fire shrimp not good sign ^_^
Im happy as larry with my tiger pistol + ywg and goby very protective of shrimp whenever wrasse gets close and chases it away and my 2 skunk cleaners always hanging around entrances to pistols tunnels and they even clean goby as pistol is near and all seem to get along well so far

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

I have both a candy and a tiger and like both. For a YWG a tiger is probably the appropriate choice due to size. When I got my candy he was so tiny I was really glad he was going into a 10g tank without any potential predators! You often see tigers with larger gobies like YWG and candy's with smaller gobies like Yashas. The tigers also tend to be more available with people frequently joining waiting lists for candy's. Both great shrimps, though.

 

[ying yang]

Just took these 2 photo right now and you can see pistol inside this rock i made a hole in and there main entrance to pistol+ ywg tunnels and one skunk cleaner 3cm from entrance at front and other cleaner at back of entrance at back of rock plus as i typing this smaller cleaner started cleaning ywg but i spooked tjem so didnt quite get picture

 

[SaltyGinger42]

100% a Caribbean
I have a tiger. If you don’t mind it messing up your scape all the time it is a good shrimp and quite active. Candy pairs with a larger variety of gobies and is less destructive. I personally prefer tiger pattern.

How many gallons would you recommend to house 2 shrimp of a different species? And would that change if they were the same species? I already have a fire shrimp that I'm attached to but I do want a candy stripe pistol for my YWG. Right now I'm running a 28g JBJ nano cube but I have a nice 90g rimless cube, I'm just building the money up for a kessel and the sump and everything, and it'll still need to cycle. Do you think it would be safe to add him in and just transfer everyone to the 90g when its ready or should I just wait?