Newfishgirl December 13, 2022 Share December 13, 2022 Has anyone heard of pistol shrimp killing fish? I have a mated pair of pistol shrimp and within the past 3 months I have lost a 1/2 dozen fish. What makes me think it maybe them is I had a pair of fire fish who lived in a rock cave in my tank. One day they were both missing and 2 days later the pistols were living in their hiding place. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howaboutme December 13, 2022 Share December 13, 2022 I think it's possible based on my experience but I have no proof. I have a pistol and then brought in a small YWG. At first, all was good and then all of a sudden, the fish disappeared. No trace whatsoever. Fast forward a few months later, I tried w/ 2 paired fire fish that were larger and all is good living in the same burrow. So unless the fish was sick (it was QT'd), I think the pistol did something. But there is nothing 100% certain in this hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p3rmafrost December 13, 2022 Share December 13, 2022 I have a Tiger Pistol. I picked up a Goby buddy for him and the Goby headed straight to the cave where the pistol shrimp lives. I never saw that Goby again. The pistol spent a ton of time excavating the rock work and moving sand. He was also notorious for picking up frags and pulling them into his domain, or blocking the "door" with them. I lost a few mushrooms and zoas to him. He also had a 24K gold lepto that he adored. No matter where in the tank I put it I would find it dug up and back in his cave. Anyway - fast forward a few months and I decided to try again. The pistol was "shooting" a lot, and I thought that maybe a fish friend would help him out. They could forage together and keep each other safe. Maybe his random gunfire would subside a bit and he would be more comfortable. I tracked down a Yasha Goby at a local shop. I dropped about $80 bucks on the little dude and took them home. I got them acclimated and introduced it to the tank. It zipped around the rocks for a bit, hung out for about a day, then found the pistol cave. It ducked in there and I haven't seen it since. Nor have I seen the pistol. My thoughts on it - I think the Yasha is still alive. The pistol is snapping much less often. It seems like it isn't as agitated as it was previously, it used to snap pretty frequently. There are also new burrows and tunnels in the sand. There is an exit near the back of his cave that was not there prior to introducing the Yasha. The sand is excavated all the way down to the glass, which to me (and I am certainly no expert) looks like it takes more precision than the pistol is capable of. I suspect that they have teamed up and together they are even more reclusive than when they are apart. The Yasha might be dead, and the other Goby might have been shot by the pistol, but I have no evidence to prove it. Singing in my best Bob Marley voice..."No body no crime". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfishgirl December 13, 2022 Author Share December 13, 2022 I have a Tiger Pistol. I picked up a Goby buddy for him and the Goby headed straight to the cave where the pistol shrimp lives. I never saw that Goby again. The pistol spent a ton of time excavating the rock work and moving sand. He was also notorious for picking up frags and pulling them into his domain, or blocking the "door" with them. I lost a few mushrooms and zoas to him. He also had a 24K gold lepto that he adored. No matter where in the tank I put it I would find it dug up and back in his cave. Anyway - fast forward a few months and I decided to try again. The pistol was "shooting" a lot, and I thought that maybe a fish friend would help him out. They could forage together and keep each other safe. Maybe his random gunfire would subside a bit and he would be more comfortable. I tracked down a Yasha Goby at a local shop. I dropped about $80 bucks on the little dude and took them home. I got them acclimated and introduced it to the tank. It zipped around the rocks for a bit, hung out for about a day, then found the pistol cave. It ducked in there and I haven't seen it since. Nor have I seen the pistol. My thoughts on it - I think the Yasha is still alive. The pistol is snapping much less often. It seems like it isn't as agitated as it was previously, it used to snap pretty frequently. There are also new burrows and tunnels in the sand. There is an exit near the back of his cave that was not there prior to introducing the Yasha. The sand is excavated all the way down to the glass, which to me (and I am certainly no expert) looks like it takes more precision than the pistol is capable of. I suspect that they have teamed up and together they are even more reclusive than when they are apart. The Yasha might be dead, and the other Goby might have been shot by the pistol, but I have no evidence to prove it. Singing in my best Bob Marley voice..."No body no crime". Lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maevepotter December 14, 2022 Share December 14, 2022 I can say with no certainty but much conviction, it was the pistol. I lost 4 yellow watchman gobies to mine, as well as possibly a small hippo tang and anthias. Once I got him out, hmm fish stopped dying.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrubberbandman December 28, 2022 Share December 28, 2022 Maybe your Pistol shrimp identifies as a Mantis? Seriously tho...i just recently picked up a tiger pistol from BRK and him and his watchman buddy are doing fine. I do try and make sure food makes it near his burrow. B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfishgirl December 28, 2022 Author Share December 28, 2022 Maybe your Pistol shrimp identifies as a Mantis? Seriously tho...i just recently picked up a tiger pistol from BRK and him and his watchman buddy are doing fine. I do try and make sure food makes it near his burrow. B.It’s funny you say that because I added my mantis Monday to the tank…lol. She has better manners than my pistol hahaha. This hobby always keeps us on our toes that’s for sure Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfos00 January 23, 2023 Share January 23, 2023 I think they might. Mine lives fine with a YWG but I had a neon goby and a tailspot blenny disappear and I think the tiger pistol may have taken them out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfishgirl February 4, 2023 Author Share February 4, 2023 Just an update. Found my firefish last Sunday with a gash in his side dead in the tank. That was the last straw and I took all the rock out and caught the little devils. Come to find out they had been breeding and I think every time she had a clutch she would kill anything that swam by. Needless to say that break down distorted my tank. I lost a bunch of corals and 6 fish, but at least they’re out and I will just start replacing what was lostSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 6, 2023 Share February 6, 2023 Moved to General Discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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