Tiger Pistol Shrimp and Goby

[Monsieur Kam]

I have a tiger pistol shrimp and a high fin goby. They don't seem to pair. I put them in the same cave, and in the middle of the night the goby will wonder around and never go back. He will the make his own little place to hide. The pistol shrimp is lonely . Will they ever pair? The goby knows for sure the pistol shrimp is there and the cave is big enough for both of them.

 

[tjm80]

As the old saying goes... "You can lead a horse to water..."

 

[austinsdad]

The relation ship is not guaranteed. Give it time still they may or may not.

 

[Monsieur Kam]

It's so sad Maybe they just are not right for each other. I knew I should have gotten a yellow watchman instead of a high-fin goby.

 

[austinsdad]

Patience my friend. It ain't over yet.

 

[Monsieur Kam]

Thanks for having confidence in them. Ha, They have been together for over a month so far they just don't like each other . Maybe the goby is waiting for the pistol to get even bigger so he makes even bigger tunnels/caves

 

[Monsieur Kam]

Well it does not matter any more For no reason the pistol shrimp just died. Everything is fine all the water levels are good and he was doin just fine since I got him about a month ago.

 

[Dylan5359]

Sorry about your fish dieing. But just wondering what relationships do shrimps and gobies have? Never heard of it. Is it some clownfish and anemone thing?

-Dylan

 

[Monsieur Kam]

@Dylan - The relationship between the pistol shrimp and the goby is very interesting. The pistol shrimp digs a large cave for a home, and the goby is not very good at digging his own burrow, so he uses the pistol shrimp's cave for his home too. To repay the pistol shrimp for giving him a home, the goby will sit right outside the cave entrance and he will watch out for any dangers that could harm the pistol shrimp. The goby will try to scare off the predator or intruder with his fins and mouth and he will alert the pistol shrimp to quickly go back into his cave. This way both, the pistol shrimp and goby can both get food and stay safe from any dangers, and they also both have a place to sleep.

 

[Dylan5359]

That's adorable and sounds very interesting to witness.! I must try that in the future!

-Dylan

 

[Crepe]

As the old saying goes... "You can lead a horse to water..."

But you can't make it host with a shrimp.

 

[Dylan5359]

Considering they both live in a tank, (sorry if this is a stupid question, just wondering) won't the gobby realize they're the only ones in the tank and not defend outside the tunnel?

-Dylan

 

[Monsieur Kam]

No They will still pair up. It is just their instinct and since some gobies are not very good diggers they will pair up with the pistol shrimp to have a nice big home to sleep in.

 

[Dylan5359]

How deep does the sand bed have to be?

-Dylan

 

[Monsieur Kam]

I have 1 inch - 1.25 inches of sand bed. Mine was a baby though. I would recommend at least .75 inches of sand bed. The bigger he is the more sand probably. They can get up to 2 inches long (depending on the type, mine was a tiger pistol shrimp). He will use live rock for the roof of his caves most of the time.

 

[Dylan5359]

Oh. Okay.

-Dylan