Pistol Shrimp Hitchhicker!

[ThrowedToad]

I haven't moved my rock around in a while, so as I took it all out to retrieve an aggressive domino damsel and replace him with a saddle back clown, I discovered what I thought was a mantis shrimp, under further internet identification I found it was a pistol shrimp. Now, with that being said where do I go from here to make sure he stays healthy and growing? He is about 3/4 inch long now.



I have a 29 gal, with about 40 LBS of live rock and 20 lbs of live sand, with one timid domino damsel, one NEW saddle back clown, one peppermint shrimp, a brittle star, a couple of mushrooms. I am running a 75 gal max seaquest skimmer, 700 gph sump pump and 5 gallons of bioballs. Ohh and a new 250 gph powerhead. All water parameters are good. SG is at about 1.024.

 

[ryshark]

That is a cool surprise. Sounds like you are good to go. One thing I would consider if you want to keep inverts, is slowly replacing the bio-balls with live rock rubble. This will help to keep nitrates down.

 

[Tank2379]

If you like you can add A Shrimp Goby they would a form a symbiotic relationship with any pistol shrimp...

This little guy would work well with him

 

[lando]

Pistol shrimp are awesome! A pretty cool hitch hiker. They are fairly safe for reefs. Adding some type of shrimp goby would be a nice addition for a hopeful pairing. The pistol/goby symbiotic relationship is an amazing one to watch.

 

[roka64]

I would like to add one thing....Make sure your LR is firmly resting on the tank's bottom. My pistol landscapes the sand quite often. There is not rock that he hasn't burrowed under!

 

[Tank2379]

I would try to use a Pile Of rock rubble and try and see if you could use that his permanent home instead of him destroying your Rock Foundation.

 

[cmor1701d]

Mine made his home under my pod pile and has been there for quite some time. I haven't noticed any other burrows. Congrats on a very cool hitchhiker.

 

[ThrowedToad]

Would a 1/2 hole under the LR be a sign of his burrow?

 

[cmor1701d]

Most likely candidate would be the shrimp.