Anyone seen a Pistol Shrimp / Tang symbiosis

[cb_wannabe]

Added a Yellow Tang a few days back and last night found him in sideways in a narrow rock opening. At first I thought he got himself stuck, but then I saw the tiger pop up out of a hole. As I watched, it seemed that the tang and shrimp had developed a symbiosis. This morning to my amazement, the pistol had dug out a huge area for the Tang.

Starting to wonder if the shrimp is eying up the tang as a big tasty meal.

Anyone encounter something like this before ?

[Datreeferman]

Got pics?

[cb_wannabe]

Have tried, but the only time the Tang retreats to this area is lights out when actinics only are on. I get too much reflection when when using flashlight or flash.

[Datreeferman]

Well it's hard to tell if you got pics but I don't think your shrimp is eying him for a meal, they are a peaceful community species. I nvr encountered that before but that shrimp is known to do that with watchman Gobys. You could have a rare shrimp mistaken symbiotic relationship. Either the shrimps eyes are somehow damaged or it thinks your tang is a goby somehow( there are yellow watchman Gobys.). That's not a natural sim bio relationship though. The tang can also probably seeing an available territory to live in with a harmless shrimp. I'm not 100% though, I've never seen this before.

[cb_wannabe]

As I understand it the shrimp has poor eye site anyways and is their reason for the symbiosis with gobies. Maybe they can see color somehow and sees the yellow as his old yellow watchman buddy that lived with him.

Just seemed so strange that the shrimp dug out an area so the Tang could fit in between the rock work so easily. I stopped worrying about it as the two seem to get along just fine. It is the only time I see the shrimp working on the outside of his network of tunnels.

[huma-huma]

Maybe the shrimp got into the rental business and has decided that he wanted to build his first tenants apartment. Hope he put decent furniture in there

[saltcreep1025]

I hate to say it but just because it's sleeping in the pistol shrimp's burrow, it doesn't mean they have formed a symbiosis. When the tang starts guarding the burrow for the shrimp all day long, that's symbiosis.