pistol shrimp seems to be gone how long can they hide

ducati1212 · 01/21/2019, 10:43 AM

So I got a goby pistol shrimp pair both tiny the shrimp was less than half an inch max. they were not bonded yet held in different tanks in the store. I drip acclimated them and the shrimp looked bad stayed mostly on his back but moving.

When I put them in the tank the pumps just blew the shrimp around like he was dead. his legs were moving but he was just like debris floating aimlessly all over. I shut the pumps off and he settled on the ground upside down but moving. He seemed to have no sense of direction. my other 2 shrimp (cleaner and peppermint) were all over him I had to keep a hand in the tank for an hour to fend them off they were hyper aggressive.

Over an hour he got himself upright and even to the point he could fight off the peppermint 4 x his size. He walked around a little and swam a little then went under a rock. that was 4 days ago. The goby is fine and in a hole but no sign of the shrimp at all.

is he dead or can they hide for weeks? its only a 13 gallon tank so they are not separated by much real-estate. anyway to lure a pistol shrimp out in the open?

Chuckd76 · 01/21/2019, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducati1212

is he dead or can they hide for weeks?

Could go either way. Have you heard your shrimp snapping?

I had a candy cane pistol once that I hadn't seen for months in a ten gallon and when I broke it down he was under the rocks. Alive, just very reclusive.

That being said, there's a tiger pistol in my current tank that I haven't seen or heard in about a month. The goby is alive and still using the holes but the normally "out" shrimp is all of a sudden not showing itself. Odds are, dead.

On top of that, when they molt they will disappear for a while until they harden so it could just be in there recuperating. Or, it could have molted and been preyed upon like the candy cane I had eventually was.

Placing some food in front of it's hidey hole should draw it out.

ducati1212 · 01/21/2019, 12:38 PM

If the shrimp is alive what are the odds him and the goby find each other? Do they have any way to do that besides dumb luck.

Joe0813 · 01/21/2019, 04:01 PM

mine was MIA for over 6 months. then one night he decided to show himself

Crooked Reef · 01/21/2019, 05:14 PM

Can you see through the bottom pane of glass? You may be able to see it tunneling or moving about from underneath. I could see mine for a few months before it found my goby.

ducati1212 · 01/25/2019, 05:31 AM

Last night I saw my pistol shrimp for about 3 seconds. Darted out grabbed food darted away. so 1 week and 3 seconds.

He seems to live under the rock next to my goby about 10 inches away so hopefully they find each other. guess I just wait.

ducati1212 · 01/26/2019, 08:56 AM

First meet did not go well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5bg2OMUVNQ

01/21/2019, 10:43 AM	#1
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	pistol shrimp seems to be gone how long can they hide So I got a goby pistol shrimp pair both tiny the shrimp was less than half an inch max. they were not bonded yet held in different tanks in the store. I drip acclimated them and the shrimp looked bad stayed mostly on his back but moving. When I put them in the tank the pumps just blew the shrimp around like he was dead. his legs were moving but he was just like debris floating aimlessly all over. I shut the pumps off and he settled on the ground upside down but moving. He seemed to have no sense of direction. my other 2 shrimp (cleaner and peppermint) were all over him I had to keep a hand in the tank for an hour to fend them off they were hyper aggressive. Over an hour he got himself upright and even to the point he could fight off the peppermint 4 x his size. He walked around a little and swam a little then went under a rock. that was 4 days ago. The goby is fine and in a hole but no sign of the shrimp at all. is he dead or can they hide for weeks? its only a 13 gallon tank so they are not separated by much real-estate. anyway to lure a pistol shrimp out in the open?

01/21/2019, 04:01 PM	#4
Joe0813 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Boston strong Posts: 2,766	mine was MIA for over 6 months. then one night he decided to show himself __________________ Joe and Jenny Current Tank Info: 180 reef

01/21/2019, 05:14 PM	#5
Crooked Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,765	Can you see through the bottom pane of glass? You may be able to see it tunneling or moving about from underneath. I could see mine for a few months before it found my goby. __________________ “In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank.

01/21/2019, 12:38 PM	#3
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	If the shrimp is alive what are the odds him and the goby find each other? Do they have any way to do that besides dumb luck.

01/25/2019, 05:31 AM	#6
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	Last night I saw my pistol shrimp for about 3 seconds. Darted out grabbed food darted away. so 1 week and 3 seconds. He seems to live under the rock next to my goby about 10 inches away so hopefully they find each other. guess I just wait.

01/26/2019, 08:56 AM	#7
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	First meet did not go well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5bg2OMUVNQ