Randall's Pistol Shrimp

[surfnturf]

I am considering getting a Randall's pistol shrimp to try to pair it with a Hi Fin Red Banded Goby, but I have been reading that the shrimp may eventually try to eat other fish, shrimp, and snails. What have people's experiences with this shrimp been?

[charlie]

I haven't had any problems like that with mine, but I am only 1 person. Hopefully, someone else can chime in here and give you a hand.

[yvr]

I've kept multiple gobies and pistol shrimps together for many years and have never seen any aggression from the shrimp except if another tank mate gets to close to the burrow when foraging for food.

[surfnturf]

Do you keep snails, other types of shrimp (like cleaners), and/or other small fish (not gobies) in that tank? And has this aggression ever lead to injury/death, or does it just scare the animal away from the pistol's hole?

[gregr]

Where did you read about the shrimp eating other fish? I've never heard that myself. The Randall's and Tiger pistol shrimp are awesome little inverts. I've always had a pistol shrmp/goby pair in my tank. Right now I actually have a pair of Tiger pistol shrimp living with a Yellow Watchman goby
There's a cleaner shrimp in my tank too- never a problem between the shrimps. There are a couple of Nassarius snails in there too- they've been in the tank for about as long as the pistol shrimp, which is coming up on two years now.

[surfnturf]

Some people were talking about it on a forum I was reading so I did some more research. This is what scared me the most

YouTube - Pistol Shrimp


Might be fake though, but I just wanted to check.

[charlie]

You know what.................................if that happens, it is just nature, they are doing what they are supposed to do, hunt. You have to realize that when you are putting together one of these tanks, sometimes do-do occurs and you can't fly off the handle everytime it does!!!!

[gregr]

I don't know- looks kinda fake to me. Plus the way the video is edited together is tongue in cheek over the top- I think it's fake. If I'm wrong... go with what Charlie said

[CutthroatKid]

I've heard plenty of stories, but everyone I've actually talked to said they haven't had any problems. I think it's like anything else, in that if you keep it well fed it's less likely to go postal on your other critters...
With everything though, you gotta remember these are animals and most of them wild animals, so "do-do can occur" ;)

[Marinefish]

Randall's are 1" at most.

[kevinpo]

Hello,
This thread is almost 2 years old
That being said the video is real. Just like there are many sharks in the ocean some of which are dangerous and others that are harmless so goes the way of the pistol shrimp. Most of the ones that are imported for the home aquarium are harmless to other tank inhabitants. The most common types are the Randall's and the Tiger pistol shrimps which are both quite harmless.

Cheers,
Kevin