Goby/Pistol Shrimp help ...

[pc604]

Hi everyone,

What type of substrate would you recommend for a pistol shrimp/goby pair? I'm currently using CaribSea's aragonite which I think might be a little too fine for the pistol shrimp? Also, have any of you had experiences w/ your rockwork toppling over from the pistol shrimp's constant digging of burrows? My rockwork has no PVC supports and basically just rests on top of the substrate.

Thanks!

[Static]

In my small 15g tank the rockwork is only 2 or 3 peices high at the most, so when the pistol went digging nothing topled, but the rock slowly sunk. I ended up getting three small peices of plastic egg crate and placing it under the main rock where the pistl diggs so that it will stay not be undermined.

As for subsrtate you might be able to just add some small rubble to the area where the pistol is building. I'ts neat to see, my pistol actually places rocks and peices of shell around the opening of his burrow to make it more stable.

[outtafocus]

The best way to ensure that no rock work collapses due to digging is add your rock first so it sits on the glass, then add substrate around it.

[pc604]

Darn, I guess it's too late for that eh. I'd have to remove all the rock & substrate and do it all over again ... a little too much work for a pistol

Oh well, I guess I'll do that for my next tank.

Thanks

[scuglass]

or u could just twist them until there at the bottom depending on the depth

[BMW Rider]

Pistol shrimp also like to have some larger bits in the substrate to use as shoring for their tunnels. A bit of crushed coral mixed into the sand is perfect.

[marie]

How deep should the sand be to keep these guys?

[pc604]

Hi Marie, I'm not too sure as I've never had a pistol shrimp.

Anybody know?

BTW, just out of curiousity, any of you canreefers currently have pistol shrimp in a tank in which LR is supported by the sand ONLY w/ no supports underneath? ... run into any problems w/ the LR collapsing?

Thanks everyone!

[mr_alberta]

When I had my pistol/goby pair, my sand bed was about 2" or so and the rock was sitting on the sand and not on the glass. About every 2 weeks or so my pistol would cause my rocks to shift and my structure to semi-collapse...

[pc604]

It must've been a pain to restructure your rockwork every 2 weeks then eh?

Yeah, I really would like to get a pistol shrimp, but the rocks shifting and collapsing is a big concern for me ... don't want the front glass cracked with a spill all over the carpet when I arrive home one of these days