Questions about pistol shrimp

[FitoPharmer]

They do not need sand to live. It is amazing how well pistol shrimp can dig into solid rock, especially when there is no where else to live. I am sure he will get by without fine sand. It is just really cool watching them constantly bulldoze sand from one side of the tank to the other.

As for your question about the shrimp. IMO people keep eels/anemones in reef tanks. They are just as bad, or much worse then any pistol. Just something to consider. When I worked at the pet store people bought tube anemones all the time even though I warned them about it consuming little fish. Sometimes they were model citizens, and others were returned within a week with the owner wondering why he/she did not listen in the first place.