pistol shrimp/goby symbiosis questions

fishcatch22

fishcatch22

The Picotoper
Jun 13, 2006
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Morris, Illinois
hey guys... my school has a science fair coming up, and I was thinking of doing a project on the fascinating relationship that pistol shrimp share with certian goby species... not only would it give me an excuse to get more stuff for my tank, but it would also be quick and easy college cred.:grinyes: my questions are....

1. could I feasably do it in my tank?

2. do specific shrimp/gobies only pair with other goby/shrimp species, or will all shrimp gobies pair up with all pistol shrimp? is there a chance that they will live sepearately and not form a symbiotic relatonship, thereby defeating my projects purpose?

3. would it be better to introduce the shrimp or the goby first?

4. which shrimp/ goby species do you think would suit me best?
 
fishcatch22 said:
hey guys... my school has a science fair coming up, and I was thinking of doing a project on the fascinating relationship that pistol shrimp share with certian goby species... not only would it give me an excuse to get more stuff for my tank, but it would also be quick and easy college cred.:grinyes: my questions are....

1. could I feasably do it in my tank?

<<If your refering to the 12 Gal in your sig, i probably would not due to the limited size and th blenny, also, to successfull house a pistol, you would also probably have to add a lot more sand, and larger grade sand if you have normal reef grade>>

2. do specific shrimp/gobies only pair with other goby/shrimp species, or will all shrimp gobies pair up with all pistol shrimp? is there a chance that they will live sepearately and not form a symbiotic relatonship, thereby defeating my projects purpose?

<<There is always a chance that they will not pair up, its the same as clowns and anemone's. So, yes, there is a chance that they wont pair up. Near enough all shrimp gobys stand a chance at creating the symbiotic relationship>>

3. would it be better to introduce the shrimp or the goby first?

<<Ideally, both at the same time>>

4. which shrimp/ goby species do you think would suit me best?

<<Goby's such as the watchman, randalls and spotted goby>>
Click to expand...

Added some comments above in red....hope this helps..
 
are you sure there aren't any pistol shrimp species that would be happy in my tank? I have a fairly deep sand bed... about 4". also, my blenny is the smallest i;ve ever seen... he's only about an inch long, and the full grown adult size for his species (Ecsenius bimaculatus) is only 1 1/2 inches.
 
mmmm.... any other opinions?
 
I've had these guys in a 3g pico for about a year. I had a different goby who jumped out and perished. I found another, introduced him to the same shrimp and they paired up immediately. Still going strong. I thought about putting them in my 29g reef, but I'm affraid the pistol might kill my skunk cleaner.
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