Tiger Pistol Shrimp

[jgunnell]

I have a very big pistol shrimp, about 3.5-4 inches, that after a couple of years now has outgrown his welcome in my 35g. He did eat the two gobys I tried to match him up with early on, and so he's seemed perfectly content living alone in his cave on the right side of the tank. Now though, he's started going after all my nassarious snails in the tank. I can't keep him from stopping. I feed him along with the fish everyday, but I guess he's just developed a taste for escargot. Also, he's starting to wander all over the tank wrecking everything.

So does anyone have any good suggestions as to how to catch him? There's so much base rock in the tank he keeps getting away from me when I try to net him.

I thought about the inverted water bottle trick I used to bait and catch my Sally Lightfoot a while back.

Thoughts? Thanks.......

 

[mapleredta]

Yeah, get something to put all your rock and coral in when you tear your tank down getting him out.

 

[kirru]

how often is he out at night? i find that is the best way to get critters out that need to come out. i always waited till my clown who was sick to go to his sleep spot and netted him and dipped him and sent him home, was successful every time. so if the shrimp comes out at night that probably would be the best time. imho

 

[mapleredta]

Kirru;393445 wrote: how often is he out at night? i find that is the best way to get critters out that need to come out. i always waited till my clown who was sick to go to his sleep spot and netted him and dipped him and sent him home, was successful every time. so if the shrimp comes out at night that probably would be the best time. imho

LOL you ever seen how fast they move? Mine never left the base of his borrow.

 

[kirru]

i never see mine but i know he is there, not sure about the goby, i see him once in a blue moon... yea i know they move fast, i have 3 cleaner shrimp too lol, luckily i can trick them in to cleaning my hand but i dont plan on taking anything other than some coral out of my tank. but i may have to take my tiger pistol out eventually if he gets like the way jgunell's is

 

[ralph atl]

great question! no clue!

 

[jgunnell]

Yeah, he comes out quite a bit, day and night. Just enough to tease you into thinking he can be netted. I've come close over the past two weeks in cornering him, but he is very fast. I'll try getting him when the lights turn off also. Good idea.

I've been down the road of taking all the rock out once already to get a Solar wrasse that was bullying my jawfish. Boy that was the day of emotions I never knew I had.:bash2: Don't prefer to do it again unless it's a total tank breakdown.

 

[jgunnell]

Cory, my pistol looks just like the one in your avatar. He was really cool until he got big.

 

[weaglereefer]

And that is why my bullseye pistol lives in the sump. I still hear him popping off a few rounds every night, but don't know what on earth he could be shooting at.

 

[fishgardener]

Maybe you could put a few snails in the fish trap as bait to encourage him to go in there. Catching creature in a reef tank is such a pain. Good luck

Sheryle