TankBud

Randall's pistol shrimp

Alpheus randalli

Also known as Candy Stripe Pistol Shrimp, Red Banded Pistol Shrimp, Candy Cane Pistol Shrimp, Randall's Snapping Shrimp

SaltwaterShrimp

Randall's pistol shrimp (Alpheus randalli)

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
1.6 in
4 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Alpheidae
Origin
Indian and western Pacific oceans, sharing sand burrows with partner gobies on reef slopes.

Overview

Randall's pistol shrimp is a small, peaceful burrowing shrimp for the sand bed of a reef tank. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The claw snap of Randall's pistol shrimp is one of the loudest sounds made by any animal its size. It briefly heats the water at the collapsing bubble to extreme temperatures.

Caring for the Randall's pistol shrimp

Keep a single Randall's pistol shrimp in a tank of 11 gal (40 L) or more. Give it a deep sand bed and some rubble to shore up the burrow.

Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It eats detritus and meaty scraps.

Randall's pistol shrimp is peaceful and reef safe. Pair it with a partner goby to see its full behavior. Its snapping is harmless to corals and fish, though you will hear it clicking through the glass.

Good to know

Randall's pistol shrimp, Alpheus randalli, is a small striped shrimp banded in red and white, with one oversized snapping claw. Like other pistol shrimp, it snaps that claw so fast that it fires a cavitation bubble. The bubble's collapse makes a loud crack and a flash of light.

In the wild

Randall's pistol shrimp lives on reef slopes in the Indian and western Pacific oceans. There it shares a sand burrow with a watchman goby, such as a Stonogobiops or Amblyeleotris, in a classic partnership. It spends most of its time digging out and maintaining the burrow. Its eyesight is poor, so it keeps one antenna on the goby, which watches for danger.

Symbiotic relationships

Shrimp gobies and pistol shrimp

A pistol shrimp can barely see, but it digs and maintains a burrow all day. The goby that shares it has sharp eyes and does no digging. It sits at the entrance as a lookout, and the shrimp keeps one antenna resting on the goby's body whenever it is outside. A flick of the goby's tail sends the shrimp back down the hole, and a harder threat sends them both. At dusk they retire together and the shrimp seals the entrance for the night. The shrimp gets an early warning system, and the goby gets a home it could not build.

This partnership is easy to keep and it rewards watching. Give them a sand bed at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep with some rubble to hold the tunnel, add the two together or the shrimp first, and feed sinking food near the burrow mouth. The snap of the shrimp's claw is a small cavitation bubble collapsing, and you will hear it across the room. Pairs form readily between strangers, but the genera matter: the yellow watchman, pink-spotted, Wheeler's, orange-spot and Randall's gobies take a tiger pistol shrimp, while the yasha, hi-fin red banded and pinkbar gobies pair with Randall's pistol shrimp.

Every symbiotic relationship in the catalog

Common questions

What size tank does a Randall's pistol shrimp need?

A Randall's pistol shrimp needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Randall's pistol shrimp need?

A Randall's pistol shrimp is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Randall's pistol shrimp eat?

A Randall's pistol shrimp eats detritus and meaty scraps.

How big does a Randall's pistol shrimp get?

An adult Randall's pistol shrimp reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

Related species