TankBud

Tiger pistol shrimp

Alpheus bellulus

Also known as Tiger Snapping Shrimp

SaltwaterShrimp

Tiger pistol shrimp (Alpheus bellulus)
User:Haplochromis · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
2 in
5 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
Indo-West Pacific (East Africa to Japan and Indonesia)

Overview

The tiger pistol shrimp is a peaceful burrowing shrimp for the sand bed of a reef tank. It is an easy shrimp to keep.

Did you know

The tiger pistol shrimp's snap briefly flashes light inside the collapsing bubble. For an instant, the heat there approaches the temperature of the sun's surface. The effect lasts a fraction of a millisecond and is harmless outside the bubble.

Caring for the tiger pistol shrimp

Give the tiger pistol shrimp a tank of 11 gal (40 L) or more, with a few inches of fine sand to dig in. Expect it to rearrange loose rockwork as it renovates. Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.

The tiger pistol shrimp is reef safe and has no interest in coral. It is harmless to tank mates, and its loud snap now and then is just noise. Pair it with a watchman or shrimp goby, such as a Cryptocentrus, Stonogobiops or Amblyeleotris species, for the full symbiosis. Without a goby it tends to stay buried and hidden rather than fail outright.

Good to know

The tiger pistol shrimp takes the pistol in its name from its oversized snapping claw. The claw fires a jet of water fast enough to collapse into a cavitation bubble. The snap is one of the loudest sounds of any animal, with enough force to stun small prey. It is nearly blind and relies on touch, keeping an antenna on its goby partner at all times. When the goby flicks its tail to signal danger, the shrimp retreats at once.

In the wild

The tiger pistol shrimp is native across the Indo-West Pacific. Its range runs from East Africa and the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to Thailand, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and Japan. It lives in sand and mud flats near reefs at depths of about 2 to 20 m. There it digs and maintains a burrow system, almost always shared with a symbiotic goby.

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 tiger pistol shrimp need?

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

What temperature and pH does a tiger pistol shrimp need?

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

How big does a tiger pistol shrimp get?

An adult tiger pistol shrimp reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

Related species