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

Reef safe. The pistol shrimp has no interest in coral, it's too busy running its burrow. Harmless to tankmates aside from the loud snap now and then, which is just noise and not a threat to fish or other inverts. Pair it with a compatible watchman or shrimp goby (Cryptocentrus, Stonogobiops, or Amblyeleotris species) for the full symbiosis. Without a goby it tends to stay buried and hidden rather than fail outright. Give it a sand bed deep enough to burrow in and expect loose rockwork to get rearranged as it renovates.

In the wild

Native across the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa and the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to Thailand, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Japan. Lives in sand and mud flats near reefs at depths of about 2–20 m, where it excavates and maintains a burrow system, almost always shared with a symbiotic goby. In the aquarium it needs a few inches of fine sand to dig in and, ideally, a goby partner to pair with.

Good to know

Named for the oversized snapping claw that fires a jet of water fast enough to collapse into a cavitation bubble, producing one of the loudest sounds of any animal and enough force to stun small prey. Nearly blind, it relies on touch, keeping an antenna on its goby partner at all times so it can retreat the instant the goby signals danger with a flick of its tail.

Did you know

Like other snapping shrimp, its claw snap is fast enough to briefly flash light and heat approaching the temperature of the sun's surface inside the collapsing bubble, though the effect lasts a fraction of a millisecond and is harmless outside it.

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