Pistol shrimp (randalli)

Care at a glance

The pistol shrimp has one greatly enlarged claw that it can snap shut so fast that a gas bubble forms and implodes with a loud crack. That crack, audible through the glass, stuns prey and keeps intruders at a distance.

In the wild it forms a partnership with a goby: the shrimp digs and maintains the burrow, while the sharp-eyed goby stands guard and warns of danger. Give it a deep layer of sand with some coarser material, and place your rock on the bottom pane, because it digs underneath.

Good to know

• Digger — needs fine sand
• Active at night

Related species

• Camel shrimpRhynchocinetes durbanensis
• Harlequin shrimpHymenocera picta
• Coral banded shrimpStenopus hispidus
• Saron shrimpSaron marmoratus
• Emerald crabMithraculus sculptus
• Sexy shrimpThor amboinensis