The Brownbar Pistol Shrimp is one of those rare species with very few common names. They consist of pretty much any combination of Brownbar or Yellowbar and Pistol or Snapping Shrimp (though to be fair, we did find one instance where they were called Shore Shrimp.) It got its scientific name, Alpheus lobidens, from a Dutch scientist named Wilhelm de Haan, in 1849. He described it in the book “Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio Animalium, quae in Itinere per Japoniam,” or loosely translated from Latin, “A Description of the Animals on a Journey through Japan.”
What's with the Pistol, and Snapping part of their name? All of the shrimp in the Alpheus genus are small, and pack a big claw, but only one, the other claw is usually more proportionate. In fact, even though the Brownbar Pistol Shrimp only gets an inch and a half long, they can develop a large claw nearly half that length! Now this is no normal claw, it has a vent, for lack of a better word, and they can let water into a small chamber inside the claw. When the shrimp snaps the claw shut, the chamber gets plunged, and water shoots out. This water moves so fast that the bubbles it creates move at up to 60 miles an hour! This mechanism, that can be used to stun prey, makes an audible popping noise. The loudest Pistol Shrimp on record can make a noise that measures over 200 decibels (not this shrimp though, The Brownbar Pistol Shrimp will make this noise, and you'll occasionally hear it, but nowhere even close to this loud). For reference, a .22 caliber pistol is usually around 150 decibels.
These super hardy shrimp are very easy to feed, though they will need to be target fed. They will live on leftovers and fish waste to a certain degree, but if your aquarium is well maintained, this is not going to be enough food. Here we give them small chunks of thawed food from Gamma Foods, things like little bites of Silverside, Mysis, Chopped Prawn (little cannibals), and Mussel are all greedily accepted. Just nudge an appropriately sized chunk into the mouth of the den. The shrimp don't like invaders and may bump it back out, if this happens, just make the bite a bit smaller. They'll also graze on algae wafers and the shots from Nutramar are great for sticking to the rock just outside their dens. Use the Algae and Color Boost Formula. Click here to learn more
What's with the Pistol, and Snapping part of their name? All of the shrimp in the Alpheus genus are small, and pack a big claw, but only one, the other claw is usually more proportionate. In fact, even though the Brownbar Pistol Shrimp only gets an inch and a half long, they can develop a large claw nearly half that length! Now this is no normal claw, it has a vent, for lack of a better word, and they can let water into a small chamber inside the claw. When the shrimp snaps the claw shut, the chamber gets plunged, and water shoots out. This water moves so fast that the bubbles it creates move at up to 60 miles an hour! This mechanism, that can be used to stun prey, makes an audible popping noise. The loudest Pistol Shrimp on record can make a noise that measures over 200 decibels (not this shrimp though, The Brownbar Pistol Shrimp will make this noise, and you'll occasionally hear it, but nowhere even close to this loud). For reference, a .22 caliber pistol is usually around 150 decibels.
These super hardy shrimp are very easy to feed, though they will need to be target fed. They will live on leftovers and fish waste to a certain degree, but if your aquarium is well maintained, this is not going to be enough food. Here we give them small chunks of thawed food from Gamma Foods, things like little bites of Silverside, Mysis, Chopped Prawn (little cannibals), and Mussel are all greedily accepted. Just nudge an appropriately sized chunk into the mouth of the den. The shrimp don't like invaders and may bump it back out, if this happens, just make the bite a bit smaller. They'll also graze on algae wafers and the shots from Nutramar are great for sticking to the rock just outside their dens. Use the Algae and Color Boost Formula. Click here to learn more
