Randall's pistol shrimp (Alpheus randalli) care guide

Group
Shrimp
Other names
Red banded snapping shrimp, Randall's snapping shrimp, Candy cane pistol shrimp
Family
Alpheidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific; recorded from the Seychelles and Indian Ocean to the Marquesas, in sandy or silty burrows around 18 m
Water
saltwater
Maximum size
5 cm
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12, SG 1.023–1.025
Minimum tank
75 litres
Care level
beginner
Temperament
peaceful
Reef safe
yes

Care

Randall's pistol shrimp is a small snapping shrimp with a white or see-through body banded red, red-tipped tail and one massive snapping claw. Wikipedia gives a size of about 3 cm, and LiveAquaria lists up to 5 cm. Snapping the claw shut fires a jet of water and a loud click, used to scare predators and stun prey; in the aquarium you will hear it as a sharp crack. Goby partnership: in the wild it digs and maintains a burrow in sand or silt that it shares with a watchman goby, usually Randall's prawn goby (Amblyeleotris randalli), and in the trade it pairs readily with Amblyeleotris and Stonogobiops gobies. The shrimp has poor eyesight and keeps an antenna on the goby; when the goby darts into the burrow, the shrimp follows. At night both retreat and seal the entrance. Buying the shrimp with a goby is the main reason to keep it. Tank set-up: a reef or fish tank with a sand bed at least 5–8 cm deep, mixed with some rubble and shell to help it build stable tunnels. It moves a lot of sand and may undermine rocks, so set rockwork on the tank floor, not on top of the sand. It is sensitive to copper and high nitrate and needs iodine to moult properly. Water: about 22–26 °C, pH 8.1–8.4, dKH 8–12 and specific gravity 1.023–1.025. Behaviour and role: peaceful and reef safe. It sifts detritus from sand and helps turn over the sand bed. It forages mainly at night and may eat very small shrimp. Copper: copper-based medicines are toxic to shrimp, snails and most invertebrates, and some plant fertilisers carry copper too. Never treat a display tank holding this animal with copper; treat fish in a separate hospital tank, and drip-acclimatise new arrivals slowly. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/snapping-shrimp-red-banded); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpheusrandalli). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Mainly a detritus feeder in the wild; LiveAquaria classes it as a carnivore. In the aquarium give small meaty foods such as mysis, brine shrimp and chopped seafood, plus sinking pellets or bottom-feeder tablets near the burrow. Its goby partner often gets a share.

Breeding

It is thought to pair with a shrimp of the opposite sex in a nearby burrow at breeding time, and the female carries eggs under her abdomen. Larvae are planktonic and are not raised in home aquariums.

Compatibility and tank mates

Reef safe and peaceful; best kept with a compatible shrimp goby (Amblyeleotris, Stonogobiops). Large wrasses, hawkfish, triggers and lionfish will eat it. It may take very small shrimp at night. It can shift small frags and rocks set on sand.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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