Missing fish... Lysmata,
really "cleaning" 4/25/08
Hello wet web crew
<Keith>
I have posted a few times before and you have been a wonderful help To refresh I
have a 30 gal long reef that I have been having many (To date I am missing 3
peppermint shrimp, two sally light foot crabs, 1 green Chromis, a scooter
blenny, and a Purple back Pseudochromis. All of this has disappeared without
trace.) animals come up missing.
<Mmmm>
Since I last posted I moved my tank to another house completely broke everything
down and did not find any serpent stars or any predators that I could identify.
The move went smoothly no deaths and it has been 2 months set up at my new
place. With the move I set up a 46g square refugium and plumbed it directly via
overflow to the reef. This has all been going good the nitrates are down to
almost zero and everything seems to be running smoothly.
<Good>
I had had no disappearances until the last week. When suddenly my six line
wrasse up and vanished. The tank is well sealed so there is no way the fish can
jump. Then a few days after that I had my favorite fish that I had have over a
year now my cherub pygmy angel disappear. This is becoming a real problem where
I am afraid to restock my tank I test my tank weekly and have a very rigorous
upkeep schedule I am really trying to keep everything as best as I can. The
stock I have left is an Ocellaris clown, a 3-stripe damsel, a skunk cleaner
shrimp, a blood shrimp, a number a blue leg hermits, a Mexican turbo snail, and
some Nassarius snails.
<Either one of the Lysmata species could actually be the perpetrator here. This
small volume is impossible to get away from a predatory shrimp>
If you can think of anything I can do I would greatly appreciate your input.
<Feed the shrimp better...>
Other than this problem all my corals and the rest of the tank looks beautiful
with no problems at all. So I am kind of stuck. I think I may have been a little
bit overstocked anyways so I want to get another pygmy angel and leave it at
that any suggestions?
<Will likely be consumed...>
Thank you all for your help
Keith Fontes
<Again... perhaps better observation, feeding... moving the shrimp/s to the
'fuge... Bob Fenner>
|
Attacking peppermints?
Aggression, a symptom of overcrowding (marine nano) 3-24-08 & to Sm. SW stkg...
Hello all!
<<Hello.>>
I've had my 20 gallon nano for about 3 years.
<<Not a bad run for a nano.>>
All running great till now.
<Uh-oh.>>
1.025, 4.5 Alk mEq, undetectable ammonia, nitrite, 5ppm nitrate.
<<Acceptable.>>
Inhabitants are 3 peppermint shrimp, 4 hermits, and an emerald crab (picked up
as a hitch hiker a year ago),
<<Just keep a close eye on the latter.>>
tomato clown, blue damsel, and scooter goby (I know small tank, but for some
reason I have a lot of tiny inverts growing the scooter eats...I see them on the
glass and sand. My tank never seems to run out.
<<Yes but how long have you had the dragonet? This is still not an ideal
environment for him, especially with the two other tankmates which will compete
for said microcrustaceans as well.>>
Which is another reason I'm scared to move him into the 150gallon.
<<Depending on the specifications of the 150 gallon, it certainly sounds like a
more desirable niche for him based on size alone.>>
Anyhow I've had him for 2 years and he gets bigger and bigger...I'm sure he'll
be moved at some point).
<<I just hope you realize that you are an exception to the rule and that others
SHOULD NOT follow suit.>>
Okay onto my point. Being a nano the tomato and damsel are now in the 150gallon
as they are too big for the little cube.
<<Agreed good move.>>
I bought 2 ocellaris and one fire fish, about 2 inches or less each for the
nano.
<<Too many fish.>>
The new fish were great in quarantine. When I moved them into the nano all
appeared easy breezy. 2 hours later one of the ocellaris fin was ragged. So I'm
thinking the 3 new comers are no longer friends. Next morning the clown is dead
and being devoured by all, hermits, peppermints, green emerald.
<<Normal behavior for said detritivores.>>
I've since replaced the clown but now the fire fish looks stressed. So, Here's
the deal. At night, with lunar lights on, the fire fish wants to lay in its hole
or on the sand but the peppermints chase it. The emerald, with claws up is
trying to catch him as well. So I remove the emerald (his old mates were too big
to touch but it seems the new guys aren't).
<<Now you know what the phrase opportunistic omnivore means.>>
I'm thinking Friday night fights are done...not soooo! All the peppermints are
actively chasing this poor fire fish! What's the deal?
<<Shrimp can be territorial as well, you have too many denizens vying for space
in this small tank.>>
They are going at him like wolves, following him and jumping on him. Fire fish
has been moved back to quarantine to recover. Have you seen or heard of such
behavior?
<<Yes, though it is amplified in small closed systems.>>
Do you think the peppermint know if a fish is stressed and go after it or they
just really like him a lot and want to give him a good cleaning?
<<They don’t want him in their cave (space).>>
oh yeah peppermints have been in the nano for 2 years.
<<They are in effect “rejecting” the newcomers. Time to evict some tank mates my
friend.>>
Thanks a bunch!
<<Anytime, - Adam J.>>
Re: attacking
peppermints? 3-24-08
Definitely agreed about being an exception to the rule.
<<Hey at least you know...all to often people encourage their bad habits
to be copied.>>
I'm wondering if the buried oyster shells is the source of the tiny
delicious dragonet buffet.
<<That and porous live rock.....I'm only assuming.>>
He will be moved once the 150 matures a bit more.
<<Good to hear it.>>
Anyone have an Aiptasia problem...lol my guys devour'em!
<<Yes unfortunately, they also pick on other cnidaria life as well. You
may want to consider this before moving them to the 150...that is if you
plan to.>>
Now the hard part...catching them.
<<Shouldn't be to hard in a nano, drain half of the water...remove some
of the rock.>>
I will try the all mentioned avenues, first attempt...bottle and food
(for me and the shrimp...;>). I figured my problem was aggression due to
overcrowding...just needed to hear from the guys and gals of a very
trusted site!!!
<<Good luck, - AdamJ.>>
Re: question, Shrimp / goby /
Fireworm 03/25/2008
Thank you for the advice. Sadly, the non-eater has died. I found him
yesterday morning. The other one seems OK for now, but that's what the QT is
for, isn't it?
<<Sorry to hear this...Yes, for sure, that's what its there for...Good luck with
the other>>
Thanks again, Mandy
<<A Nixon>> |
Did my Red Fire Shrimp eat my
Purple Goby? 2/11/08
Hey crew,
<Stormy>
Hope ya all are staying dry.
<I am, out in Hawai'i>
This is in regards to a missing purple firefish.
I've a 72g bow and had two purple firefish (Nemateleotris decora) gobies. They
got along great - stayed together during the day, and hung out together at night
under a rock that also housed a red fire shrimp.
Maybe 3 weeks later, one of the gobies was missing - no sign whatsoever.
Other inhabitants include a sunburst anthias, a perc clown, a yellow striped
cardinal, 2 Scissortails, 3 orange firefish who hang out on the opposite side of
the tank, and a lone peppermint shrimp (I started with two but only see one
now.)
It appears that the lone purple firefish now hangs out at night with the 2
Scissortails.
Could the fire shrimp have eaten the purple goby?
<Is the most likely suspect, though this Lysmata species is generally not
(relatively) aggressive>
If so, I should pull it because I don't want the lone purple goby to also be
dinner?
<More likely "something" was wrong with the other, and perhaps the shrimp helped
clean up the body>
And, I suppose at this late date I cannot add another purple firefish after the
first has been in the tank for a month? A shame because the two of them together
helped make the tank.
<Could easily try adding another individual of this species in this setting>
On a different note, one of my rocks keeps sprouting bubble algae. Do I dare add
an emerald crab? Or shall I just "rent" one and place the rock in a QT tank?
<I'd siphon/scrape and remove for now... See WWM re>
thanks so much for your help,
stormy
btw: have you found You Tube videos on life in the aquarium? Just do a search on
mantis shrimp, or whatever - homemade videos of life in the aquarium - pretty
cool.
<Thank you for this. We're hoping to add such video service soon... on a new BB>
Earlier I lost one of my sunburst anthias to a mantis shrimp. On video, one can
see how it was done. In fact, there is a video with a red fire shrimp grabbing
at a goby, which prompted my first question.
<Yikes! Thank you. Bob Fenner>
Sexy Shrimp
and Ricordea Compatibility, and Elacatinus repro. 12/5/07
Hello to the crew of WWM,
I want to start by saying that I find myself browsing the FAQs
frequently and really love the wealth of information you all have
compiled.
I have a 14 gallon BioCube loosely set up as a Caribbean species tank.
It contains:
Fish/inverts:
1 Lysmata amboinensis (skunk cleaner shrimp)*
*2* *Elacatinus multifasciatus (Green banded goby)
<Neat fish>
3 Thor amboinensis (sexy shrimp, I realize these also come from the
Pacific but it goes with the "theme")
1 mithrax crab
<Keep your eye on this... Mithraculus often become predaceous>
1 lybia tessellata (I believe this is the name, its a pom pom crab)
and a small cleanup crew
corals:
~14 polyps of assorted Ricordea florida which aside from maybe two other
small frags are the focus of my tank.
My main question concerns the Ricordea and the sexy shrimp. The sexy
shrimp like to pick on one color morph in particular, they leave all the
others almost entirely alone. I have looked around on various forums and
find lots of conflicting info to whether they will cause any damage to
the corals or not, although they seem to have a reputation for picking
on zoanthids.
<Mmm, this species lives in association with a few Classes of
Cnidarians... does little actual damage to their commensal hosts...>
The Ricordea in question shrivel up after being picked at, but so far
always eventually open up again. This has been going on since I added
the shrimp (approx. 2-3 weeks). Tonight however, I noticed 2 of the
Ricordea they usually pick on had open mouths and small amounts of brown
material coming out of them. I have read on WWM that this is their
"intestines"
<Most likely...>
and I am worried that they are going to be stressed to the point of
death. I have included a picture of how they looked just after getting
picked at a few days ago (forgive me if I did not attach it correctly,
it is a jpeg and under 200Kb). I am looking for advice on whether they
will be alright or not and what I should do, ideally I do not want to
get rid of either animal as I love them both but I realize this may not
be possible. I have heard that sometimes sexy shrimp will host LPS and
maybe this would keep them off the Ricordea. Any insight you could offer
would be greatly appreciated.
<Well... I see the damage... and the shrimp... and am concerned as
well... IF you had another system I would move the shrimp likely>
My secondary question is regarding the gobies. Right now I have two,
from what I understand most gobies are territorial towards other gobies
and many sites will say to keep singly or as mated pairs, but it seems
that the green banded gobies in particular live in small groups of
multiple females and a dominant male.
<Yes, have seen this species in such associations in the wild>
My goal is to have them spawn and am not sure if I should just stay with
two, or add a couple more to maybe establish some type of harem.
<I would go with this last arrangement... at least till a pair-bond was
formed, the two did mate for the first time>
I know that they would do just fine as just a breeding pair and although
I don't plan on trying to rear the young, having satisfied their needs
to the point of establishing spawning behavior is something I am
striving for. Should I stick with the two or add more?
<I would try adding at least one more here. There are folks who raise
this genus and Gobiosoma... that employ a similar protocol to generate
pairs...>
Thank you for your assistance,
Kurtis
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner> |
|
 |
Six-line bullying anemone?!?! Little
Hippolytid food item needs temp. protection 7/8/07
Hello to you!
<And you>
A bit of background: we have a six-line wrasse that has been in our 125 G tank
for many months now, and a recently acquired bubble-tip anemone that has been
with us for just over a week now, in the hopes that a pair of little Ocellaris
clowns (currently in the QT tank) will take to it later. Unknown to us, a "sexy
dancing shrimp" (that's what they're called in our LFS, anyway...)
<Mmm, it their name if this is Thor amboinensis:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hippolytidae.htm>
hitched a ride in the anemone at the LFS and continues to make its home in the
anemone even now.
<Is what they do... among other things, for needed protection>
OK, on with the problem... As strange as this might sound, our six-line seems to
be "bullying" the anemone.
<Not strange... this species can be particularly pugnacious...>
The six-line's behavior is so odd! For the last couple of days, he has been
swimming around the anemone constantly; to the point that the anemone is
frequently "shrunken" in the same way it is when it's expelling waste after
eating. During the night, because the six-line is sleeping, the anemone gets
some peace and swells back to its normal size; in the morning, it looks
great...until the six-line starts in on it again for the day, that is! This
can't be good for the poor anemone!
<... or the Shrimp... which is HIGHLY likely what the Wrasse is after>
My husband and I are wondering if the bullying revolves around the "sexy dancing
shrimp," that lives in the anemone, in that maybe the six-line is trying to get
at the tiny shrimp to EAT it, and the anemone is simply in the way.
<Yes>
Perhaps you have another, more possible explanation. Have you ever heard of such
a thing happening, and do you have any ideas on how we can make life more
enjoyable for the anemone again?
<Yes... do place a structure over the anemone for now... that will allow
circulation, light to get through (If the anemone is small perhaps a "strawberry
basket" inverted... but something chemically inert) to separate/exclude the
Wrasse for now... When you introduce the Clowns... this is going to sound a bit
weird... do place a "clown shaped" algae clip (see your LFS re...) stuck to the
tank inside near the anemone... this will hopefully prompt/stir your Clowns into
more soon/readily associating with the Anemone... a useful technique,
particularly w/ tank-bred/raised Clowns that often have little "clue" as to what
an Anemone is. The Clowns will patrol, stave off the Wrasse>
We don't want it to be so clearly distressed! It is a beautiful addition to our
tank!
Thank you so much in advance for your help and advice! We did already look on
WWM and were unable to find anything related in the FAQ's or the articles.
Have a great day!
Beth
<Thank you my friend. Life to you. Bob Fenner>
Peppermint Shrimp and Duncanopsamia axifuga compatibility. Peppermint vs. LPS -
4/7/07
Hi Crew,
<Hi Tim!>
Thank you for taking my e-mail.<Anytime!> I've read that peppermint shrimp can
and will pick on certain large polyp stony corals.<Along with other things as
well.> I just got a Duncanopsamia axifuga polyp shipped to me today.<Neat -
don’t see those too often.> I have acclimated it and put it in my refugium. Is
it likely that the shrimp will go after this coral in my 75 gallon display?
<It’s possible, just depends on the shrimp. Some are well behaved, some not.> If
so, I will remove them.<I’d keep an eye on both and remove if necessary.>
Thanks for the help,
Tim <You’re welcome, and good luck! –Lynn>
Heniochus; the Lysmata hunter? 4/2/07
Hello,
<Hi.>
I had a question about the Heniochus Blank and White butterflyfish.
<Go on...>
I haven't found any information about this fish that would lead me to believe
that it will eat various types of shrimp.
<What type of shrimp? Some shrimp are very, very small...pelagic plankton
type....others are shall we say considerably larger.>
I currently have 1 skunk cleaner shrimp and 5 peppermint shrimp in my 75g tank.
<So we're referring to Lysmata then? Well Heniochus (and there are more than
one species in this genus) are in large part quite "flighty" fish, they lack the
weapons to be predatory...feeding on mostly pelagic plankton (though some act as
cleaners to larger fish as juveniles). It is unlikely that a well-fed Heniochus,
in captivity or the wild would attempt to hunt down a healthy Lysmata
shrimp...and even if it did attempt it, it would be unlikely to be
successful. If a Lysmata is on the blows of death or already dead though, a
Heniochus (or most other fish for that matter) would not be above feeding on the
carcass.>
I have a few corals, mostly just some xenia and a bubble coral. Would this fish
eat any of the shrimp in my tank?
<No the corals/sessile invertebrates are at more of a risk than the shrimp,
though keeping Heniochus in reef displays seems to have grown more popular and
successful at that; Adam J.>
Marine Aquaria Compatibility....and more reading needed 4/2/07
Hi again,
<Hello.>
you all made a big mistake by answering one of my questions fast
<Oh?>
im <I'm> starting to rely on you all but my eyes do dry out on a regular basis
from reading through the thousands of questions on your site so i <I> guess were
even :).
<Perhaps...>
Anyway I was thinking of adding a flying gurnard to my tank BUT i <I> have one
cleaner shrimp that doesn't clean -_- and i <I> plan on getting one that
does. So will this guy eat him?
<Yes, likely so...'mmm...more than likely.>
If so whats a cool conversation fish preferably a predator that wont eat it in
your opinion since i <I>know the list is probly <probably> long.
<Mmm...most "true" predators will easily make a snack of a Lysmata eventually. I
guess if you count predators of 'pods and microfauna then the there would be
some acceptable choices...but just about all reef denizens fall into that
category. Cardinals (which are small but predatory in behavior) may be an
option. Keep reading my friend...>
Also to narrow down the possible suggestion id <I'd> prefer it to be a fish not
an eel or shark.
<Most don't have the room/experience for these anyway.>
Anyway last question for today I have a sand sifting starfish
<'Mmm not long lives/easily kept in your average aquaria.>
and was wondering if there was any way i <I> could put food into the sand for it
so it doesn't starve (rumor i <I> heard)
<Not a rumor....a fact.>
after its done cleaning out the sand bed.
<Depending on the animals size you can attempt to target feed it with meaty
foods of a marine origin, squid, mysis and so on. But even then the chances are
slim for this one.>
Thank you again for your time and knowledge.
<Adam J.>
Lysmata wurdemanni vs. Coral 3/21/07
Hi Everyone,
<Hello Bill.>
Thanks for all your help over the past few years.
<I’m glad it has been useful.>
Your expertise has been amazing.
<Thank you.>
My question basically applies to Peppermint Shrimp and corals.
<Okay.>
I have a 75 gallon tank. I had a lot of Aiptasia in my tank during the first
year, and added 3 peppermint shrimp. I know they can be evil critters, but I
think they hilarious to watch, and they killed my Aiptasia in less than a week.
<They are rather comical and hardy compared to many of their cousins. And not to
get off the subject but I surmise you figured out the source problem of the
Aiptasia?>
One of my favorite fish has been flame hawkfish. I added him, without
consulting your site first, and he killed 2 of my shrimp.
<Yes, expected behavior.>
(Actually saw him dart across the tank and knock the snot out one peppermint
that came out for some food). I liked the shrimp more than the hawkfish, and
trapped the
hawkfish and donated him back to my local fish store. I added one more
peppermint so that I now have two.
<Lesson learned.>
Fish in my tank are: 1 clownfish, 1 black cap Basslet, 3 firefish goby and 1
bicolor blenny.
<A good mix in this size tank.>
I have recently been adding corals to the tank. I have: Candy Cane, Frogspawn,
Toadstool Mushroom, Colony Polyps and Brain Coral (Wellsophyllia).
The Brain and Frogspawn were added two days ago.
<And you are concerned about the shrimp…>
My lighting in this tank is an Orbit Lighting Fixture: 48" w/4-65W (SunPaq Dual
Daylight (6700°K/10000°K) and Dual Actinic (420 nm and 460 nm) bulbs).
<Fine for what you are keeping, just replace the bulbs every 6-9 months, a year
at the VERY latest as PC’s depreciate in lumens rather quickly.>
I work from home and came down this morning to work, and saw one peppermint on
the frogspawn munching away, and the other peppermint on the brain coral
munching away.
<Uh-oh.>
I was assuming this wasn’t good and just moved these two corals to my nanocube
in my bedroom. After reading your site again today, I see that some folks have
problems with these peppermint critters and their corals.
<Correct.>
So my question to you is: Are there any types of corals that are “Peppermint
Safe”?
<I have found that they are less prone to picking at larger noxious colonies of
soft corals, such as octocorals and Sinularia. Keepers of hermatypic corals
like Acroporidae seem to have “luck” with them as well (but you don’t have the
lighting for those)…what’s important to keep in mind is that there are no
guarantees and there is always a risk.>
I like my shrimp, and would like to keep them. Mine are out and about all the
time. They are friendly and I can hand feed them. But I also have a reef tank,
and would like to add some more coral life to it as well. I have not seen them
pick on the other corals, but who knows what happens at night?
<Another thing to keep in mind is that when animals do become predatory, they
will pick on the easiest, least resistant targets. Just because the shrimp may
be ignoring one colony as of present does not mean they will continue to do so
once the others are removed.>
Best regards,
<To you as well.>
Bill
<Adam J.>
Cleaner Shrimp and Queen Angel
Bob,
I have a dumb question. I need to combine two tanks for several weeks to do some
work on the one. I have several cleaner shrimp in the one tank , and a 5 inch
Queen angel, 3 green Chromis and a mated pair of Tomatoe clowns in the other. I
could find no information on if the queen (boss of the show tank) will make a
meal of the cleaner or not. I have seen the angel eat a 2 inch brown
colored worm off the live rock in a flash.
<Mmm, hopefully not... there is some chance of this, of course... but there
are Cleaner Shrimps (e.g. Stenopus hispidus) in the Caribbean... where
this Angel species is found... and they are known to develop symbiotic relations
with non-indigenous cleaners... You could always do the wholesaler technique of
floating a colander, or placing the shrimp in a container with perforations...
to keep water coming through, but keeping predators away. Bob Fenner>
Thanks for your help.
Cleaner shrimp and Queen Angel
Bob, This is not a question, but a follow-up to what I asked you last week.
I put the cleaner shrimp in my show tank, and watched the reaction of the Queen
Angel. Well to make a long story short, the angel went right up to the shrimp,
head up and fins flapping. The shrimp jumped on him and proceeded to clean the
inside of his mouth and gills. I was amazed at the symbiotic relationship. It is
not uncommon for the shrimp to be on the angel six or seven times a day. There
has been no parasite outbreak in my tank, so I wonder what the shrimp is finding
if anything on the angel.
<Necrotic tissue, bits of this and that...that are not discernible to you and
I>
I have also noticed a change in the Queen. Before the shrimp was added he would
bully the other fish if they even got close to his favorite spot in the tank..
He has calmed down a lot and seems to tolerate them in his spot in the tank,
unlike before. Thought you would be interested in the outcome.
<Yes>
Thanks again for all your help.
<You are welcome my friend. Be chatting. Bob Fenner>
Advice Clown, shrimp compatibility
Hi, Mr. Fenner
<Steven Pro this evening.>
I have a good deal on a cinnamon clown fish and some peppermint shrimp. I want
to put them in a 50 gallon tank by themselves, do these two get along and could
I add other inverts, fish, and coral later on,
<Yes, will get along with each other and many other animals. If you give
specifics on what else you want to keep, I can give you a more detailed
recommendation.>
if not please recommend a better fit for me. I want something that is beautiful
but easy to take care of. I only have time to service the tank on the week end
but I can do simple feeding every day.
Thanks a lot, Ryan Blankenship
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>
Eels and Shrimp?
Hey guys,
I've read several FAQs and I've been through the WetWeb moray section several
times. I've read something more then once that I was shocked and I just wanted
to clarify without you all. Now from what I've read, it sounds like smaller eels
like snowflakes will eat any and all inverts (shrimp is what I'm really
concerned about.) But, I've also read that most of the Gymnothorax (spelling)
seem to leave cleaner shrimp alone while they will eat cleaner wrasses/ neon
gobies. I wouldn't get a cleaner wrasse anyway as per your site. My question is,
I am thinking of pursuing a Gymnothorax permistus (spelling again!). The one
that looks similar to a tessellated but with bigger spots and much smaller in
size. I have a cleaner and a coral banded in my FO tank. Would this eel make
quick work of my shrimp or would he leave them be? Would a smaller eel of this
species be more likely to eat them then a larger one? Thanks ........keep up the
great work. Joe
<what works/is safe in the wild and what happens in captivity are sometimes
two very different things (like yellow tangs schooling in the wild and generally
beating the tar out of each other in small groups in aquaria). IMO, the cleaner
shrimp will probably be safe... but all bets are off. You really have to be
cautious and willing to take the chance. Kindly, Anthony>
Peppermint Shrimp
I recently set up a reef aquarium. It's gone through a number of ups and
downs, I asked you about fish lice in another correspondence.
<Okay>
Shortly after setting it up, I had the usual assortment of Aiptasia anemone. I
rid my aquarium of many of them with the solution of Calcium Hydroxide. However,
there were a number of smaller ones and several that were difficult to get to.
After reading a number of articles on the problem, including yours, I decided to
try biological control and purchased half a dozen peppermint shrimp.
Also from reading the article, I was aware of the left coast imposters. I am
quite certain that these were the wurdemanni species.
Appearances are that they did their job rather well. I haven't seen one in
months. But, however, ...
Peppermint shrimp appear not to be particularly finicky eaters. It shouldn't
take a real leap of faith to believe that the similarities between one polyp and
another might lead to some problems. Some of my first purchases were yellow
polyps, green star polyps, Zoanthus, and a carpet anemone.
<Yes>
I had seen them acting suspiciously around the yellow polyps, green star polyps,
and Zoanthus, but never caught them red handed (pun only slightly intended).
However, upon introducing the carpet, they began to show a rather intense
interest in it. I also noticed that the anemone was reacting rather severely to
their proximity. I got a closer look and they were picking at individual
tentacles. The next morning, there were a couple of circular patches about 6mm
in diameter that were tentacle free toward the edges of the carpet. The next
night, there were a few more such patches. I withheld food from the system after
the first night and decided to trap the shrimp. Further, they began to show
increased interest in the other polyps and I began to see some damage on them.
The shrimp are now out of the system, having learned a lesson in the law of
unintended consequences.
One of the other Aiptasia eating critters is the Berghia nudibranch. I had
chosen the Peppermints because the Berghia are somewhat pricey, due to their
small size, they are somewhat less than aesthetically pleasing and once they
eliminate Aiptasia, they die off. As it turns out, the quantity of Peppermints
was similarly priced to a pair of Berghia, the appearance of the bald spots on
my carpet (the one in the aquarium, not the one by the tank I wore on the floor
biting my fingernails as I watch my carpet take a beating,, and not many folks
seem to want to take back peppermints due to quarantine, etc., so they are
likely to meet their demise.
In conclusion, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these were indeed
Lysmata wurdemanni and that they were consuming my carpet anemone. Although I
have no direct evidence that they do eat Aiptasia, the anecdotal evidence
supports that conclusion. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they were
eating my carpet anemone, I saw them on several occasions picking violently at
the polyps, distorting the shape of the anemone considerably in the process.
<They do, will eat anemones>
I would suggest to anyone who still desires to put wurdemanni in a reef tank
keep a wary eye on them and that they ensure that the system is overfed.
Renaming the species to Lysmata alquaidaii might not be a bad idea, either, they
were little terrorists in my tank. :)
<Agreed>
Thanks for your pages, by the way. With the exception of information on Argulus,
your pages seem to be absolutely the best sources of information on the web.
<Okay>
Best regards, Dale Chatham
<Bob Fenner>
Cleaner shrimp, polyps, Heniochus
Hello again,
I recently added a cleaner shrimp (Lysmata grabhami, I think) to my 75 gal.
setup which includes some yellow polyps and green button polyps. I've seen the
shrimp "sampling" the polyps several times, causing them to close up.
Do you think this causing harm to the polyps?
<The shrimp is probably bugging them more than anything else, I doubt they
are in any danger.>
On a similar note, I'm interested in Heniochus Bannerfish. I've read that H.
diphreutes is reef safe, but H. acuminatus is not. Do you agree? <yes>
Would a pair of H. diphreutes be suitable for a 75 gal. that is otherwise
lightly-loaded?
Thank very much, and thanks for maintaining such a valuable site. John H.
<Thank you for the kind words, and I promise, the site is only going to get
better. A pair of the H. diphreutes would be much better suited than the H.
acuminatus. You can find more information on butterflyfishes at the link below.
Best Regards, Gage
http://wetwebmedia.com/BFsBestWrst.htm>
Cleaner Shrimp - Reef Safe?
Hello how are you?
<Pretty darned good Angelo! Hoping you are as well.>
My question is how reef safe are Cleaner Shrimp - Lysmata amboinensis?
<A popular reef and fish tank inhabitant. Quite safe.>
As far as I know, they are not coral eaters, but they do seem to
>steal food from corals. It makes it hard for me to spot feed
them because my cleaner shrimp is right there to grab the food!
<"Spot" feed your shrimp first, then feed corals. A 1/4" hunk
of shrimp, krill, clam, mussel, etc. should keep him busy.>
Also it seems to irritate them when it walks on the coral causing them to
retract there polyps. Do they cause stress to
corals?
<Locally, they retract, but it would need to be continuous, in one place, to
have a big effect. I wouldn't worry. I have two that are stationed on my
Tubipora musica causing some of the polyps to retract on occasion, but it
continues to grow vigorously.>
Am I better off without it? I originally started my tank
as a FO so the shrimp has been there since then. Thanks, Angelo
<These shrimp are wonderful little inhabitants. You can train them to come to
the surface for food and they will clean and hang on your fingers. It is
unlikely he is doing anything negative to your corals but more likely he is
keeping things cleaned up. Craig>
Scarlet cleaner shrimp and clown triggerfish together
I am thinking of getting a saltwater fish tank and buying a scarlet cleaner
shrimp and a clown triggerfish. Do you think I will be able to put them in the
same tank or will the clown triggerfish nip/ kill the shrimp. Thanks Josh
<Have seen stranger things, but the vast likelihood is that the trigger will
consume the shrimp. Bob Fenner>
Re: Scarlet cleaner shrimp and clown triggerfish together
I just went to a store and they had very small clown triggerfish about 2-3''.
The Scarlets there were almost bigger without their antennae. do you think that,
that would make a difference?
<Mainly just smaller bites, longer meal. Please read through our Triggerfish
sections (articles and FAQs files) starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/triggers/index.htm
on to "selection", "compatibility".
Bob Fenner>
- Neon Gobies and Cleaner Shrimp -
Hi!
<Hello to you. JasonC here...>
My question for right now is - Will a Neon Blue Goby attack a cleaner shrimp?
<Not in my experience.> I was under the assumption that they would get
along (especially in a 38 gallon tank), but a guy at my LFS said that pretty
much any goby or blenny would mess with any kind of shrimp. <For the most
part untrue, but could happen due to territorial matters. Or perhaps if was a
fang blenny, which are worth avoiding anyway.> That leaves me with a choice
to make, if he is correct. <No worries.> I really would like to have both,
but am now confused if they will co-exist. <Buy them both.> Thank you very
much. - Alex Mills
<Cheers, J -- >
- Cleaner Shrimp Compatibility -
Ditto for a Firefish Goby. Will it get along? <I think so, sure.>
Thanks. - Alex Mills
<Cheers, J -- >
Wrasse and Shrimp
I recently purchased a Pseudocheilinus ocellatus and he is attacking my two
cleaner shrimp. Is this normal?
<Not uncommon>
I expected cleaner shrimp to have anonymity from all fish.
<Not so>
Did I make a mistake by feeding him fresh cut up shrimp to start him feeding? He
just bit one of the feelers off of one, and they are both hugging the side of
the tank.
<They should be separated post haste. Bob Fenner>
Cleaner shrimp and Liopropoma
Thanks so much for the quick reply. Problem is, I have a Liopropoma swalesi in
the refugium. Will they fair any better with him? I'm afraid to put the swalesi
in the same tank as the ocellatus to avoid fighting, although the swalesi never
moves more than a couple of inches from any cave.
<Worth trying... a better gamble than with the wrasse. Bob Fenner>
Cleaner shrimp
Hi Mr. Fenner
I am writing you once again with yet another question. I know that a cleaner shrimp along with all other types have their
antennas for an obviously important reason
<Make that for reasons... taste/smell, feeling, balance, defense, communication...>
but what I would like to know is how this will affect him. I have a royal Gramma that nips at my
cleaner shrimps antennas, and in the last two days, two or three of his antennas have gone down from around a nice 5 inches long to maybe an 1
1/2 and the rest are now about 2 or 2 1/2 inches. He is still out in the open and active, even trying to climb onto the
Gramma when he comes near
but I'm wondering if this will affect his well being. Or do they just break off every so often, and grow again,
<More like be like new when they molt...>
and even though I see the Gramma nip, it's not really him that's making them shorter?
<Likely is>
He hasn't molted recently, so he's not in that sensitive stage at the moment.
Thanks again Greg
<Do keep up your alkalinity and calcium levels... and have plenty of cover... especially for molt times. Bob Fenner>
Cleaner shrimp & anemones
I just purchased a Scarlet Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
and he has been spending all of his time around the base of my quadricolor anemone. Will he hurt the anemone?
<Possibly, but probably not... may be hanging out there for "protection"... as in the wild>
I figure the anemone may eat him but, I was wondering if he would harm it. The shrimp is a
lot smaller than the anemone so I don't think he can just eat the
anemone but, can he pinch the anemone and cause it to die?
<Again, not likely>
Also, I was wondering if you might have any idea what the 'blob' is that I have in the same saltwater tank. The 'blob' has been there for like 2
years and has only grown like 1/4of an inch. The 'blob' I'm referring to is a group of gravel and shells from the bottom of the aquarium that
are like cemented together. You can kinda see a whitish looking material within the group of cemented shells but other than that it's
just a 'blob' of cemented gravel and shells that is slowly getting bigger. Thanks for the help!
Ann
<Your blob is likely a type of Sponge... Phylum Porifera... nothing to worry about. You can see some of these on our site here: http://wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm
Bob Fenner>
Re: cleaner shrimp & anemones
Thanks for the quick response. I didn't think it would hurt it but, I wasn't sure. The Maroon clown who lives in the anemone doesn't seem to
care that the shrimp is hanging out there. Thanks again! Ann
<Ah, and rest-assured, the Maroon Clown will not tolerate anyone messing with the anemone... even you! Bob Fenner>
Re: cleaner shrimp & anemones
I know about the little guy's attitude (Maroon clown) he just loves to charge me and bite me whenever I put my hand down into the tank. I
wasn't too sure how aggressive he would be towards the shrimp though because the shrimp is only a little bit smaller than him. He is only
like 1 and 1/2 inches long but he is full of attitude! Thanks again! Ann
Update : Shrimp Mix
Hi Bob,
I appreciate your encouragement on my fish mix.
Here's a report on a past question: I asked what shrimp could be mixed in a 300 gallon reef tank to avoid the Shrimp Wars. You indicated that
I should be able to add some Lysmata debelius to the five large L. amboinensis that are already there.
I added two L. debelius to the tank. They hide most of the time,
<Very typical... the Debelius' Shrimp will become more evident with time... but not as much as the
Ambon's>
whereas the L. amboinensis are always putting on a song and dance for the tangs. Too bad; those white legs are something! Both types of
shrimp even seem to like the same area of live rock; no problems that I have seen.
The only time I really see the L. debelius is at feeding time. Once the food hits the water, they are out with their boxing gloves on ready to
take on any fish that get in their way! Do you suppose they may come out more as they become more used to the environment? Or are these guys
just the hiding types?
<Oh! Yes and yes>
Next step is to add three more L. debelius and see if the congeniality continues. If I am successful, I am inclined to add a mated pair of
Stenopus hispidus. Do you think they would fit in OK with the others?
<Yes... likely on trouble might come with molting, possible hunger... Provide plenty of hiding spaces, regular feedings, and leave molts (the exoskeletons) in place for speedier regeneration/hardening of new external structures... by ingestion of old>
As always, thanks for the input. It is reassuring.
<As the universe is, so should we be, as we are. Bob Fenner>
Dale.
Cleaner shrimp
Hello Zo:
Is 100 gal. large enough for a skunk cleaner shrimp and a flame shrimp?
<Should be. Bob Fenner, who has returned>
Thanks, Ken
2 Cleaner Shrimp
Can I have 2 Pacific Cleaner Shrimp in a 55 gallon reef? My current shrimp is busy in my
quarantine tank, but I would like to get another so it can be in my main tank in the meantime. Eventually though, the one in the
quarantine tank will move back into the main tank and I'm wondering if the two would get along.
<<Almost always yes... two Lysmata amboinensis should do fine in a fifty five with plenty of live rock.
Bob Fenner>>
Peppermint shrimp
Bob-
I recently purchased a Peppermint Shrimp. Since day 1 it has been missing in action. The only other inhabitants in the tank are a Percula Clown,
Yellow-Tailed Damsel, and a host of red legged, blue legged and left handed hermit crabs. The shrimp never comes out when I feed the tank, which is unlike my old Coral Banded Shrimp which aggressively ate. Is it in the nature of Peppermint Shrimps to hide or should I assume he is dead?
Thank you, Rob
<<Hmm, they (Lysmata wurdemanni) do hide almost all the time... better kept in a small number if they'll fit... I wouldn't give up just yet.... Especially if it is molting... you won't see much of it for a while.
Bob Fenner>>
Re: invert compatibility
The shrimp I'm suspecting is eating the hermits is Lysmata amboinensis, and there is nothing else in the tank that I have seen bothering the hermits and nothing that I think really would. Is this species of shrimp ever been know to eat hermits?
<<Yes, unfortunately... most don't. Bob Fenner>>
Compatibility
Hi, is one Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp compatible with a Banded Coral Shrimp in a 30 gallon fish-only tank. Thanks
<<Yes, if both are fed, given adequate cover so that there are no hassles during molting periods.
This being stated, the actuality is that in general the CBS will become larger,
hungry enough and sooner or later consume other shrimp species in close
quarters. Bob Fenner>>
Peppermint shrimp and Sebae question??? Help :-(
Today I bought a sebae purple tip anemone with two tomato clowns. Can't wait for the clowns to get in the anemone, but
as soon as I put the sebae in, my two peppermint shrimp, which did a great job eating my
Aiptasia 2 months ago, hopped into it.
Does the peppermint have a relationship with the sebae?
<Not a mutualistic one...>
Are they eating it?
<Possibly, likely yes>
Do I need to remove them?
<I would if you can>
Will they keep the clowns from entering the sebae?
<More likely the other way around if the Clowns would begin associating with the (Heteractis crispa) anemone>... they only naturally occur with Entacmaea quadricolor... take a look through the references listed on the Anemone and Clownfish sections on the www.WetWebMedia.com site... though they may become symbionts with your Sebae... shooing off the pesky Shrimp.>
Thanks. Need help ASAP. Michael
<Happy netting! Bob Fenner>
My angry little Hawkfish
Hello Mr. Fenner!
<Howdy>
Today, I'm writing about my Cirrhitichthys falco (Dwarf Hawkfish). He's a
wonderful little tank mate, that is much more active than others that I've
seen. Unfortunately, he just cost me a bit of money. My hawkfish is about
1.5 inches in length, max. I put in a cleaner shrimp that was more than
twice his size (I had read your site and made sure that I didn't introduce
anything too small, that the hawkfish would eat). He IMMEDIATELY attacked
the shrimp until it could get itself into the reef area of my tank (my
mistake, I should have introduced the shrimp in a more docile fashion,
placing him immediately into the security of the reef). However, the shrimp
got away and did fine for about a week. He even molted successfully after 2
days in the tank. I had purchased him with a bicolor angelfish, and the two
of them sort of "hung out" together, with the shrimp cleaning the
angelfish.
Once the shrimp found his "cleaning station", other fish started
coming up
as well. Surprisingly, the hawkfish even started coming up to be
"cleaned"
(or maybe to "case" the scene . . .).
<Maybe both... but cirrhitids do use as well as consume such animals in the
wild>
Well, my bicolor angel died about 5 days later, and the hawkfish immediately
started attacking the shrimp again. He would come along, overturn the
shrimp and attack his belly. I tried to separate them, but it was too late.
The shrimp died within a day.
So, my question is, is this normal behavior for a dwarf hawkfish, even with
shrimps larger than itself?
<Commonly, yes>
Furthermore, are there any decorative crustaceans that I could introduce to my tank that would be safe with this
little angry fish AND would be safe to my anemones and other fish?
<Crabs, real and false/Hermits...>
I don't want to introduce any trouble, but I really enjoyed having that cleaner
shrimp in the tank.
As always, thank you for your wonderful advice! You've been a great help to
me in my marine tank endeavors.
<Glad to be here. Bob Fenner>
Deborah H. Colella
Shrimps
I would like to keep cleaner shrimps will they be eaten by a flame hawk , Thanks
Bob, Ron from R.I.
<<Too likely so...Bob Fenner>>
Cleaner shrimp (expensive meals)
Hi Mr. Fenner
I've written to you before, and appreciated your answers in the past.
Now, I have a new question. I'm having lots of trouble keeping my shrimps alive. They, at first were being attacked, and killed off during
the night one by one. (if you remember me writing you about an assassin in my tank about two weeks ago). I finally found the culprit, who was my
royal Dottyback. After I wrote to you, I decided to try one more shrimp, and this time we actually saw the culprit swoosh right in, and start
attacking.
<Yes, some pseudochromid species/specimens have unrelenting appetites for shrimps...>
Needless to say, the little shrimp guy did not make it. So I took the Dottyback
out, and brought him back to the LFS. They even have
a big warning on their tank now, not to sell him to anyone with shrimp in their tank.
Now my problem is mostly with the cleaner shrimps I put in. They don't last past one day. My water parameters are all good, except
I have my salinity low, it's always around 1.017, or 1.018. on purpose. I introduce my shrimp the same way as all my other
invertebrates, and fish, yet they go down till they find something to rest on, and there
they stay, alive for a while, but they just don't seem right. They don't really move at all, and
I find them hours later dead, in the
same place. No sign of attack, or anything. Even watching them I see
that they just perish.
<You are right on target in stating the case of low spg... the new shrimp can't make this chasm/gap in one go... you might try acclimating them to lower salinity/specific gravity over a couple months time from near seawater conditions in a separate tank... and be careful from there on to match the spg of new water>
My other types of shrimp, such as my camel shrimps, survive fine. One other thing,
I've always been buying my cleaner shrimp on the small side, thinking that a younger one will last
longer, and have time to grow. Is this a factor because I've noticed that you
don't recommend buying some types of fish on the small side. Is it possible that the LFS that
I buy my shrimp from don't get good quality shrimps.
<Possibly, but not usually>
(I have another store that I can go to, but haven't yet because they are almost double the cost then at the first store).
I know you always say you get what you pay for as far as the catching, transportation, etc..., but it seems like this is more with the fish
quality then shrimps, or am I wrong? Is there anything specific that the cleaner shrimps need: water parameters, water quality that differs from
fish in general, or other types of shrimp, or should I just try one from a different store.
I thank you greatly in advance, Greg N.
<You need to acclimate them very slowly... like a thousandth of a point per week. Bob
Fenner>
Shrimp picking at clam
I placed 6 cleaner shrimp (purchased from FFexpress) in a reef tank with an assortment of hard and soft corals, 2 clarkii clowns, a coral beauty, a
Christmas wrasse, a flame hawk, and a
turquoise clam. A couple of days later I noticed one of the shrimp picking at the clam, so I moved the shrimp away with a food poker. By the next day the clam was dead and the shrimp had eaten almost the whole thing. Is this natural for cleaner shrimp to eat live clams? I don't
remember seeing any warnings to this effect. Clam Lover
<<Dear CL, sorry to hear of your loss. Yes, some cleaner shrimps will take to consuming captive clams... especially if they're not offered much else to eat. What species are these, Lysmata
amboinensis? (the most common), and why so many? For how big a tank? Except for very large systems, one or two will do functionally... and more are real potential trouble with other
invertebrates.
Bob Fenner>>
Who ate the cleaner shrimp?
My cleaner shrimps keeps getting eaten by a/some fish. Who did it is
the mystery? Was it the clown trigger, purple tang, small moray eel or the queen angel?
<<Could be most anyone of the above characters. In order, I'd
suspect Clowny the Butler, Mr. Eely, The Queen of Decapods, and lastly, the not so
vegetarian Yellow Tail Tattler. Bob Fenner>>
Cleaner shrimp antennae and xenia pom-pom getting eaten 10/19/03
Thank you Anthony,
<always welcome, my friend>
I will remove the shrimp. Do you think that the Lysmata shrimp is also
responsible for the cleaner shrimp antennae being eaten?
<no... peppermint and cleaner shrimp are both Lysmata and not likely to
cannibalize each other as such. Your cleaners have lost their antennae due to
incomplete molts (lack of iodine/poor water quality) or aggression from a
fish>
Thanks again for your help! I'll be removing the shrimp today.
Chris
<best regards, Anthony>
Puffer + Cleaner shrimp?? (12/16/03)
Hello,
Big fans of the site =)
<Hey, I resemble that remark! Ananda here...apologies for the delay; I just
saw this.>
We are keeping a 54G swim tank of fish we saw while snorkeling in Tahiti. We
realize that as the fish grow, we will have to remove some of the inhabitants
due to overstocking.
<Good that you know it now...do consider setting up a "tank fund"
at the bank now!>
Filtration: 1) Fluval 303 powering a reverse flow UG filter;
<Not my first, second, or even third choice for filtration in a saltwater
tank. Do read up on these in the WetWebMedia pages.>
2) ViaAqua Multi Skimmer (protein skimmer/UV/power filter).
<This is something I have no experience with, and I haven't seen it either,
so can't comment on... are you getting dark skimmate, at least 1/4 cup,
daily?>
Salinity: 1.018. Temp: 76. Status: cycled. Live Rock: 1 lg & 2 smaller
pieces.
<Initial suggestions: raise the specific gravity to at least 1.020, get more
live rock, ditch the undergravel filter....>
Inhabitants: 3" porcupine puffer (name: Mr. Puffer/Puff Daddy =);
2" Humu Humu trigger; 2 2" threadfin butterflies; 1 3" Heniochus
butterfly; 2" yellow tang; 1.5" brackish spotted puffer;
<How's he doing in this specific gravity? (If he's stressed -- check the
belly barometer for grey/dark markings -- try putting him in a tank with a lower
specific gravity. I have yet to find any hard data about when in their life
cycles the spotted puffers move into near-marine conditions, like those you have
in your tank.) Do realize that he's probably going to end up chasing those long
fins on some of the other fish.>
1" yellow tail blue damsel; chocolate chip star; several snails &
hermit crabs (for janitorial services & food supplement).
<Glad you realize the latter. Hmmm. Start tank-shopping now; I think you're
already overstocked.>
Everyone is happy in this tank & has been for about 6 weeks, we feed a wide
variety of frozen Mysis, frozen brine, live ghost shrimp, frozen ghost shrimp,
krill, seaweed, flake & plankton.
<Yummy.>
We are working on a small ich outbreak. The fish do not appear to be in
distress, but the spots are visible. We have read extensively on this and have
treated mainly by lowering the salinity to 1.012, raising the temperature to 81
and performing daily small water changes to skim off parasites from the bottom.
<Ah, good. Drop the salinity a bit more, to 1.010. Do you have a
refractometer?>
We have added Greenex 2 times.
<Eek! That will likely kill all the inverts and the live rock. And I've read
reports of it killing the fish, as well.>
We did some 1/3 salt and 2/3 fresh water dips on fish that had the most spots.
<You really can go with all-fresh-water, as long as you adjust the pH to what
it is in your tank. That's less harmful by far than a brackish dip that has a
different pH from the main tank.>
The 2 worst infected were removed to a hospital tank for copper treatment, did
well & were returned. We almost have this beaten by now.
<Okay...keep in mind that the absence of spots does not mean the absence of
the parasite from the tank!>
Would it be safe for the puffer to add a cleaner shrimp/wrasse for the duration
of this outbreak?
<Nope. The cleaner shrimp would likely get eaten, and the wrasse would likely
fare poorly.>
The butterflies lean up against the live ghost shrimp as if waiting to be
cleaned. We are fully aware of the danger to the shrimp, but are mainly
concerned with the puffer (he's one of our best friends =) we
have heard that cleaners might bother the skin of the puffer.
<After you deal with the ich, use some heavy-duty chemical filtration to get
the gunk from the Greenex out of that tank. I would try a good activated carbon
first, then a Polyfilter. Then you could split the puffers and trigger off into
their own tank and get a couple of cleaner shrimp for the other tank. (The live
rocks you have are likely dead...but could probably be used in the
puffer/trigger tank, where the inverts are going to be snacks anyhow.)>
Thx!!! You're the best =)
<Thanks so much for the kind words. --Ananda>
Michael & Patty
AZ
How big is big (Emperor Angel) and cleaner shrimp
tankmates 12/12/03
Good Evening-
<same to you! Adam here by the way.>
I have an adult Imperator Angel, approximately 6-7" long, that I've had for
4 years, having raised it from a juvenile. When I first got it, I had
it in a 125 FOWLR, but after reading Bob's advice, bought a 180 where it has
been for the last 2 1/2 years.
<Congrats on your success with this fish, and kudos for having the dedication
to upgrade it's home!>
The tank has about 125# of LR, with 7 assorted and much smaller
tankmates. While I have no desire to get rid of him/her,
how will I know if it's outgrown the tank? It does seem very happy
and is doing quite well.
<You have largely answered your own question. After four years,
you know your fish and your success is a clear indication of your
skills. As long as the fish isn't showing signs of stress, I wouldn't
worry too much. As your fish approaches it's full grown size of
15" or so, you may have to remove some live rock to improve swimming room
or start thinking about larger quarters again, but that should be a while down
the road.>
At some point, will it stop growing and just maintain it's size based on the
tanks size or can I expect it to continue getting bigger?
<You have fallen for the oldest and greatest fish keeping
myth. Regardless of tank size, fish will continue growing until they
reach their natural full grown size unless water quality, nutrition or disease
enter as limiting factors. You do have some time though as most fish
grow more slowly as they get larger.>
Thanks for the advice. I couldn't think of how to do a search in
the archives, or I would have started there.
<always a pleasure.>
Are there some fish that don't get along with cleaner shrimp (Lysmata
amboinensis)? I have had quite a few disappear over time and have
always thought it was the angel, however during the day it seems to leave them
alone if they are out cruising around. Other possible candidates are
maroon clown or hippo tang?
<Any predatory fish could potentially turn on a cleaner shrimp, especially if
they get a bit too hungry, and all of the fish that you mentioned could be
suspects. If you only had the shrimp for a short period of time, I
would look to poor handling or rough acclimation first though.>
Andy
Cleaner Shrimp in FOWLR (4/20/04)
Thanks Steve, <A pleasure>
Just to let you know, I took a chance and purchased a cleaner shrimp. The lionfish and Niger can't get enough of the grooming treatment. My tangs
aren't interested though. <Give them time. Let us know how long the cleaner lasts. If it has some good spots to hide and provides good service to the Trigger, it may not be dinner after all.>
Kind Regards, James. <To you as well.>
Malu anemone and cleaner shrimps
<Hi, MikeD here>
I would like to know if my 2 candy striped cleaner shrimps could be hurting
the Malu anemone? They are constantly picking on it and steeling its food
whenever I feed it.<I'm not familiar with a Malu anemone and almost gave this to
someone else when I remembered some of my own experiences. Some of the long
armed spider and arrow crabs are adept at reaching inside anemones to remove
food, almost using them as a personal larder. I also suspect that if really
hungry they might dine on the gut of the anemone itself, but that's just a
suspicion. With the long arms of the Candy Striped Shrimp there's a chance
they might be guilty of this too, and if so spot feeding them specifically might
help>.
Thank you<You're welcome. I hope this helped> - Grace
-It Was The Brittle Stars In The Tank With The Dead Fish-
Please respond at your earliest. Thanks!
Dear WWW Crew,
<Hello J.D. , Justin here.>
I have a 'Who Done It?' mystery in need of solving.
<Heehee, I will do my best Sherlock Holmes impression.>
I recently lost my second Fire Shrimp/Scarlet Cleaner after it molted. Prior to this loss, I
had a smaller Fire Shrimp that disappeared under mysterious circumstances, but prior to that I had a regular Cleaner Shrimp in this tank for years with
no problem. So Iım trying to figure out who most likely snacked on a couple of $25 shrimps. Itıs a 175 g. FOWLR, which at this time only contains:
* A Fijian Blue Devil damsel
* A 6-Line Wrasse
* 4 Blue-green Chromis
* A large (1.5" - 2") Electric Blue Hermit
* A medium (1") Blue Hermit
* A couple of small (<1") Halloween Hermits
* A couple of Serpent Stars (Short-spined brittle stars)
* A bunch of snail-like critters (conchıs, turbo snails, et al) that certainly can't be suspects.
Any thoughts? Thanks!!
J.D. Hill
<Well "Watson" I believe that your culprits are those brittle stars. If they are greenish, they are notorious for eating fish and anything else they can get their arms on. I would try to remove them if you would rather have the shrimp. Otherwise feed them meaty foods to keep them satisfied and away from your expensive "snack menu".>
<Justin (Jager)> <Editor's note: Ophiarachna incrassata is the
infamous Green Brittle Star, but we can expect other brittles to behave in the
same manner.>
Snowflake moray and cleaner shrimp.
hey,
I was wondering if a snowflake moray would eat my cleaner
shrimp. Or if he would leave it alone because it is a cleaner.
best regards
Miles
>>>Hey Miles,
Based on experience, I'm betting he'll eat it. :) In captivity, you really can
never tell with these things.
Cheers
Jim<<<
Cleaner shrimp
Is a 29g tank enough to house two cleaner shrimp?...
<Most definitely>
I already have one but thinking about adding another...or will they eat each other?
<They should not eat each other. In fact, Cleaner Shrimps are hermaphroditic and pairs commonly breed in marine aquaria, but the fry are next to impossible to rear. Check this link for more general information on Cleaner Shrimp:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/shrimp/clnshrpf.htm
Good luck, Mike G>
Lysmata are NOT reef aquarium safe 2/3/05
I was given some nice soft coral frags from some other salt water
enthusiasts at work (some mushrooms and some branching corals). The other day,
I noted one of the soft corals was withdrawn and looking rather "leathery"
rather than "frilly" (not exactly technical terms, but I'm guessing you get the
idea).
<yes... no worries>
It stayed that way for a couple of days, but started to return to its normal
shape. Today, another friend and I noticed that my pregnant Lysmata amboinensis
was picking away at the coral that was looking withdrawn. The coral has
withdrawn again. This same shrimp was picking away at algae on my live rock and
even looked like it was eating some of the patches of Cerith snail
eggs that recently got laid down (I'm pretty sure it was munching, but it was
moving its legs so fast that I couldn't see what it was putting in its mouth).
Is this normal behavior for this shrimp?
<yes... although often sold for reef aquaria, species of Lysmata are
categorically NOT reef safe. They are not that dreadful either... usually just
picking away. Really only a problem in small tanks and with LPS corals>
Is "she" having food cravings (protein)?
<heehee... no. Er, well... sort of. Just indiscriminate>
I've got a single A. ocellaris and a pair of Lysmata amboinensis in the tank (3
month old tank) and I've cut back the feeding of spectrum A to every other day
(phosphate and algae issues).
Should remove the shrimp and put her in my QT tank and generously stock it with
pickles and Ben & Jerry's Ice cream? (Mmmm ice cream)
David
<put it into QT, but send me the pickles and ice-cream. I'll eat them
separately :) Anthony>
Shrimp Compatibility and Ich Control
First off, I want to say that your website has been an invaluable
resource to me over the past couple of months. I can't express my
gratitude enough. Anyway, I have a mini reef with a few corals
(bubble
anemone, yellow polyps, mushrooms), some snails, hermit crabs, a clam,
and two peppermint shrimp. I would like to add a couple
"cleaner"
shrimp that can take care of any ich in the event that they may present
themselves. I realize the peppermint shrimp are considered cleaners,
but will they also take care of parasites (namely ich)? I got them in
the first place to take care of my glass anemone, which they took care
of readily. So my question is, what specific cleaner shrimp would be
compatible with my existing ones to take care of ich (I read about the
coral banded shrimp and its violent nature towards other shrimp)? Or
if
not a cleaner shrimp, will any other type of animals do the job without
disturbing the reef or sandbed? Thanks in advance. Sandy.
>>Hi Sandy. The lords and masters are always pleased to know
that they and their minions are helpful to all who seek knowledge.
>>What you haven't mentioned yet is the presence of the animals that
suffer from ich--fish--that would be in need of cleaning services. If
you have no fish in the system, then you have no need to be concerned, as the
invertebrates don't suit the protozoan's lifestyle.
>>If you do have fish, then as far as cleaners go, Lysmata amboinensis and
L. grabhami (the Eel or Skunk Cleaner Shrimp) are the most effective and
reliable for these duties. However, they'll also need to be directly
fed (especially in systems with small fishes only). There should be no
compatibility issues between these and your other shrimps, assuming you have a
suitably roomy tank (minimum 40gals).
If possible, please try to find out more specifically which
"Peppermint" shrimp it is you have, as some erroneously labeled as
such have been known to cause problems with cnidarians, zoanthids,
corallimorphs, corals, and anemones. You don't appear to be having a
problem, but it's better to be safe than sorry. (I apologize for the
cliché.)
Marina
Thor amboinensis, comp. – 03/15/07
Hello Bob,
I was wondering if you think it would be worth a shot trying to keep a few Thor
amboinensis with a Euphyllia glabrescens in my 90 gallon reef. Would the coral
benefit from the shrimp? Are any "critters" I can or should add to the tank
that will benefit the other animals?
<Too likely that some of the fishes listed below would consume them. BobF>
My tank inhabitants are:
1 Zebrasoma Flavescens
1 Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
1 Cirrhilabrus solorensis
1 Synchiropus splendidus
1 Amphiprion percula
8 Chromis viridis
1 Pterapogon kauderni
1 Centropyge bispinosus
3 Stonogobiops yashia
1 Pseudanthias ventralis
Inverts:
3 Lysmata amboinensis
3 Sabellastarte sp.
11 Sabella species
2 Sabellastarte magnifica
3 Tridacna Crocea
7 Clibanarius sp. (red tip hermits)
7 Nassarius sp.
5 Astraea tecta
11 Trochus sp.
18 Nerita sp.
Coral:
2 Caulastrea furcata
1 Caulastrea curvata
1 Euphyllia glabrescens
1 Briareum sp.
1 Xenia sp.
1 Cespitularia sp.
1 Cladiella sp.
2 Sinularia sp
2 Acropora (bushy Acropora)
Thank you again for your time,
Brian
Tank safe for sexy anemone shrimps? - 02/09/2007
Greetings!
<Evening>
As part of an order headed my way, I will be receiving 3 sexy anemone shrimps
(Thor amboinensis).
<Oh yes... am wagging my tail in emulation>
My plan was to put them in my 65 gallon reef tank, but since placing the order,
I have begun to wonder just how vulnerable they actually are given their small
size (I've only seen them at my LFS but never kept them in my own tanks). I
think all of my fish will leave them alone... with the possible exception of the
Banggai Cardinal (who seems to LOVE "anything meaty looking" that he finds in
the water column - though I've never seen him "hunt" anything hiding in
the rocks/coral).
<Mmm, I'd separate the shrimp (and their anemone for a few days...)>
Here's the complete lineup of fish in the tank:
• 2 clownfish (one percula, one ocellaris - they've paired up and spend most of
their time in my branching hammer coral!)
• 2 purple firefish (Nemateleotris decora)
• 3 "bar gobies" (Ptereleotris zebra)
• 1 Banggai Cardinal (Pterapogon kauderni)
• 1 Rainford's Goby (Amblygobius rainfordi)
• 1 spotted mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus)
• 1 red headed goby (Elacatinus puncticulatus)
• 2 green-banded gobies (Elacatinus multifasciatus)
(yes, before I get in trouble, the mandarin and Rainford's goby are both getting
plenty to eat... my refugium is rockin' with 'pods, and both fish also have
taken to eating processed food as well <g>).
<Good>
While there are no anemones in the tanks,
<Uhh... no good... this animal lives in close association...>
there are several Acropora and Montipora colonies in the tank (and a few other
types of SPS as well) for the sexy shrimp to find homes in (I am under the
impression the shrimp will be content with these corals as "homes" since
that's how I've seen them at my LFS?).
<Mmm, no, not likely>
Anyhow - do you think the Banggai (or perhaps the Bar Gobies) will have them for
lunch if I put them in the tank... or should they be fine as long as they are
placed near a good coral colony to start?
<Need to be placed with a symbiotic anemone... the fishes will avoid this>
I do have 10- and 12- gallon tanks set up as well that the shrimp could go into
if you think the 65 will be "unsafe" for them after all, though those two tanks
are dedicated to lower light soft corals (Capnella, etc. which don't seem as
conducive to becoming homes for
the shrimp?)...
<I would place the shrimp elsewhere...>
What say the gurus of WetWebMedia? Thanks for your help!! -Nate
<Bob Fenner>
Tank safe for sexy anemone shrimps? - II - 02/11/2007
Thanks for the reply... and confirming my suspicions!
<Welcome>
I appreciate you giving me "the real scoop," since, as mentioned, I have seen
the shrimp on Acropora before at my LFS (I am now guessing it was only because
there was no anemone provided by the LFS?!),
<Yes>
and this blurb on LiveAquaria's site certainly implies that corals are "fine
homes" for these shrimp (see end of the first paragraph).
<Mmm... maybe w/o potential predators present... love that ona mata peia...>
Either way, thanks for the insights - if I decide to track down an anemone for
the shrimp (and set up another tank - I do have a 20
gallon sitting vacant and I'm sure my wife would LOVE it if I set up ANOTHER
tank in the house <g>),
<Heee!>
is there an "ideal" anemone I should try to find for these guys?
<Mmm, yes... depends on where your specimens originated... could be a
Condylactis if from the TWA... other if from the Pacific... is posted on the
Net, WWM>
Thanks again for your insights and wisdom...
Nate
<Mmm, little to no wisdom... some accumulated knowledge. Cheers, BobF>
Cleaner shrimp - 02/20/06
Hello, <Hello RC>
I have a 29 gallon tank with a yellow tailed damsel, 4 striped black and white
damsel, a fire fish, a chocolate chip star fish, hermit crabs, and some snails.
There's also plenty of live rock. I wanted to know if it would be a good idea to
put a cleaner shrimp in this environment. And also, what's their diet? Thanks
for the help. <Will add a splash of color along with scavenging for uneaten
food which aids in keeping the tank clean. The shrimp will eat anything the
fish will. James (Salty Dog)>
RC