- Dragonets to Solve a Shrimp Problem?
Good evening all,
I have a pair of Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) that have been mating for the past few months.  My tank is overflowing with little tiny shrimp babies.  They seem to be having a negative effect on my Green Serpent Starfish. <Hmm... you might want to consider replacing the serpent star - the green ones are notoriously predatory and a Mandarin Dragonets would just as likely end up becoming food for the serpent star.> They were cute at first, but now......it's a little scary how many there are.  I was wondering if a Mandarin Dragonet will eat these small shrimp. <Hard to say... if they are larger than copepods, then perhaps not.> I know that they eat only live, but have been told that they will only feed on copepods and Mysis. <Is what they traditionally eat.> Do you know if they will feed on this species of shrimp? <Not for certain.> Tank mates for the dragonet would be my two Gold Striped Maroon Clowns and their BTA, and my Moorish Idol, so there would be virtually no competition for the dragonets' food.  I have a virtual live food factory on my hands here, but need a way to control it.  If you don't think the dragonet is the best way to go, could you please steer me down the right path? <Well... if the Mandarin did take to this food source, there's a really good chance it would deplete the supply pretty quickly and then need to turn its attentions to something else. We typically recommend a tank of 100 gallons or more that is at least a year or more old to support just one of these fish.> Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.  Thank you very much for your time and help.
Very Respectfully,
Mario
<Cheers, J -- >

Creatures in the Tank
I was cleaning the filter for my saltwater tank when I noticed these small creatures flipping and flopping around. They are kind of clear and have a bunch of legs. They appear to have somewhat of a shell. Do you have any clue without seeing a picture what they might be, are they harmful to my tank, and how can I get rid of them? <Hi Jolene, just at a guess I believe you have Mysis or copepods in your tank and that's a very good thing.  Fish love to eat them. MacL.>