Clown ate and killed peppermint

[bdaniel37]

So I came home from work like always and observed my 20 gallon long tank with 10 gallon sump/refugium. Like every other day round 8pm i feed my corals. I mostly feed everyday if time permits. I dont phiscally feed the fish sence they are part of my CUC.(Now when I say I dont feed the fish, its BC after I turn the power heads back on. All the uneatin food is everywhere.) Now my peppermint shrimp wasnt acting normal to me. My six line and damsel where following her round the tank in my more higher flow area. It was round 7pm and figured i would go ahead and feed to distract the fish from the shrimp to help me find out more bout her behavior. So, come to find out she was trying to molt and did. And as soon as she got her last leg out of her molt my 3.5 inch figi tomato clown came out of his condylatis anemone and grabed her. Kinda shock me. lol. He ripped her in half with a shake. Ate one half and feed the rest to his anemone. So my question is to why? Is he to agressive? Not starving seeing i feed everyday. I have had him for 8 months and never seen this behavior before or have any unexplained deaths. SO???

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

thats pretty weird i was always under the impression that clowns were invertebrate safe

 

[capj64]

I've never heard of not feeding the fish. I know not to over feed them (now) but if you don't feed them I'd assume that they're hungry enough to rip anything apart.

 

[bdaniel37]

You may have miss under stood. When i say i dont feed the fish its bc they should eat off the reef and sence i feed the corals everyday the fish get alot after i turn power heads back on. Trust me they eat alot and have the belly to prove it. lol...

 

[gibbin94]

i think my clown ate my pepermint as well... one day i came back to my tank and i saw parts of it floating on the bottom, not molted or anything, meaty chunks. at the time i only had 2 fish in my tank, a clown and a scooter blenny and i know he didn't eat it.

 

[capj64]

lol, that's probably what your scooter blenny is hoping you think

Sorry for misunderstanding your post. I'm glad your guys get something to eat My clown likes to follow the shrimp, snails and crabs around but I've never seen him act mean towards them. He actually acts like he's in love with my turbo snail. He'll lay on the rock in front of the snail and watch it forever.

 

[cabezon]

the anemone told him to do it

 

[Krypt]

It's actually pretty normal for some clowns to hunt for their nem. Some just take it to the next level I guess.

 

[bdaniel37]

I figured he was just hungry or feeding his home. I feed him directly now twice a day and seems to be less agressive... Now the only thing I have to brake him of is everytime I get anything new he will go behind it and push it over, rocks corals dosent matter to him, into the sand it goes... LOL...

 

[capj64]

lol, sounds like he would get along great with my clown, Dexter

 

[bdaniel37]

Well the problem with my tomato continues.. I had three peppermint shrimp when this started and went down to one.. Those are the ones I whitnessed and posted first.... I started to feed twice a day everday directly towards the tomato clown... Seemed to be working with less aggression... So I bought five more peppermint to replace his dinner... They are alot smaller and are part of my cuc (clean up crew)... Well as of last night I went from six to four... Was a whitness to one but not the other.. IT was round 10:30pm when he snatched the first one the sameway he did the other and feed it to his anemone... Came home from work today at 5pm and lost another... I feed all my corals every other day.. I feed the anemone and have been for six or more months 10 to 15ml of frozen mysis... I even started to feed more thinking it wasnt enough sence the first lost... When I started to feed the anemone a larger meal he would reject it still feeding every other day.. I started to feed 20ml of mysis and the tomato would eat what was rejected... But still he continues to eat my peppermint... The new peppermint where bought Tuesday this week....I have a cleaner shrimp that lives not five inches form him and he doesnt pay it no mind... The cleaner has been around longer then the tomato and as long as the anemone.. Also have a pistol and he dosnt bother it...( probably cant find him is why..lol)... IF anyone knows or has had this before, I would like to Know if it can be stopped??? or is it time to find him a home....

 

[bdaniel37]

Well im just going to stop getting peppermint shrimp until I upgrade to a bigger aquarium.. I had 8 peppermint all together sence this started like what a month to a month in a half, and my clown has eatin all of them.. I can tell you though that my anemone has doubled in size..bigger them my DIY overflow box useing 2 specimen containers..

 

[Krypt]

The reason he probably leaves the cleaner alone is it was there first and it is considered "not food" by the clown. Anything else you add that he has established as "food" will get eaten. If you had a spare tank setup, I'd say try removing him for a few weeks, add a new shrimp, then reintroduce him and see what he does. He may recognize that one as "not food".

 

[SHARPiE]

I've also heard cleaner shrimp are like the medics in battle - a no-go zone.

 

[cabezon]

Are you buying true peps or the $2 ones? if it is making your anem happy, I'd keep getting them.

 

[bdaniel37]

No, true peps. Cost me 7.50$ unless you get a goup.. The first three peps were in the aquaium atleats 3 months or better before the first was eaten. Then 2 weeks later the remaining. Then a week later I purchased 5 more and within a shy 2 weeks none... I upgraded to a 40B with the used to be 20g now a refugium and a 10 gallon sump.. Maybe the extra room may help ,if not I will try to remove him to give the new shrimp time to get established...

 

[capj64]

Every time my shrimp molt I think of this thread