sanchezkk
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have an emerald Crab. Should I be worried?
Two Missing Damsel Fish?
- Thread starter Endless Ocean in My House
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
No if.....
Emerald crabs usually eat algaes and the like and don't go after swimming fish EXCEPT when they have no other food sources. So if you have enough food for the crab, he should leave your fish alone. A totally clean tank could be trouble for your fish.
Best bet, keep your eyes open for missing fish
Hope this helps...
Emerald crabs usually eat algaes and the like and don't go after swimming fish EXCEPT when they have no other food sources. So if you have enough food for the crab, he should leave your fish alone. A totally clean tank could be trouble for your fish.
Best bet, keep your eyes open for missing fish
Hope this helps...
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Question...
I have to ask, are you sure that you have an atlantic peppermint shrimp? (They also come from the Pacific but are not the same animal.)Considering that there are basically 4 species of "Peppermint" shrimp from the atlantic, you may have gotten one that is more a hunter than a scavenger. Scavengers don't usually kill fish, they eat dead fish. (There's a difference.) Some shrimps as well as lobsters, kill the food they eat so they would not be considered "scavengers" but more predators.
I have found that the Peppermints from the Florida Keys are the best at leaving the fish alone and eating the aptasia.
Just my 2 cents from someone whose been there
Hope this helps...
I have to ask, are you sure that you have an atlantic peppermint shrimp? (They also come from the Pacific but are not the same animal.)Considering that there are basically 4 species of "Peppermint" shrimp from the atlantic, you may have gotten one that is more a hunter than a scavenger. Scavengers don't usually kill fish, they eat dead fish. (There's a difference.) Some shrimps as well as lobsters, kill the food they eat so they would not be considered "scavengers" but more predators.
I have found that the Peppermints from the Florida Keys are the best at leaving the fish alone and eating the aptasia.
Just my 2 cents from someone whose been there
Hope this helps...
Last edited:
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Best shrimps
If you are talking about the best shrimps for cleaning parasites from fish, the best ones I've found are Pedersoni Anemone shrimp, Scarlet Cleaner shrimp (a.k.a. Eel cleaner shrimp) or Fire shrimp. If you are looking for general clean up crews for excess food & things, Banded Coral Shrimp (both Atlantic & Pacific varieties), Peppermint shrimps from the FL keys & Camel shrimp top my list. There may be others that people have had good luck with but I've had great success with these shrimps in my tanks over the years.
Hope this helps...
If you are talking about the best shrimps for cleaning parasites from fish, the best ones I've found are Pedersoni Anemone shrimp, Scarlet Cleaner shrimp (a.k.a. Eel cleaner shrimp) or Fire shrimp. If you are looking for general clean up crews for excess food & things, Banded Coral Shrimp (both Atlantic & Pacific varieties), Peppermint shrimps from the FL keys & Camel shrimp top my list. There may be others that people have had good luck with but I've had great success with these shrimps in my tanks over the years.
Hope this helps...
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
My suggestion...
Since shrimp don't always ship well, my suggestion is to go to your local fish store and see what they sell for there. Get one you can afford and don't settle on something else if it doesn't fit your needs.
Since shrimp don't always ship well, my suggestion is to go to your local fish store and see what they sell for there. Get one you can afford and don't settle on something else if it doesn't fit your needs.
OP
OP
Endless Ocean in My House
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 65
Hey everyone--I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you about this.
This mystery has been solved, but THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ANSWERS!!!
The fish were missing a couple days only, when I went to the tank and saw that I had TWO damselfish in there... When two had been missing and one remaining just the day before. The little damselfish who had come back home was doing spirals at the bottom and I made the connection pretty quick. He died the next morning--swim bladder. My heater isn't all that powerful (I replaced it this morning though, to prevent this from happening again) and when the temp in my room dropped the heater didn't kick in and I think that was the main cause.
I pulled up all the plants (which I had done before but not as efficiently) and found the other little damsel dead under the Lok-Rocks. He went down the toilet with his comrade.
So two damsel fish have died -- I'm fairly certain, the way the little damsel was doing circles and struggling and eventually lying on his side, unable to swim -- it was swim bladder. It is possible the other fish were bullying him, as that's also a cause of swim bladder.
So thanks so much for all of your responses!!! I'm glad the mystery is solved!!!
This mystery has been solved, but THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ANSWERS!!!
The fish were missing a couple days only, when I went to the tank and saw that I had TWO damselfish in there... When two had been missing and one remaining just the day before. The little damselfish who had come back home was doing spirals at the bottom and I made the connection pretty quick. He died the next morning--swim bladder. My heater isn't all that powerful (I replaced it this morning though, to prevent this from happening again) and when the temp in my room dropped the heater didn't kick in and I think that was the main cause.
I pulled up all the plants (which I had done before but not as efficiently) and found the other little damsel dead under the Lok-Rocks. He went down the toilet with his comrade.
So two damsel fish have died -- I'm fairly certain, the way the little damsel was doing circles and struggling and eventually lying on his side, unable to swim -- it was swim bladder. It is possible the other fish were bullying him, as that's also a cause of swim bladder.
So thanks so much for all of your responses!!! I'm glad the mystery is solved!!!
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sorry to hear about your loses but at least you know for sure what happened. Damsels can be very territorial so for the future, you want to keep damsels of the same size together with A LOT of territories.
Also, try not disturbing the gravel so much.
Also, try not disturbing the gravel so much.
sanchezkk
Aquarium Advice Freak
Whitegurl84
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2011
- Messages
- 88
Andy Sager said:Emerald crabs usually eat algaes and the like and don't go after swimming fish EXCEPT when they have no other food sources. So if you have enough food for the crab, he should leave your fish alone. A totally clean tank could be trouble for your fish.
Best bet, keep your eyes open for missing fish
Hope this helps...
I have a starfish would an emerald crab bother it because I have alot of bubble algae that needs taken care of.
OP
OP
Endless Ocean in My House
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 65
I don't "disturb my gravel so much", I pulled up some plants to find the rotting carcass because I didn't think it should be in the tank! And I found it pretty quick.
My damsels always got along just fine--although I know swim bladder CAN be a cause of bullying so I'll have to watch out for that too!
My damsels always got along just fine--although I know swim bladder CAN be a cause of bullying so I'll have to watch out for that too!
Pokeyg82
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Im glad this is quite common to lose a damsel. I placed two in my tank after a month of running with just live and base rock. They have been in roughly two weeks and now the YellowTail is missing. I have checked all rocks and sift through the sand and couldn't find nothing.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Algae cleanup
The crab shouldn't mess with the starfish but if you are having a serious algae "problem", you may want to think about Astria snails instead and/or some other algae eating fishes. Also, you want to keep a check on the nitrate levels in your tank. Algaes grow when they have a food source and nitrogen (in it's many forms) are a food source.
Hope this helps...
The crab shouldn't mess with the starfish but if you are having a serious algae "problem", you may want to think about Astria snails instead and/or some other algae eating fishes. Also, you want to keep a check on the nitrate levels in your tank. Algaes grow when they have a food source and nitrogen (in it's many forms) are a food source.
Hope this helps...
Nu-Nu the eel
Aquarium Advice Addict
Krocky12 said:
Just get a good clean up crew. I dont think you should try and get a fish to do the job.
