my peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp are gone!!!

[brian242pa]

Hey guys my peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp are gone!!! I was on vacation about an hour and a half away and gone for a week but i came back in the middle of the week to feed everything and just do a routine check up lol. Everything was fine and i went back to where i was vacationing. I came back and my 2 shrimp are gone!!! I looked around and after about 30 mins of searching for something i saw my red serpent star. I know there not supose to eat other things but the thing is like 3x bigger and is really fat and looks stuffed!!! Ill keep on looking for the other culprits also the cleaner shimp was not small it was really big, one of the biggest cleaner shrimp i've ever saw!!!:con fused:

[the_fish_man]

Well it is very rare but possible that he ate them. Did you check in the filter?

[Jimbo7]

Check the filter and overflows. They might have just gotten sucked up. Do you have any large fish in the tank?
Also, its possible they are molting, they shed their exoskeleton or whatever and hide for 2-3 days while their new one hardens up.

[brian242pa]

i have searched my overflow and my dilter and it wouldn't of went down to my sump anyway because i have a sponge that only lets water and little stuff pass through and my shrimp never hide after molting but thanks for the thought!!!

[brian242pa]

And i have 2 tangs 2 clowns and a six lined rasse and the tangs are not even close to as big as the shrimp also the female clown isn't big enough

[Jimbo7]

how big is this tank? they could just be hiding for today because it's hot? I would check tonight before you panic.

[brian242pa]

29 gal tall with 12 or 13 gal sump and its bean 3days thats why im kinda :/

[Jimbo7]

On an unrelated note, that tank is way too small for those 2 tangs, even if they are little baby ones. You should return them asap. Good luck with your shrimp, I would go for days without seeing mine, and one day they would just appear again.

[brian242pa]

ooooh thx and ill try to get rid of 1 tang or both?

[Jimbo7]

Both, tangs need at least a 4' long tank to have the adequate space to swim freely. And they will start shredding each other apart before too long. What kinds of tangs are they?

[brian242pa]

blue hipo

[brian242pa]

blue hippo tangs

[Jimbo7]

yea, they both have to go, they will get really cramped, become unhealthy, and probably contract ich and make your whole tank sick.

[melosu58]

I`m thinking two things. One is that they molted and are hiding and the other is that your fish got hungry after not eating for a week and took your shrimp out. Those two shrimp are the most passive of the shrimp.

[brian242pa]

but i came back to feed in the middle of the week so i thinkm that is out of the picture =] but thx

[nxb161]

Just keep some hope that they might be hiding. I was convinced that my pepermint shrimp was gone once, and ended up to be hiding for a few days. Very funny guys, they'll be very active one day and then gone the next.

[brian242pa]

yea but there both gone i know my serpent star ate em because the thing is like rabid it is eat anything it can and tried gettin my other cleaner 2day and is trying to eat my hermit crabs , almost got one earlier any ideas and i have some small brown coral growing ontop of my other corals any ideas?

[thincat]

A little soy sauce and some hot pepper would go good with that brittle star...

[cabezon]

try using a red LED at night to scope out their beady little reflective eyes.

[thincat]

Without a picture it is really hard to tell what it is:Look here for pictures of what it might be:Live Rock Hitch Hikers