UntimelyLord
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2017
- Messages
- 235
Holy crap! I just witnessed three amano shrimp take down a skirt tetra! I'm startled because I am pretty new to shrimp but have been enjoying them and was not aware that this was something that could happen; I would have thought they found the fish already dead had I not seen them take it down swimming!
Now, the fish was not 100% well, but the shrimp seemed to know this better than I did. I had kept the fish in question in quarantine for 21 days for an eye injury that wasn't healing. The "injury" still hadn't healed, but after 3 weeks I was ready to believe that it was a growth or lymphocystis by the eye since there had been no change. I put him back into my 30 gallon that houses 9 other skirt tetras and 6 amano shrimp, and he seemed fine, schooling and eating with the others for two days. This evening he was separated from the group a little, then just now, when I checked on the fish after the light timer had turned the lights off to see if I should put him back in quarantine, I saw the amanos chasing him, and before I could get to him the shrimp had picked at him almost to the point of death and I had to euthanize him. Obviously there was something wrong with the fish and the shrimp somehow sensed it. I'm still a bit weirded out and I think having them "clean" my arms as I clean the tank will not be quite as endearing anymore!
Now, the fish was not 100% well, but the shrimp seemed to know this better than I did. I had kept the fish in question in quarantine for 21 days for an eye injury that wasn't healing. The "injury" still hadn't healed, but after 3 weeks I was ready to believe that it was a growth or lymphocystis by the eye since there had been no change. I put him back into my 30 gallon that houses 9 other skirt tetras and 6 amano shrimp, and he seemed fine, schooling and eating with the others for two days. This evening he was separated from the group a little, then just now, when I checked on the fish after the light timer had turned the lights off to see if I should put him back in quarantine, I saw the amanos chasing him, and before I could get to him the shrimp had picked at him almost to the point of death and I had to euthanize him. Obviously there was something wrong with the fish and the shrimp somehow sensed it. I'm still a bit weirded out and I think having them "clean" my arms as I clean the tank will not be quite as endearing anymore!