Shrimp Deaths.....

[jasonoconnell]

Hey Guys,

I recently bought 2 cleaner shrimp and 2 fire-shrimp for my tank (800Ltrs), however, since putting them in have not seen them and have seen "bits" floating around the tank (the odd red/white leg). I also saw what looked like the shell from one of them. So I naturally assume that one of my resident fish's must have picked them off, but am not sure which fish?

My no.1 guess would be my Copperband Butterfly, but I thought they were safe...? I also have:

Coral Beauty
Yellow Tang
2 x Common Clownfish
Chalk Goby
Algae Blenny
Regal Tang
Sand Sifting Starfish

Water Parameters are-

Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Ph - 8.2
Nitrate - <5

If my suspicions are correct, I'm going to have to try to catch the little tinker. A challenge in itself!

Any Thoughts?

Thanks

 

[roka64]

I don't see anything that would go after healthy shrimp. How did you acclimate them? How long did you have them? Are sure they aren't just molts floating around?

 

[jasonoconnell]

They were drip acclimatized over 2 hours, only had the cleaner shrimp for 3 days, and the fire shrimps 2 days. I'm not 100% that the bits floating around aren't molts, but would have thought that they would need to be settled in the new tank for a longer period than they have been before they molt?

 

[roka64]

Sometimes they will molt when you get them. Are you sure they are not hiding? They will hide until their exoskeletons harden.

 

[jasonoconnell]

ok thanks, I hope that is the case.

How long does the process take?

 

[newfound77951]

They could hide for a couple of days. 800 liters is a big tank (~200 gallons) and if you have a lot of LR they could be tough to spot as they generally don't move around that much. Try looking in the tank at night and see if you can spot their antennae sticking out from behind a rock somewhere.

 

[Ziggy953]

I agree with Newfound, with that size tank you may go a week ore more without seeing them and then suddenly there they are and then they vanish again. I had 3 peppermint shrimp in my 72 that I was certain were dead. When I tore down the tank to upgrade I found all three of them. Shrimp are great at hiding, though cleaner shrimp are usually out in the open except after a molt. Give it a few days.

 

[Magnus]

Not that they are the same, but the same thing happened with a new hermit crab I bought. I thought he was dead (saw his poor body on the bottom) but turns out he just molted. And that was within a week of buying them.

 

[jasonoconnell]

This might seem like a weird question, but is it possible that my Chalk Goby is aiding the shrimps in hiding while they molt???? There are now 4 mounds of sand that the chalk goby has created, I'm just wondering if the shrimp are underneath them??

Clearly don't want to disturb them, but wondered if anyone else has experienced something similar? I've read of the Goby/shrimp relationship forming, thought it may be the case in my tank!

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

gobs only pair up with pistol shrimp from what i know. im thinking that the mounds are just a result of him moving around the sand as gobys do. just my guess. i might "disturb" a pile if i were you. i would think that they are just hiding in the new tank but idk.