Callianassa Australiensis

[mollymonticello]

I just ordered one of these and I am hoping maybe Leslie or Ron might know if these shrimp would attack my gobies or bluestripe pipefish...I read online that they sift through the sand eating particles. But I read a thread on here that said they might eat fish

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268441&highlight=squat+lobster

 

[mollymonticello]

Well, a Tuna farmer from Australia that I chat with online and trust very much said he thinks that the shrimp may be in danger of being eaten by the fish, as they have a very soft shell. This species has smaller claws, also. Interesting. Well, I have about 50 lbs of rock and a bunch of sand that I wasn't using just sitting in a tub. Maybe a new tank is in my future...

 

[LeslieH]

They don't eat fish. Apparently they exclusively filter feed or pick particles out of the sediment as they burrow. Some relatives of theirs are farmers, collecting pieces of sea grass & storing them in special areas within their burrows for later consumption. C. australiensis does build a deep burrow with extensive branching that goes as deep as 1 meter down. In a small tank they'll probably extend the burrow laterally & constantly rework the sand bed.

 

[LeslieH]

Yeah, C.. australiensis are a favorite food item for a lot of fish and birds and they're quite popular with fisherman as bait. There's a whole industry built around people who collect them for sale.

 

[mollymonticello]

Here is my new Yabbie!

<a href="http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=yabbiebb4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/6910/yabbiebb4.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a><br />

<a href="http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=yabbie2dd9.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/2396/yabbie2dd9.th.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a><br />

I think it's a female, the claws are the same size. And apparently, this is a big one! My friend said that a 1 1/2" one is considered pretty big. This one is a good 3 1/2". I'll have to get a ruler out. She is really pink!

 

[mollymonticello]

Well, she is acclimated and in the tank. She went under a rock and started shoving things in her mouth right away. She must have been hungry. I put like 40 more pounds of sand and crushed coral in over the weekend. I can't wait to watch her dig a hole.

 

[mollymonticello]

I know where she lives. She has been very helpful. She dug a deep hole under a rock. I had lost a gorgonia frag under there a few weeks ago where I couldn't reach it. Well, she found it and expelled it from her burrow. She is taking things to put in front of the burrow like an old feather duster tube. I see her face or her tail inside the burrow while she is "tidying up." She never stops moving sand around. I have piles of sand everywhere. She is like a machine. She picks up a mouthful, sifts it, and then sorts it out and puts it aside. She hasn't gone through the same sand twice. I even caught her moving piles of sand up on a rock on purpose for like 20 minutes last night. How weird is that? She seems almost intelligent and kinda reminds me of a mantis. My stupid battery died in my camera, but when I get more, I will take a picture of her face poking out of the burrow.

 

[mollymonticello]

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/uwlax96/IMG_3330.jpg?t=1206063262">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/uwlax96/IMG_3329.jpg?t=1206063306">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/uwlax96/IMG_3328.jpg?t=1206063359">

 

[PSam]

Very cool animal. good luck with it!

 

[mollymonticello]

Well, I haven't seen the yabbie in a few days. I woke up this morning to a white blob with eyes and feathery moutparts and pink highlights. I'm pretty sure it is the meaty part of the animal and not a molt. I never saw it eat anything except sand...rather the microorganisms on the sand. I will think twice before buying something that no one knows anything about (keeping them in captivity at least). I saw Ron Shimek said that once they are removed from their burrows they are doomed because they'll never be able to dig themselves into the sand again. Well, she never actually dug a burrow. She dug burrows underneath rocks, but not actually in the sand. I wonder if that is true.