Cleaner Shrimp in Pieces :(

[courtenay.h]

I have had a saltwater tank for about six months now. I've done really well with just some hermits and snails but decided to finally introduce something else: a cleaner shrimp (named Jacques of course!). I introduced Jacques into the tank about three weeks ago and everything has been great! I woke up this morning to check on and feed the tank and poor Jacques was in pieces and all of the crabs were feasting on him. I know that he didn't just molt as his legs are in one area, his whiskers are in another and his body is in a third part of the tank; he is actually ripped into shreds. The temperature in my tank has been a bit high as it's been so hot in my house lately but yesterday he seemed happy and very active and then all of a sudden, this disaster. Does anyone have any idea what may have happened to him? Did he die and then become dinner to my scavengers? Could they have killed him? Should I remove his remnants or leave them to feed the snails and crabs?

 

[aclinville]

Sometimes they will get caught in powerheads.

 

[courtenay.h]

Sometimes they will get caught in powerheads.

I have a pretty small (30L, I believe) tank. So I don't have a powerhead (unless I misunderstand the definition of a powerhead). Just a filter, a heater and some bubbles.

 

[Pdfcrazy]

So, am I to understand this is a fishless tank right now? How area you feeding, what, and how often? Hungry animals, even ones who may not normally prey on other's, might when they are hungry

 

[Cujo13]

Are you sure he did not shed? If there are hiding places and he shed his outer shell he may be hiding until the new one hardens up.

 

[nathanjohnson09]

^^i agree to double check i used to think the same thing when i would find legs and wiskers but then he would reappear

 

[hotelbravo]

Also agree its most likely just a molt and you are seeing its shed exoskeleton. They tend to hide for a few days after molting as their new exoskeleton is soft and vulnerable

 

[tanked_life]

Just a little tip for the future, don't put an air stone in your tank as if it gets caught in the gills of a saltwater fish it will kill them. Whether this killed the shrimp and the the crabs tore him apart I could not tell you

 

[nuxx]

I thought so many times our Cleaners were dead when it was just remnants of them shedding.

 

[courtenay.h]

So, am I to understand this is a fishless tank right now? How area you feeding, what, and how often? Hungry animals, even ones who may not normally prey on other's, might when they are hungry

Yes, it is fish-less as of right now. I'm starting off slowly as I'm still learning. I have 6 hermits and 2 snails. I feed them sinking Hikari Marine -S- pellets every day.

 

[courtenay.h]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I'm very new to this so I'm still learning so all the advice is greatly appreciated! I hope Jacques reappears in a few days!

 

[courtenay.h]

Has anyone experienced their scavengers (crabs, snails..) eating their shrimps molt? That's what made me assume he has died rather than molted.

 

[courtenay.h]

Just a little tip for the future, don't put an air stone in your tank as if it gets caught in the gills of a saltwater fish it will kill them. Whether this killed the shrimp and the the crabs tore him apart I could not tell you

I'm going to go ahead and assume that since I don't know what an Air Stone is, I'm not using one. But I'll keep that in mind for the future when I finally get enough courage to add some fish to the tank. Thank you!

 

[homer1475]

Not my one lonely lazy emerald crab, or my snails, but the bristle worms and hermits LOVE them. They eat the hermit molts also.

Airstone = porous stone used with air pump to create bubbles in a tank(usually only used in FW)

 

[billdogg]

You say you have bubbles. As a general rule, bubbles come from air stones (and air pumps) of one sort or another. You will find that bubbles (regardless of where they come from) are really not needed in a marine system if for no other reason than the production of salt spray and the resulting salt buildup caused by them. Aeration of the water is better provided by the use of a power head or two pointed towards the surface to agitate the water.

Now - back to the orginal question - if the shrimp did die (as they do sometimes, for no disernable reason) your hermits would be more than happy to feast on the remains. I would bet that it shed also, but only time will tell.

 

[Cujo13]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I'm very new to this so I'm still learning so all the advice is greatly appreciated! I hope Jacques reappears in a few days!

This is how we learn...when I received my first fish tank Al Gore had not yet invented the internet. .

 

[zachfishman]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I'm very new to this so I'm still learning so all the advice is greatly appreciated! I hope Jacques reappears in a few days!

Welcome: we're all learning here! Even this codger who's in charge of >30,000 gallons at work. That's one of the things that makes this hobby so great - you're always learning new stuff (be it biological, chemical, or a new technique or piece of equipment)! If we had these reef tanks totally figured out it'd be a pretty boring hobby!

 

[donut0079]

Has anyone experienced their scavengers (crabs, snails..) eating their shrimps molt? That's what made me assume he has died rather than molted.

Yes all the time the Nass snails are always all over a fresh molt. Same goes for the hermit crabs.

 

[SALTYwaterDOG]

One day I was changing my socks and found a shed in a sock.I dumped it out and it started flapping around. It was alive!! It had absolutely no color, totally transparent. I put him or her in back in the display, where it made a full recovery. And the color returned.I'm assuming it shed and tried to hide. I know this is a little off topic but I thought I'd share

 

[Cujo13]

One day I was changing my socks and found a shed in a sock.I dumped it out and it started flapping around. It was alive!! It had absolutely no color, totally transparent. I put him or her in back in the display, where it made a full recovery. And the color returned.I'm assuming it shed and tried to hide. I know this is a little off topic but I thought I'd share

cool story.