Cleaner Shrimp Kills Hermit Crab?

[Spyderturbo007]

So here is what I have in my tank:

• 1 x Snowflake Clownfish
• 2 x Banggai Cardinals
• 1 x 2-Spot Bristletooth Tang
• 1 x Purple Firefish

Yesterday I had a frag that was knocked out of it's temporary position so I went ahead and moved it back into place. At the same time I saw one of my Hermit Crabs upside down and trying to right himself, so I flipped him over. I didn't think anything of it because they do it all the time when the fall off the rock work.

About a hour later, I look over and here is my cleaner shrimp eating the hermit crab!!!! :worried:

Just an hour before I know it was alive, because I saw it trying to flip over. Did my cleaner shrimp kill my hermit crab? Do I need to worry about it turning on my fish? I've seen him corner my firefish in her dart hole before and start harassing her, but I assumed it was just trying to clean her. In retrospect, maybe he was trying to kill her?

I keep reading that they are just scavengers, but I'm starting to think differently after what I saw yesterday.

 

[oscarinw]

If you are referring to the lysmata amboinensis (aka Skunk cleaner shrimp) I highly doubt that it would go after a hermit. I have never seen mine go after anything that was alive and well...
This is in my experience only but I have read plenty about them and never saw anything like that. Also, this is assuming you are talking about this species...
Any other suspects?
Good luck with things!

 

[Fizz71]

If you are referring to the lysmata amboinensis (aka Skunk cleaner shrimp) I highly doubt that it would go after a hermit. I have never seen mine go after anything that was alive and well...
This is in my experience only but I have read plenty about them and never saw anything like that. Also, this is assuming you are talking about this species...
Any other suspects?
Good luck with things!

+1 on making sure it's a skunk cleaner. I've seen people with coral banded "cleaner shrimp".

Does it eat when you feed the tank? ...and how big is the tank. My cleaner's a model citizen...my crabs however are not. Either way I don't see a well fed cleaner going after a healthy crab but it's certainly not out of the question...they are scavengers.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

+1 on making sure it's a skunk cleaner. I've seen people with coral banded "cleaner shrimp".

Does it eat when you feed the tank? ...and how big is the tank. My cleaner's a model citizen...my crabs however are not. Either way I don't see a well fed cleaner going after a healthy crab but it's certainly not out of the question...they are scavengers.

It looks just like the one in the picture at Live Aquaria.

It's a 55g tank and he does eat when I feed the tank. I call him the bulldozer because he flies all over the tank trying to grab food. When he can't catch any, he just runs all over my coral stealing whatever they grab.

I just don't understand how the crab seemed health one minute and then the next minute it was being eaten by the shrimp. My wife wasn't too happy about the entire thing, since the hermit crab that was eaten was her favorite. I've read that they have very long life spans, so I don't think it died from being old.

I can't think of anything in the tank that would kill the hermit crab. What other things that I might find as hitchhikers would be capable of killing a hermit crab?

 

[Iphis]

It is possible.

It is more likely that the hermit crab was already dead and the cleaner shrimp was scavenging.

If something dies in your tank, your scavengers will be the first things to find it and chow down, they're not always the culprit even if they look like it. Keep a close eye on your shrimp and if you see it actually acting aggressive on something act then. Remember though, they clean everything; crabs, other shrimp, molted exoskeletons, fish, dead fish, live rock, corals, your fingers, etc so really look for aggression and not just cleaning.

As much as they tickle when they're on my hand, I can't imagine them actually hurting something but anything is possible!

 

[Spyderturbo007]

It is more likely that the hermit crab was already dead and the cleaner shrimp was scavenging.

It just strikes me as highly unusual that the hermit crab was fine one minute and then being eaten less than 30 minutes later. When I flipped him over he was acting completely normal waddling around in the tank.

What other things could be hiding in my tank that would go after a hermit crab? I just don't believe that this was a random death based on the behavior of the crab prior to it being eaten. I'm almost positive that I saw its claw moving while it was being eaten, but that may have been a post death movement. :sad1:

 

[Iphis]

It could have been anything - inverts are very, very sensitive.

Also any animal, no matter what sort, will try and mask itself being hurt to the very end. Creatures who show signs of weakness get killed.

I can't say anything about the claw movement, it could have been anything. Water movement, the cleaner shrimp moving it while scavenging, after death movement like you mentioned or maybe your shrimp really is Shrimp-Lecter.

I think the best thing you can do is keep a sharp eye on him and watch his behavior.

If you really are losing sleep over him, you may want to try taking him back or dump him into your sump.

 

[Wolverine]

The other thing to consider is that he was eating a molted shell, and not the hermit crab itself (Iphis listed that possibility too).

That said, I have seen really aggressives ones kill small hermits when fighting over food.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

It was definitely not a molt. I am 100% on that.

 

[Reef_Monky]

My cleaner is SATAN

My cleaner is SATAN

Hi all,

My cleaner (Skunk Cleaner) after much observation has been found killing hermits, killing my snails and even going for some of my starfish!! He harasses My Nem and when it comes to cleaning he would rather steal fish poop than actually do his job lol..

I ended up moving him to my refugium i dont have the heart to get rid of him but man is he a menace! They can kill things or maybe im just one of the unlucky ones to get a crazy shrimp!

 

[3dees]

score one for the shrimp. hermits are evil creatures.

 

[MartaGR]

We have just seen how our cleaner shrimp kills a hermit crab. The crab was near her territory, she put him upside up and pull him out of the shell. Amazing how aggressive she is. She is really young and she continues moving the shell just in case other crab is inside.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk