Emperor Shrimp

Acanthastrea

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has anyone had any experience with Periclimenes imperato (Emperor Shrimp). or have any advice?
 

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Haven't tried them myself..

But they're very difficult to keep because they require a host cucumber or nudibranch, which both are very difficult to have and in few cases can potentionally nuke a tank.

They're also very very small and hard to see making them mysis to any hungry fish.
 
i know but i've had a Pseudocolochirus violaceus for about two years. i'm just looking for some interesting host.

Last trip to the LFS I actually seen bumblebee shrimp hosting them in the holding tank. Although I never heard of bumblebee shrimp hosting these and I know they like tubefeet similar to harlequin shrimp.. so that may need some experimenting..

Emperor shrimp would host it.
 
i'm trying to decide between the Gnathophyllum panamensis (orange spot) and the Emperor Shrimp. i don't need anything feeding on echinoderms...
 
Gnathophyllum panamensis I believe eat asterina starfish only similar to bongo shrimp. Bumblebee shrimp will attack tubefeet if offered but not required as they'll also scavenge off other things unlike harlequins. Harlequins won't host anything other than their prey starfish during feeding.
 
i believe your thinking of Gnathophyllum americanum. these supposedly don't feed on echinoderms.

Actually both.

Bumblebee shrimp or the species you posted do go after the tubefeet of echnoderms, difference is they'll go for other options too.

The other species the orange spotted bumblebee shrimp are said to just eat asterina alone. Not much is actually known about those ones..
 
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I've got two of these guys in my tank somewhere.

I bought them on impulse cause they pop up at my LFS here in Australia and i thought they were cool. Didn't realize they required a host.

They just hung out with my sun coral 24/7 sitting in between the polyp tubes or crawling around the base.

When i added an urchin they started hanging out with that, chilling in between the spines following where ever it went.

Then one day i saw one of my fairly large hermit crabs fall of a rock and had it's shell opening facing skyward, and there were the two emperor shrimp chilling inside the hermit crab shell with the hermit.

As far as i know since i saw them last month, they're still chilling and living inside the shell of this hermit crab with the hermit........ weird.
 
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