fire shrimp out more with mate?

[StrategicReef]

I have a fire shrimp I never see him unless it is feeding time.
I had it for about 8 months so it's well adjusted to the tank. I was wondering if I get another one will it have the benefit of seeing they come out more in general?

I want them to produce eggs which is good food for coral and fish, I heard. Does the size matter for a second one?

 

[purplehaze]

Size shouldn t matter. I dont think that by adding one, they ll start showing more often...

 

[REEFRHEAD]

ok fire shrimp are very very territorial, I have a mated pair in my 220 reef and if any of my skunk cleaners go anywhere near their big island meaning if my fire shirmps antenae ( cant spell lets call it ant for purposes) ok so any ways when my skunk's ant touches my fire shrimps he goes ballistic i say he because i believe the male is the one always out watching over the reef making sure no invaders get near their home protecting his lady basically. and the female hides alot more except during feeding and other times late at night before the actinics go out, then shes all cleaning the top layers on the sand and such. so back to your question i believe if you got a mated pair of fire shrimp that yes atleast one of them will be out most of the time by out i also mean under a nice big overhang still in the shade but in view. so also try that. but since you alrdy have one it is very difficult to pair them . meaning yours will just go crazy attacking the other one unless you are very lucky. and then they will stay away from each other from then on one on one side of the reef and one on the other never together. so if you want to just see your fire shrimp that you alrdy have try setting up a sweet overhang for him to hang out on all day upside down with his ants pointing out into the light waiting for something to go by to eat so either do that or trade in yours for a new mated pair and pay the extra for the second shrimp. and as a side note fire shrimp are notorious for hiding in reef tanks because they do not like the strong lights thats why you will need a overhang for the to hide out of the direct light but still can be seen soo goodluck

 

[Bubbashrimp]

DONT TRADE IN YOUR WONDERFUL SHRIMP JUST YET!

DONT TRADE IN YOUR WONDERFUL SHRIMP JUST YET!

Fire shrimp are simultarieous hermaphrodites (Fletcher et al. 1995). This means that each shrimp can act as both male and female at the same time. So there really is no male and female in the sense that REEFRHEAD is thinking about it. I hand feed both pairs of fire shrimp and cleaner shrimp at the same time. Each of my fire shrimp wait underneath an overhang(upside down or right side up) as my skunk cleaners race the larger one upside down underneath the surface of the water and the smaller one close to the substrate...more like an astronaught skipping off of each rock. Once both shrimp converge at my hand they find enriched brine shrimp waiting for them in the cracks of my palm and in between my fingers. As they eat they scatter some brine shrimp in the general direction of the fire shrimp. Let me hypothesize that both the food combined with cleaner shrimps drawing out the more timid fire shrimp is the reason why these pair of fire shrimps even eat out of my hand. (I got the cleaners after the fires and at first it took the fires 30 minutes to even touch my finger tips...which I honed down to 20 minutes after four months, and still they would only touch just my finger tips) As for the combining of all the fire shrimps, I have ever kept in any of my aquariums; they have never been that aggressive. Sure they explore each other and maybe one might jerk away or towards another but if you are really concerned just do some reef scaping and they should be fine and together the next morning. So my advice if it is not too late is to not spend that "extra money". In fact you might be able to save a lot of money by bartering a better deal with your local fish store on your next shrimp purchase. Happy shrimping!

 

[StrategicReef]

Thanks for the info.
I am thinking of adding my second fireshrimp and also a skunk cleaner shrimp (1).. in my 24 gallon tank. The skunk is not as beautiful, but I always see them out in other tanks... so it provides better viewing. as long as it doesn't bother my clam?

 

[Bubbashrimp]

Do you have any fish that could bring out the beauty and dare I say work ethic of the skunk cleaner?

 

[StrategicReef]

I have a watchman type goby and clown fish they all doesn't let the fireshrimp touch him.. Hmm

 

[Bubbashrimp]

Maybe things will change for the better when your skunk finally arrives. Then again it sounds like your fish are agoraphobic that is to say the watchman goby gets home sick and probably does not travel to far from home and your clown fish is hooked on rubbing himself too much in the tenticals of a symbiotic anemone, much like that of a couch potato, that the clown fish does not know that there is a whole world out there for it to explore

 

[Bubbashrimp]

oops hopefully the moderator can allow me to edit

 

[dendro982]

I just added the second fire shrimp to the tank, and since then both of them most of the time are gravid. When there is no fish around - they come to open, and hide, when somebody bigger, then them, appears.
Both of them (in different time, in different tanks) were most of the time horsing around the tank, when they were the biggest animals in the tank, even came to eat from the tweezers. Good natured creatures and very colorful.

 

[Deleted member 7065]

I had a Desjardine Tang that use to hand by a rock that my cleaners hung on. He would swim by show and one would climb on each side and climb on him while he would swim really slow - sometimes for 15 minutes. He would also hover and let them clean his mouth.

My current pair are lazy bastards and only climb on my hand to eat.

 

[StrategicReef]

I got a 2nd fire shrimp today... they are immediately more active.. this is about 9 months of the first shrimp being alone.

Another question, when a fire shrimp sticks it's claw to "clean" a fish's gill, does that mean the fish is dying, because last time this happened to my fish, the fish died.

 

[romunov]

Some parasites inhabit the gills. Weather or not the shrimp was cleaning and/or making any effect, is hard to say.

 

[dendro982]

Just an observation: I have an impression, that after adding the second blood shrimp and them being most of the time gravid, decreased the willingness of the first shrimp to clean fish for a long time and being available on every request.
Fish is waiting more frequently and goes away without satisfactory service.
Placed the cleaner wrasse (1 yr old) again in this tank - he won't clean, only pinch, had to remove in refugium again.

 

[StrategicReef]

The pairs Fireshrimp are more active in the light now, still only roaming their cave, I don't expect them to run around in the brightest spots, but I am very happy with my investment of the 2nd. Previously the single one was almost never to be seen, unless I turn the pumps off and feed.

It's trying to kick the butt of my new skunk cleaner tho, the poor thing is tiny.

 

[dendro982]

Good!