Help! Did my shrimp get eaten

[jwl3]

Hi y'all. Great website by the way.

So I"m totally new to the hobby and have had my Fluval Edge 6 gallon tank for 3 months now. Everything seems to be going great. I have 2 clowns, 2 damsels, a hermit crab, and a camelback shrimp (or had...I think.)

This is the reason I'm posting. One of the damsels in the tank is a total bully and picks on all the fish but mostly the camelback. The camelback shrimp molts every 3 weeks normally and because there's not many places to hide, I see him immediately the day after. I have not seen him for two whole days. All I see are broken pieces of exoskeleton. I sadly thought he was eaten.

However, today, I looked in a crevasse of the only ocean rock that I have in the tank and I see a spine protruding out. Nothing, just a spine. No meat on it at all. But it's moving!!! At first, I thought it was the current from the filter, but no. It moved out of the rock and back in, multiple times and irregularly. What in the world??? It was just a spine. I did not see a head or an eye or ANYTHING resembling a shrimp. (the hermit's been hanging around this area and I assume it's been eating up the shell or the meat?!!!) It finally retracted back into the rock and hasn't come out since.

Can anyone explain this? This is absolutely bizarre. The crevasse is so small that there's no way the entire shrimp can be in there.

 

[Marchillo]

You have 2 clowns and 2 damsels in a 6 gallon tank? You are going to have all sorts of issues in no time. All of those fish need bigger tanks. I wouldn't put a single clown in a 6 gallon. That is more of an invertebrate type tank.

I think more deaths will follow. I know you asked about your shrimp. I'm not really sure. They hide when they molt. The spiny thing look like part of the molt? They hide when they molt so that could be it. But I'm guessing it wouldn't be tough to find in a 6 gallon tank.

 

[jwl3]

Picture attached.

 

[dragonsong]

That looks exactly like a bristleworm hiding in your rock.

 

[atraperegrinus]

i agree with the above, your shrimp is likely gone, and all 4 of those fish shouldn't be in that tank. you should be looking at nano size fish, and.. maybe 1, def not 4.

you might try posting in the nano tanks section of the forum for ideas on fish and livestock for that size tank.

for what it's worth my 7 gallon has 4 hermits and 4 snails, and I'm going to add a tiny shrimp goby and a pistol shrimp in the future, and that is it. but my 7g also has a 10g sump.

 

[Mrramsey]

Yeah that tank isn't big enough for one of those fish let alone all four. Re-home them now or it will be the fish you will be looking for.

 

[jwl3]

Thanks for the advice. I've heard it elsewhere though that 1" of fish per gallon of water is ok. The clownfish and damsels are all of the smallest variant.

And they seem to be doing ok.

What would I be jeopardizing if I kept them in the nano 6 gallon tank? What are normal lifespans for them anyway? I half expected them to die within a week and here they are 3 months in, seemingly thriving. I get that they're stressed in a small tank. But heck, so are a lot of us, living in Manhattan in 400 sq ft apartments.

 

[Tautoga]

The problem is that right now, they are all juvenile fish and will grow.

Depending on the species, clownfish can grow to be 4-5 inches as adults and damsels can be 3-5.

6 gallons ÷4 fish=1.5 gallons per fish. 1-2 gallons of water is not enough for 1 of those fish.

Trying to analogize fish to people to justify your tank size and loading isn't going to work out well. In your example, it would be like you trying to live in a large cardboard box and never leave with someone just throwing food at you once a day. After a while you wouldnt be thriving either.

 

[Marchillo]

First of all the 1" rule is urban legend. It's about compatibility, behavior, size, bioload and other factors.

Please google liveaquaria and look at the fish you own and you will see the recommended MINIMUM tank size. All those fish will be out of range.

Plus you have all juvenile fish that will grow. You may have a few months of success but it will turn bad at some point. Don't take my word for it. Just do some google searching and you will see what I'm talking about.

 

[jraker]

Thanks for the advice. I've heard it elsewhere though that 1" of fish per gallon of water is ok. The clownfish and damsels are all of the smallest variant.
/QUOTE]

1" per gallon only applies to select small freshwater community fish. for saltwater, you usually want to go with 1" of adult fish per 5 gallons.

if you want a good fish for that tank, get a clown goby

 

[reefbroao]

I would bet that at adult size that tank will turn into a horror show. damsels and big clowns fighting for territory. game over. They may seem okay but that can change by the flip of a switch.

 

[Sk8r]

Damsels in general take a 100 gallon tank to calm down, seriously. Clowns are also damsels, though a bit more homebodies than the others. The 6 gallon is fine for an invertebrate tank or mini-reef, maybe even for a couple of the smallest gobies, but for 2 fish that grow to several inches at maturity, it's just not enough. Suggest you trade in the damsels, scope out the dollar a gallon sale at the local pet store, get a 30 gallon, use your old sand and rock (and add more), while testing carefully during the transition, and then your clowns will have a much happier place to be.

 

[jwl3]

Yeesh. I didn't know what I was getting into. I just assumed that they stayed roughly the same size and weren't juveniles (how can you tell - do pet stores only sell young fish? I thought they catch them from the ocean, not breed them)


Is it also true that larger tanks can hold more fish per gallon? Like 1" per gallon is ok for a 50 gallon tank but not ok for a 5 gallon tank?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I agree with the others and won't reitterate it, but I will add that you could get a Yasha goby and pistol shrimp. This pair is a lot of fun to watch and in addition to them you can have a few snails and hermits.

We are here to make sure you're successful with your tank and the LFS is there to sell you fish. Most of them don't care about your pets after the sale. We have no reason to lie to you but they do and some not all do just that.

 

[chimmike]

I'll reiterate. Shame on LFS' for selling damsels so willingly to folks with small tanks/newbies.

They're territorial and downright mean. Devils of the aquarium. They'll bully all your fish to death.

 

[gone fishin]

Yeesh. I didn't know what I was getting into. I just assumed that they stayed roughly the same size and weren't juveniles (how can you tell - do pet stores only sell young fish? I thought they catch them from the ocean, not breed them)


Is it also true that larger tanks can hold more fish per gallon? Like 1" per gallon is ok for a 50 gallon tank but not ok for a 5 gallon tank?

Forget the 1"/gallon rule for any size tank. The way you can tell how big a fish will get is to do some research on fish you like instead of just going into a store and buying them.

 

[NS Mike D]

It's not just size. Every fish needs a home and they have different ideas what constitutes a home. As you are finding out, damsels will assume the entire tank is there home and aggressively let every other tank mate know this. Some fish like to hang out at the top of the tank. Other like to hide in the rocks. Other like to hang out in the water flow. Some burrow into the sand and so on.


So in additional to researching who big the fish get, and which fish get along, also research the territorial habits of the fish and ensure that you have a "home" for ever one of them

 

[stefdvm]

I know it's already been said, but I had 2 clowns and 2 damsels in a 50 gallon and it was a problem; the damsels bullied the clowns and ended up killing the smaller one and several other fish before I pulled them out... and they weren't even full grown yet; one clown was about 1" long, the other 2"; the damsels were about 1-1/2" each - all all juveniles. Can't imagine the nightmare I would have had when they were grown - part of the reason I got rid of the damsels and I'm moving into a 135 gallon.

 

[snorvich]

There is no valid inches per gallon rule for salt or fresh water.

 

[jwl3]

I know it's already been said, but I had 2 clowns and 2 damsels in a 50 gallon and it was a problem; the damsels bullied the clowns and ended up killing the smaller one and several other fish before I pulled them out... and they weren't even full grown yet; one clown was about 1" long, the other 2"; the damsels were about 1-1/2" each - all all juveniles. Can't imagine the nightmare I would have had when they were grown - part of the reason I got rid of the damsels and I'm moving into a 135 gallon.

Yeah, the worst part is that the damsels are all total cowards. They hide behind my fake plants 90% of the time. And yet they bully my two clowns non stop, as well as my dead shrimp. Meanwhile, the clowns are social, explore the whole tank, and beg for food. If those two damsels keep it up, it's the toilet for them.


I researched compatibility online and the matrices I found had clownfish compatible with the damsels. Funny, the sheet mentioned the clownfish being territorial.