Nano host for Emperor Shrimp?

[jayelblock]

I bought this lovely shrimp from a reputable lfs. They advised me that it was an "anemone shrimp," but unfortunately, it hosts nudis and cucumbers. I have 10g tank, but I am upgrading to a 29 within the next two weeks. Is there a Periclimenes imperator host that is suitable for a small tank, or should I find him a new home?

(I did find this thread, but it provides conflicting information as to whether a host is necessary, and does not identify any specific hosts:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1917607)

Thanks for your input.

 

[jayelblock]

Let me ask this question a different way...
Has anyone had success keeping a nudi in a nano tank? Which type/s can survive on a supplemented diet?

thanks.

 

[LeslieH]

They're beautiful but very hard to keep without a large tank, and sensitive to changes in oxygen. I'm surprised it made it alive to the LFS.

The nudis that do best in reef tanks are the coral eaters so you probably don't want one of those. The sponge-eaters won't survive in a nano. It might do okay on a sea hare but I've seen thousands of pics of P. imperator & don't remember any of it on a sea hare.

Get the smallest detritus-feeding cucumber you can find, just a couple of inches - maybe some one in your area has a tigertail that has just split. You'll have to keep adding a LOT of food to the sand bed so it will be a delicate balance between keeping the cuke adequately fed & the parameters from going out of whack.

One person in the linked post said he was able to get the shrimp to feed without a host so there's so hope.

Good luck!

 

[jayelblock]

Leslie,
thank you so much for your reply. Right now the shrimp is at the base of a fairly large duncan coral that also intermittently hosts a few sexy shrimp. The tank is well established (about 2 years old) and not pristine, so perhaps he is finding some detritus that satisfies him. I do see his little pincers going back and forth to his mouth, so he is attempting to feed. He moves incredibly slowly.

I appreciate your lack of judgment. Certainly, the odds are stacked against this little guy and it was not prudent of my to buy him (ignorance is no excuse), but I will make every effort to give him what he needs, or find someone who can...

 

[jayelblock]

Well, I found a fairly small tigertail, aclimated him, and added him yesterday evening. On the plus side, he hasn't sloughed off his skin or regurgitated his viscera, so I guess that's a good sign. However, he hasn't moved from the base of the duncan coral since I put him in...

The shrimp is also on the duncan. He pretty much ignored the cuke throughout the day, but slept on him last night. Here they are, tucked in for bed.

[/IMG]

 

[LeslieH]

Give the cuke a couple of days. Your sand looks pretty clean so supplemental feeding will be a must for both of them to survive. Fingers crossed for luck!

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

I had a pair in a 29g with a seahorse and mandarin. They hosted a turbo snail and ate mysis but ultimately just disappeared. This was my second try with them and I won't be doing it again until I set up a 2g picotope for them in April where they can be by themselves.

I don't think they do well in the community setting.

Good luck.

 

[jayelblock]

Bongo--
I read that they would host snails. If that were to occur, it would certainly make things easier. I already have a 5G set up as part of a sexy shrimp breeding experiment, and I would move the two of them there... I'll keep an eye on him and see if he gives the turbo a try.

BTW, I have seen him eating mysis, so that's good. I'm just wondering if that's a sufficient diet, or if should visit the fish counter at the grocery store for some scallops and the like?

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Yeah I would say you have the best chance with them in a 5g. It is just easier to see them and keep an eye on them at all times.

I was target feeding them mysis with tweezers and I was just happy that they were eating something.

 

[jayelblock]

Just an update, and a request for advice...
The cuce seems to be noctournal. He sleeps under a rock all day, but I catch him actively prowling the tank at night. Given this behavior, the emperor shrimp has no interest in him, and continues to stay on the duncan coral with the sexy shrimp. The shrimp is eating well, and I have seen him capture mysis, bbs and Hikari marine s pellets. So, here are my questions:
1) is noctournal behavior typical for cukes?
2) if the cuke remains noctournal, should I return him to the lfs since he will not be aiding the emperor shrimp?
3) is the emperor shrimp actually "hosting" the duncan? He remains in a head-down position most of the day scanning the sand bed for food.

thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[LeslieH]

Nocturnal behavior is typical for many echinoderms and other inverts.

Does the shrimp get on it at night? If it remains uninterested in the cuke then yes, return the cuke. Since they eat so much cukes aren't a good fit for your 10g.

The host is the animal that's being lived on or in, not the tenant, so it's the duncan that's the host.

Glad to hear that the shrimp is eating - that's a good sign.

 

[jayelblock]

I'm a dunce. Let me try that hosting question again. What I meant to ask was, will the shrimp behave in a certain way that lets me know he is satisfied with the duncan as his host? Kind of like clownfish, which behave in that certain, wiggly way toward their anemone when they have chosen it, as compared to how they behave with no anemone.

Sexy shrimp dance, clown gobies shimmy up and down their sps...what are the behaviors of a happy emperor shrimp (besides eating, of course)?

 

[jayelblock]

Just an update...
I'm thrilled to report that the little guy molted. While one month of survival is not a big deal, I'm glad to get some sign that he's growing and feeling good. I hope to set up my biocube 12 shortly as an ornamental shrimp tank and transfer him over there, but I'm afraid to disrupt his environment since he's doing so well.

 

[snorvich]

Congrats. Some progress!

 

[peasofme]

i had one of the clear see through, white, and blue fat anemone shrimps. are they just as sensetive to changes in oxygen and need a big tank, etc? he was totally awesome and would wobble back and forth like a clownfish. he ate mysis but i think something in the tank killed him. he did not have a host and didn't seem stressed about it or anything.

 

[jayelblock]

peasofme--
was it one of these? This is my gravid female. She's been carrying these eggs for weeks. (Please pardon my algae-covered glass. I hate to disturb the shrimp.) I couldn't begin to raise the larvae, but it's still interesting to watch the process.

She and her mate are hanging out in a maxi-mini carpet. They eat mysis, Hikari S pellets and bbs. I'm crazy about them too!

 

[peasofme]

yes, it was one of those. how long have u had them? how big is the tank? how long has the tank been running? what else is living in the tank? i just got a lawnmower blenny so my tank is a mess. i'd rather my tank be a mess and my critters be happy. heh

 

[jayelblock]

I've just had these two for about 3 weeks. They are in a 10g tank with their maxi-mini anemone, 6 sexy shrimp, a peppermint shrimp, a pom pom crab, and a red headed goby. Lots of flow--a koralia nano and koralia 1, plus a small HOB power filter and some live rock. The tank has been set up for over 2 years, but it had several fish in it until last week. I set up a new 29g and moved most of the coral and other livestock over. I'd move the goby too, but I can't catch him.

I do not find these anemone shrimp to be very hard to keep. They are excellent eaters, and wander around a bit more than the emperor shrimp. The male, in particular, will stray a few inches away from the anemone, and sometimes joins the emperor on the duncan coral.

I have a biocube 14 in the garage. As soon as I get it cleaned and cycled, it will be my shrimp tank. I may put a pair of pipes in it as well, and maybe a flaming prawn goby. I'm keeping an eye out for more interesting shrimp.

 

[peasofme]

i think mine lasted about a week then someone killed him. probably a peppermint, emerald, or blue leg hermit. i would be careful with them since they are so slow and vulnerable. you also don't want to disrupt them too much. do males look the same as females?

 

[jayelblock]

Slow is an understatement. That emperor shrimp barely moves. He just inches around the base of his duncan and waves his little pincers in front of him. I guess in the ocean, he would be riding the back of a cuke, so he's probably wondering why he see the same scenery every day.

As for the anemone shrimp, the male is a bit smaller, but marked exactly the same. Of course, he's not full of green eggs, so they're pretty easy to tell apart.