Peppermint shrimp being eaten - is a large cleaner shrimp safe?

[CAPSLOK]

I have a royal gramma with an appetite for peppermint shrimp.

Would a large skunk cleaner shrimp be at risk, or big enough to be safe?

I got two larger size peppermints as smaller ones had mysteriously disappeared and I had an inkling they were consumed. Of the two new large peppermints, one was eaten a day or two after purchase. I know the royal gramma was the culprit as his belly was absolutely huge. The other hung around for several weeks, coming out to eat and even molting once, and has now been MIA for months. I know the gramma is the only problem - other stock is a percula clown, tailspot blenny, neon goby, and snails - tank is a 40B.

Maybe I've just been training the royal gramma to eat bigger and bigger shrimp... I'm not keen on providing a more expensive meal and also don't really want to have a critter in there being trapped in with a predator biding its time.

Thoughts?

 

[Betta132]

Look for a cleaner larger than the gramma. There's a physical limit to what he can swallow.
Keep an eye on your neon goby... He might go for that, too. I had a watchman goby eat a neon once. Usually their cleaner colors keep them safe, but you never know...

 

[Calappidae]

Royal gramma=fine with all inverts.
Bicolor dottyback=not safe at all..

Royal gramma:

Bicolor dottyback:

Make sure what you have is truely a royal gramma.. else you might want to replace the fish not find bigger shrimp. If the shrimp couldn't fit in the royal gramma's mouth whole then something else is up as they're very safe.

 

[Betta132]

You certain you don't have any large hitch-hikers? It's possible your hunter ate pieces of an already dead shrimp... I used to have one that would gladly pick food off the sand.

 

[CAPSLOK]

Positive that it is a royal gramma. I can assure you that I was rather surprised as they just aren't known for shrimp eating. His belly was clearly shrimp-engorged and he looked so very happy with himself... but I wasn't home at the time, so it's possible that something happened first. I'm more inclined to think it molted and the gramma took the opportunity to chow down - the shrimp were hanging in the vicinity of the gramma's cave.

No large hitch hikers. The gramma has also gone after a clown goby added after him, so at this point I am not adding anything smaller. The more recent peppermints were easily half the body length of the gramma. I guess I have to remain shrimp-less until the gramma passes.

To be fair, the first cleaner shrimp I tried hunted down and ate a peppermint (that cleaner was removed, and I didn't have the gramma yet). So maybe something just makes my critters extra shrimp-aggressive?

 

[Betta132]

Half its body length?
I can totally see a gramma swallowing that if he was determined.
You can probably find a cleaner as long as the gramma is...

My guess would be that he was defending his house from the goby rather than trying to eat it. Clown gobies taste absolutely HORRIBLE, or so my damsel says. He attempted to bully a tiny clown goby this one time, and he just nipped it once. He then darted away, mouthing and acting like he'd bitten into something horrible. I swear the goby smirked.

 

[CAPSLOK]

He didn't eat the goby, just killed it , so very likely was just territorial on the situation.

Well, I'll see if I can find a huge cleaner shrimp and if not then I'll just leave well enough alone.

 

[ReefingMadness]

I have a Royal Gramma and a medium sized Cleaner Shrimp. My RG seems to be terrified of the CS. Everytime the CS gets anywhere near the RG it darts off and hides.

 

[Tomtopping]

Mantis shrimp come in n ur rocks?

 

[CAPSLOK]

My LR is about 9yrs in my possession, so I can't imagine there is anything else hiding out at this point.

 

[kw22]

It depends on the fish itself,some species may be considered reef safe,not reef safe,aggressive,not aggressive,but there are always exceptions.Damselfish are supposed to be aggressive but I had one before and it was one of the most peaceful fish I owned!