SFE and mantis shrimp, pencil urchin and fire shrimp?

[ladyshark]

I am thinking about putting my SFE in my reef tank. Current occupants, besides the coral, include a mantis shrimp (which i cannot catch and would love to be rid of), a pencil urchin and a fire red shrimp (which hides in the back of the tank, mostly.

The pencil urchin was moved to the reef tank after almost strangling my ghost eel twice--the SFE is thicker, of course, so I am hoping the SFE would be ok with the pencil.

I know I am taking a rish with the fire shrimp--its a pretty big shrimp, but my guess is that the SFE will munch on it sooner or later, esp as the SFE grows.

As for the mantis, I hope and pray the SFE would dine on it, but since the mantis has its own attach mechanism, I am concerned it would hurt the SFE instead.

Just wondered what you experts think of this combination.

I need to separate the SFE from the ghost eel--both are in my FO tank at the moment. As I indicated in another thread, I was duped by LFS into thinking the eels would get along, but the SFE is fighting with the ghost, and will eventually kill it, I think, so my choice is to put the SFE in the reef tank, or get another tank (oh no, not another tank!! )

Would appreciate your thoughts

 

[Confooseld]

I'd sell the ghost eel or get a different tank but that's just me.

 

[stevebydac]

I think the snowflake will eventually get the mantis. He may get whacked a couple of times, but if you've ever gotten bit by a big snowflake (raises hand :wave: ), you know how strong those jaws are. If he gets ahold of the mantis, game over.

 

[waterfaller1]

Get a puffer..he'll kill the mantis.

 

[Bret61081]

get rid of the SFE and keep the ghost eel! I love mine...never harmed a thing....how did the urchin almost strangle it? Mine is always all over the tank with his head sticking out!

 

[Absint Reefer]

I've seen some people have larger cleaner shrimp in with their snowflake but most of the time the shrimp was in the tank first. If you would'nt be to depressed if the eel ate your shrimp then I'd put it in your reef tank eels actually look really cool in reef set ups

 

[ladyshark]

Brett

As you know, the ghost is pretty thin--apparently, as it trolled around the tank, it slithered up next to the pencil urchin, in between its spines, and the urchin closed the spines and captured the poor thing by the "neck" Amazingly, it lived thru this trauma twice--I hated waking up, getting ready for work, and seeing this first thing in the morning in my tank--was pretty tricky getting it loose without killing either one of them.

So, after the second time, it was obviously not a fluke, so out of the FO and into the reef tank the urchin went.

Now, just have to worry about the pencil getting the SFE, although it is much thicker and not so adventursome.

That ghost eel is one hardy fella.