Shrimp (?) Identification
- Thread starter Bonegrit
- Start date
Interesting, the reason I asked is: I caught them attacking my sea cucumber and they're prime suspects in the slow, gnawing death of a serpent star. Or apparently not, if they're not dangerous. I'll have to investigate further. Perhaps I was hasty dropping them into ethanol...
LeslieH
Premium Member
Many of them are scavengers. Many feed directly on dead cells, poop, & mucus produced by other animals so it's not surprising they'd be all over a sea cucumber. It's possible that the brittle star was already having problems but I did say "in general". There are species that are predators & swarm larger animals however they don't usually show up in tanks.
graveyardworm
Premium Member
There are nasty ones, but the majority found in the hobby are harmless fish food. Cucumbers occasionally shed a skin. I wouls surmise that the amphipods may have been munching on it, and in the case of the serpent its health may have been in decline and they were just utilizing the opportunity.
Or I could be entirely wrong and you've got some nasties in there.
Or I could be entirely wrong and you've got some nasties in there.
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Lol we said the same exact thing at the same time entirely differently.
It certainly merits further investigation, I think. The serpent star I mentioned had been with me for some time (~2 years) and had grown rather robust in his time in my tank. I noticed that he had begun to sit on the light-facing surface of the rocks at the back of the tank, even during daylight hours instead of stay safely secluded in darkness as had been his previous habit. A few days after he started doing that, I noticed small injuries appearing at the base of two of his arms, which gradually expanded as if he were disintegrating. Over the course of a week or so, despite attempts to isolate him within the tank, he deteriorated further and eventually died. I concluded he must have been harrassed to death by SOMETHING in the tank, but could not settle on a culprit.
When I caught the little amphipods apparently chewing on the delicate skin of my cucumber, I thought I'd solved the mystery. I'll have to find someone who can identify the specimens I captured to species.
When I caught the little amphipods apparently chewing on the delicate skin of my cucumber, I thought I'd solved the mystery. I'll have to find someone who can identify the specimens I captured to species.
LeslieH
Premium Member
If the pods came in on live rock or coral bases do you know the original locality? That's an important part of getting an id regardless of who you send it to.
Most ophiuroids don't come out during the day. That's because they're negatively affected by UV. If your brittle was sitting out during the day that's a good indication that something was wrong with it. Those small injuries could easily have been the result of UV damage, stress, or the animal was dying of old age.
David :beer:
Most ophiuroids don't come out during the day. That's because they're negatively affected by UV. If your brittle was sitting out during the day that's a good indication that something was wrong with it. Those small injuries could easily have been the result of UV damage, stress, or the animal was dying of old age.
David :beer:
