So I just watched my cleaner shrimp get eaten

[Betaktical]

My two clowns and 3 wrasses just tore apart my last cleaner. I had 2 for about 14 months and lost one don't know how. They were together since I've had them and then 2 months ago I noticed the other one missing. So the one that just got eaten was going on 16 months. Never had any of these fish go for shrimp. Had the clowns and one wrasse since the beginning and the other two wrasses I've had for 6 months and 5 months. Any ideas? Was he/she depressed from losing the other one and died or just old age or what? Just sucks because I've had the shrimp for a while and they were a favorite.

 

[divetoday]

Sorry to hear this. I love mine as well. Just a thought: did they attack the shrimp and kill it, or just clean up the remains?


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[Betaktical]

He was still alive when they were pecking at him but barely. He died within 5 minutes of watching

 

[thegrun]

Once the fish get a taste for shrimp they will eat any shrimp they can find (or that you add to your tank).

 

[anthonys51]

What size tank is this How much live rock and how often you feed them. Hungry fish will go after shrimp especially a dying one


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[Betaktical]

Tank is 75 with 65lbs of Rock and I feed everyday. Like I said everyone was going after him and I fed less than 18hrs before.

 

[Jon0807]

I have a suspicion that my 6 line ate mine while it was molting. I found it's head and most of it's back gone but was still attached to it's molt like it was in the middle of it. I spotted my 6 line swimming around with a fat belly

 

[Betaktical]

Don't have a six line. Always tried to stay away from them. I have sunset fairy, pennant fairy and bird nose.

 

[Jon0807]

I'm not sure of specific wrasses but I've heard that some can be a real terror to inverts

 

[davocean]

Once the fish get a taste for shrimp they will eat any shrimp they can find (or that you add to your tank).

Yep.

 

[humphreyhh]

Sorry to hear that! But that's scary! Probably because I only have two clownfish, one damsil fish and one cleaner shrimp with no other fish, I haven't seen any aggression from the fish to the shrimp yet, only the shrimp chasing clownfish and damsil trying to clean them...

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[davocean]

His issue is the wrasses, some can be problematic in this area as jon0807 mentioned, your list is relatively safe pretty much, damsel could be fussy depending on type.

 

[mcgyvr]

I bought 2 pep shrimp a few years back and before they even hit the sand after I dropped them in my diamond goby made a snack of them.
Money right down the drain..

 

[johnike]

Years ago, I bought 2 fire shrimp and 2 cleaner shrimp to the tune of $100.
Put them in the 240 and they were fine, came back a half hour to bits and pieces of them strewn across the tank.

Yellow & Purple Wrasse (Halichoeres leucoxanthus) was the murderer.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

There are quite a few wrasse species that eat ornamental shrimp.

 

[anthonys51]

Yes you have to watch shrimps and wrasses But I have 9 wrasses in my 265 and several shrimps. Some wrasses are even over 5 inches long. But it's a hit or miss with them


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[Betaktical]

Thanks for all the help peeps. I just thought it was weird that everyone was happy and all of a sudden they went nuts. And it wasn't just one fish it was everyone. My pennant wrasse is so mellow and never chased anything and he was going nuts. I just figured the shrimp was on his way out and everyone decided to soak up the remains.