Where Do My Shrimp Keep Going?

jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
I've bought 2 shrimp in the past couple months. First one 2 months ago was a tiger pistol shrimp. Put it in, it scurried under a rock, as expected, and hasn't been seen since (presumably dead). Second one was a fire shrimp added friday. Same thing. Under a rock, haven't seen it since. My guess is something is eating them, but there are no obvious suspects. When I added the tiger I had a scopas tang, harlequin bass, and an indigo hamlet. As of friday I have harlequin bass, indigo hamlet, 2 bird wrasse, bullet goby, darwin clown, and gsm clown. What happened to them?


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Luke.

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Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Location
Kitchener
I've had shrimp die before how's the temp and salinity ? Do they hopp around ? (The levels)
 

jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
I've had shrimp die before how's the temp and salinity ? Do they hopp around ? (The levels)

Temp and salinity stay stable (78, 1.024). Just occurred to me supplier salinity is probably significantly lower. Gonna get a firestorm for this, but I do not drip acclimate. With prior tanks, the shrimp i did drip acclimate didn't fare well. The ones i didn't were just fine.


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SamB

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Location
GTA
I would point the finger to the bass and / or the bird wrasse.
They are known eaters of shrimp, crabs, snails (wrasse) and small fish
Your current tank inhabitants are not very "invert friendly"
Make a change in fish if you want to safely keep shrimps
 

jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
Bird wrasse are hit and miss (had one before that didn't bother a thing). As for the harlequin, he's not very big, but you may be right.


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AdInfinitum

Super Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Thorndale, Ontario
The indigo Hamlet (a personal favourite BTW) is a hardcore predator with a preference for small crustaceans...unless yours is tiny, look no further...unless the wrasse got to it first LOL!!!
 

jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
The indigo Hamlet (a personal favourite BTW) is a hardcore predator with a preference for small crustaceans...unless yours is tiny, look no further...unless the wrasse got to it first LOL!!!

I had 4-5" one years ago. Again, a model citizen. Maybe i used to have lazy fish! The one I have now is maybe 3", just a little guy. Anything is possible at this point!


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SamB

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Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Location
GTA
The indigo Hamlet (a personal favourite BTW) is a hardcore predator with a preference for small crustaceans...unless yours is tiny, look no further...unless the wrasse got to it first LOL!!!

I've never had one of those fish but good comment !
 

TORX

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Nov 27, 2010
Location
Blenheim, Ontario
Website
www.thefragtank.ca
Keep in mind, sometimes they just hide. I just saw my peppermint shrimp in the 120 for the first time the other night. I just happened to be looking in a crevice when he was in there, he wasn't in the open. I put him in there about 2 months ago and he did the same as yours, went right under a rock and hid. I thought the same for my Harliquin shrimp in my 120, I didn't see him for almost 4 weeks after I added him. Then for about a month he hid at the mouth of caves, now he is out in the open most of the time. I have only seen my golden coral banded shrimp maybe twice in 2 months and only seen the peppermint shrimp once since I added both of those to my seahorse tank. All of which I only seen after light were out.
 

derrick orosz

Super Active Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Location
Ayr, Ontario
I currently have 6 blood shrimp, 4 cleaner shrimp around a dozen peppermint shrimp... the cleaners are always out and walk right up my arm when I'm in the tank but the blood and peppermint I never see. once the lights are all out for a bit late at night if I put in some amino acids for the corals then shine a light in all the other shrimp are out. So they may just be hiding
 

jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
Keep in mind, sometimes they just hide. I just saw my peppermint shrimp in the 120 for the first time the other night. I just happened to be looking in a crevice when he was in there, he wasn't in the open. I put him in there about 2 months ago and he did the same as yours, went right under a rock and hid. I thought the same for my Harliquin shrimp in my 120, I didn't see him for almost 4 weeks after I added him. Then for about a month he hid at the mouth of caves, now he is out in the open most of the time. I have only seen my golden coral banded shrimp maybe twice in 2 months and only seen the peppermint shrimp once since I added both of those to my seahorse tank. All of which I only seen after light were out.

I'm hopeful they're still alive in there somewhere, but I've searched at all times of day, and with a red flashlight when lights are out. Nothing. About the only time i haven't looked is about 4am. That's probably when they're out in plain sight! Encouraging to hear they can stay hidden that long.


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sunnykita

Super Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Location
Woodstock, Ontario
I hope they're in hiding, good luck with the wrasses, my pair, the male, I think, he was brazen, where the female was shy and hid a lot destroyed any clean up crew I put in the tank. Snails were a favourite snack !
 

NEC

New Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Location
toronto
I've bought 2 shrimp in the past couple months. First one 2 months ago was a tiger pistol shrimp. Put it in, it scurried under a rock, as expected, and hasn't been seen since (presumably dead). Second one was a fire shrimp added friday. Same thing. Under a rock, haven't seen it since. My guess is something is eating them, but there are no obvious suspects. When I added the tiger I had a scopas tang, harlequin bass, and an indigo hamlet. As of friday I have harlequin bass, indigo hamlet, 2 bird wrasse, bullet goby, darwin clown, and gsm clown. What happened to them?


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Have you ever heard any weird clicking around the tank? That's one way to know if your tiger pistol shrimp is alive. They are bottom dwellers meaning they will live underneath your rocks in the sand so you won't see it out and about unless he's pushing sand or rocks aside.




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jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
Still no sign of either shrimp. Will be adding a snowflake eel to my tank today. To the people who've owned one, how'd they do with shrimp? I know they're hit and miss, just wondering what the odds are of having another shrimp eater. The zebra eel i used to have had a blood shrimp virtually living on him without incident.


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Luke.

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Location
Kitchener
Still no sign of either shrimp. Will be adding a snowflake eel to my tank today. To the people who've owned one, how'd they do with shrimp? I know they're hit and miss, just wondering what the odds are of having another shrimp eater. The zebra eel i used to have had a blood shrimp virtually living on him without incident.


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I know @scubasteve never has issues with his eating shrimp
 

1Zapped2shy

New Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
London, Ontario
I know @scubasteve never has issues with his eating shrimp
They are a predator never to be trusted with any thing they can fit in their mouth. I kept an snow flake for eight years reached two feet needed fed large meaty meal hand fed every other day. Awesome fish but a lot of work and tank pollution is a concern due to waste from large fish.
 

jeffopentax

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Brantford, Ontario
No idea what happened to my first two pistol shrimp, but the coral banded I got a couple weeks ago is doing great. He lives in the same cave as my big bullet goby (who chases away any fish who try to enter). From what I've read coral banded don't pair with gobies, so maybe they just tolerate each other.


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SamB

Super Active Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Location
GTA
No idea what happened to my first two pistol shrimp, but the coral banded I got a couple weeks ago is doing great. He lives in the same cave as my big bullet goby (who chases away any fish who try to enter). From what I've read coral banded don't pair with gobies, so maybe they just tolerate each other.


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Only mated pairs of coral banded can live peacefully together
One of the most beautiful and hardiest shrimps IMO but must be kept on their own
Keep an eye on your goby because I lost a yellow clown goby to a coral banded
 
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