Somebody likes Shrimp

[TomW]

I believe my peppermint shrimp, who was great fun to watch, became dinner
last week. I thought he shed his shell again, but apparently that was all
that was left of him.

So, who's the culprit?

Green Chromis
Purple Dottyback
6 Line Wrasse
small percula clown
Coral Beauty
Hermits

I'm leaning towards the chromis... they always look ravenous & hit the water
like bass when I feed them.

Should I get another or a different variety? Will different varieties
perform the same "cleaning" function? The dottyback was routinely "cleaned."

TIA
TomW

[Pszemol]

How many days is it missing? I could not find mine for three days.
Last night I feed fish meat after the lights off and all shrimps
(I have 5 of different kinds) reported at the supper table in order :-)
Pepermints are very shy and like to hide in rock crevices during day.

[TomW]

He's been missing for over a week. He had two favorite hiding spots and I
haven't seen him in either.

I haven't checked at night lately. That's a good thought. I used to
occassionally see him out when the lights were off.

-TomW

[Time2359]

If it's gone, I'm betting on the wrasse.

It will search for live foods in the form of small crustaceans such as pyramidellid snails (clam parasites), urchins, and commensal flatworms. It may even try to attack small ornamental shrimp. Six Line Wrasse are also known to feed on unwanted pests on live rock, such as bristleworms.






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[TomW]

I've read that the 6 line wrasse can be aggressive. Mine does not appear aggressive and has been in the tank with the shrimp for 4 months, but he could have had a change of appetite! Thanks for the input.

-TomW

[B & J]

I would be pretty sure it's the dottyback. They can become quite aggressive.
I know for a fact that the purple striped (diadem) dottyback eats ornamental
shrimp. I used to have a diadem dottyback. So it isn't a large leap in
logic that the purple dottyback could possibly be similar in nature.
Possibly feeding the fish more might curb the aggression toward the shrimp,
but I wouldn't chance it again.

Here's a link to a site that mentions a warning about keeping a purple
dottyback with ornamental shrimp.
http://www.thereeftank.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=226


Bill




"TomW" > wrote in message
...
> I believe my peppermint shrimp, who was great fun to watch, became dinner
> last week. I thought he shed his shell again, but apparently that was all
> that was left of him.
>
> So, who's the culprit?
>
> Green Chromis
> Purple Dottyback
> 6 Line Wrasse
> small percula clown
> Coral Beauty
> Hermits
>
> I'm leaning towards the chromis... they always look ravenous & hit the
water
> like bass when I feed them.
>
> Should I get another or a different variety? Will different varieties
> perform the same "cleaning" function? The dottyback was routinely
"cleaned."
>
> TIA
> TomW
>
>

[TomW]

One of the things I really enjoyed about the shrimp was watching him very
routinely clean the dottyback. Our dottyback, which is an original tank
inhabitant (7 months) is "a stinker" as my wife puts it, acting aggressively
towards new tank additions. The aggression seems to lessen considerably with
familiarity.

Certainly it's possible, just doesn't seem probable based on my
observations. Thanks for the link! I agree with the reviews. Mine follows me
around the tank as well.

-TomW