Camel Shrimp eating AEFW's?

[cwegescheide]

Hey everybody..

I was on another board earlier today and I saw a rather long thread talking about people and their experience with camel shrimp eating AEFW eggs etc.. Has anybody else heard about this? Luckily I have not been bitten by the little buggars but an ounce of prevention.....

Later,
Chris

 

[Curtswearing]

Chris,

I would rather have AEFW's in my reef tank than a camelback shrimp. I'm not joking....I'm completely serious. You ought to see the damage a camel (or mislabeled peppermint) can do in one night.

EDIT: Even if they do eat AEFW's (and I don't know if they do or not), what do you think they are going to eat once the flatworms are eradicated?

 

[Jan]

There's been a couple of threads about this. The testers (KorallenZucht) said that if they left the corals in the tank with the camel shrimps for 24 hours. the shrimps ate all the flesh off the coral. Not good. They recommended maximum 60 minutes in the special shrimp tank.

Curt, it sounds like you've had camel shrimp in your reeftank before, or know somebody who has? What happened?

 

[Curtswearing]

Jan,

RF isn't the only forum I'm a part of....it's just my favorite. I've been a part of many forums over the years so that's how I know that MANY people have purchased a mislabeled "Peppermint Shrimp" that turned out to be a Camel. I've also had to console most of these same people, and because of their experiences, I can say that almost all camels should be considered NOT REEF SAFE!!!

In a slightly different situation, I once had a wholesaler send me 25 camels as opposed to peppermints and I didn't see my employee HAD ALREADY ACCLIMATED THEM AND PUT THEM IN THE TANK!!!! AAAARRRGGGHHH!!! Well, to make things short, I had him scrambling to get each and every single one out. We literally counted them 4 or 5 times just to make sure. While he was doing that, I was on the phone with my supplier and we had a "discussion". In the end, it worked out well. You should have seen the cherry-picked corals on the next shipment....WOW!!!

 

[Jan]

So, sorry if I'm belaboring this issue, I'm just interested. (I never doubted their "not reef safe" designation.)

What bad things do they do, from the stories you've heard? I haven't heard any accounts about this, just the one application of putting them in a tank by themselves and having them clean corals.

 

[Curtswearing]

They are polyp-eating machines.

 

[jezzeaepi]

They are polyp-eating machines.

That interesting then that they take out their competitor first. I still think I would feel bad putting my coral in a tank of coral eaters even for a litle while =P

 

[Wonder]

After reading the link by Jan I bought 3 camel shrimp and left them inside a container with a frag since last Friday before i went oversea. Came back yesterday and discover they are all in good shape, including the frag During this 4 days, there is no food at all for them.

Yesterday, i left a bigger colony(digitata) and try it out. Looks ok after 12 Hrs. I just assume that not all of them eat SPS or maybe i'm just lucky to have some that don't really lile polpys. Will montior the health of my digitata. If they really consume my digitata, will then update again in this thread.

Of course, i'll never even think of introducing them into our tank. Just for QT tank.

Cheers Thanks for all the sharing (great information to me). I feel a lot more safer and easier to use camel shrimp for QT then all the bathing by solution, etc.

 

[Wonder]

Just an update. Will try to post picture if possible.

After 48 hrs, the digitata was still in perfect heath (no polpy lost). I took out a monti with flatworms in my tank (yes ! i have faltworms in my tank - discover recently) & let the Camel shrimp do the magic. Unfortunately, they did not consume those flatworms at all even after 48hrs. (note : my monti was cover with those brown flatworms that block lights and not AEFW - i think) will try to post a picture as well.

Camel shrimp that i use - http://www.marinedepotlive.com/camel-shrimp---rhynchocinetes-uritai-inverts--shrimp.html

After giving up the camel shrimps. I took out my monti and shake violently in a pail of tank water. Within 10mins, i clean up the flatworms throughly (about 100-200 of them).

Just sharing my experience here. Anyone try on AEFW yet ?

 

[Wonder]

Some disgusting photos to share

Digitata with 3 Camel shrimps after 48 hrs

Monti with Flatworms (Camel did not take the bait :doubt

Flatworms detached by themself after violent shake in a bucket of sea water

Close up photos on Flatworms (can anyone name it ?) All these flatworms are collected from just 1 monti

Some leftover after the shake

This is another monti that i use freshwater dip for just 1-2 sec and then do the violent shake in sea water. Much easier and recover soon after i introduce back to the tank

Last Picture. Something positive - finally manage to keep two dragon pipe fish and hope that they will helps to control some pest in my tank with a team of peppermint shrimps

 

[apollothesun]

is that red bug or flatworm babies? i

 

[Wonder]

is that red bug or flatworm babies? i

Flatworm name Convolutriloba retrogemma. You can easily start a search and there will be lots of information about this

It normally known as brown Flatworm. Also a pest that will multiply to an amy within short period. Not AEFW.