Coral Banded Shrimp Question

[Mishikal]

I've got some red bristle worm appearing the the new live rock that I bought over the weekend and I would like to get a coral banded shrimp to take care of them. I just want to make sure that it is good to get.

I currently have an emerald crab and a bunch of turbo's and one big mouse cowrie mollusk. I heard they were kind of aggressive and teretorial? Is that just with each other?

I just got ride of my damsel's because I don't want anything aggressive in my tank. I would like to have a very non aggressive tank where fish or inverts don't get stressed because of a neighbor. :razz:

 

[Schottman]

From my expierence Coral Banded Shrimp are very territorial and can be aggressive. but they sure add character to a large tank.

 

[uwscotch]

Be careful in small tanks. I had one damage a 6-line wrasse to the point that it died from infection/etc. It also used to take out chunks of my Royal Gramma. Transferred it to a new tank with a Royal Gramma, and that one started to lose it's fins. Got rid of it and they have healed up. The tanks were a 30 gal. and a 10 gal. nano.

 

[Mishikal]

I have a 55 gallon tank with 70 pounds of live rock. I am just worried about it hurting my Emerald Crab or Cleaner shrimp.

 

[uwscotch]

never bothered my emerald or cleaners. just had a bad experience with the fish. hopefully you can get some better advice with the crab and shrimp.

 

[EvilMel]

So the thing about CBS is that they will leave cleaner shrimps alone for a while. But at some point they will go on a murderous rampage and kill the cleaner. If you want a peaceful tank there is no way you should get a CBS. As an alternative though you could get a golden CBS, which is much smaller and shyer. So it still will probably be untrustworthy in your peaceful tank but would be much less likely to eat your cleaner shrimp. The main drawback to the golden CBS that most people have a hard time with is their shyness. You really don't see them much. IMO

 

[wrightme43]

I have had my red and yellow CBS for 2.5 years. He is a little nippy, but he has never hurt anyone that I know of. He does try to chash of the other shrimp, but they never come to blows. Just my experince. Steve

 

[EvilMel]

So it's totally true there are always people who don't have problems. That's absolutely true. Steve: do you feed alot? If you feed alot this helps them not kill other shrimp.

I have had mine for a while and I don't think he's able to catch any of my tiny gobies because they are too quick. But when cleaner shrimp molt they are very vulnerable, so I think that's when my CBS was able to get my cleaner shrimp. I just want to make you aware that cases of the shrimps coexisting are more the exception than the rule.

I would just hate for you to have to experience the guilt that I do over a CBS killing a cleaner, when you knew it was a strong possibility that this would occur.

Steve, I totally think it's great that you have yours coexisting btw.

 

[wrightme43]

Thanks alot. Here is my not coexisting with a cleaner shrimp story. My pink reef brittle star caught one of my cleaners just after molt and ate him alive. I tried to pry him off but he just pulled it into the rock. My friend Mitch had a good point. In the ocean it wouldn't of cost any money and its just nature, almost all animals in the reef are oppertunists. Dont feel guilty, if you had known it would of happened you would not of done it. I think all critters have a personallity just like people, some are cool, some are butt heads. I wish there was a way to tell prior to purchase, but you just can't. Sorry about your cleaner. At the L.F.S. we keep cleaners and one CBS in a tank no problem. I wonder what causes them to go beserk and kill? Steve

 

[wrightme43]

If you want to get rid of the bristle worms, check into a arrow crab. Sorry Witfull. I know you dislike crabs. They eat bristle worms. Let me ask you this. Why do you want to get rid of your bristle worms? The only dangerous ones are the huge ones. IMHO. I like them because they eat junk and any dead snails real quick. Steve

 

[EvilMel]

Thanks Steve.

I had a 2 foot one in my tank at one point (this wasn't even when it was stretched out either). YUCK! It freaked me out so bad that when I went to grab it out of there (with tongs of course) I squeezed it so hard I broke it in half. I got out half of it that night, but stumpy was in there for a while before I got him out too.

I think bristle worms are pretty much a fact of life in reef tanks. The only time they become a problem is when there's alot of detritus and they get to be too abundant.

Of course that's assuming they are bristle worms and not those other worms that eat corals, maybe fireworms? I can't remember their name.

 

[pvillalba]

well . the arrow crab is a good option but i read on some books that this crab is not for reefs because can hrt polips corals.i have a coral banded with 2 more shrimps and not problems . also you can try a 6 line because this fish eat tiny bristle wormsand may a control the population of them
good luck