Coral Banded Shrimp Question

[Beto]

So I recently moved and tore down my aggressive aquarium. Got it back up and running, cycled it, and now I'm thinking of having a semi-reef aquarium. So I stocked it and in there I included a coral banded shrimp. In a matter of days, some of my fish started missing. My school of chromis disappeared one by one...my perculas...etc. I've ready the the CBS is reef safe, but doing more research, I've seen a few scattered mentions of the CBS attacking fish. Could this really be the CBS attacking them and eating them, or could they be dying off and he just simply steps in to eat the carcass? I also must mention, only the smaller fish disappear. I have all fish except for 3 small blue leg hermits and bunch of snails. It's a 120g setup.

Any feedback, comments, suggestions would help.

I'm so sad...many of my fish disappeared....

 

[mojoreef]

Some folks say that it happens from time to time, but its more of a rarity then the norm. An easy way to see would be to remove to shrimp from the tank and place it in a temp tank and see what happens. You dont by chance here a clicking sound coming from the tank do ya??

Mike

 

[wrightme43]

I would say it is probley not the CBS I have taken them into and out of tanks. Their little pinchers come off so easy. They just dont have enough strength in my mind to kill fish. I may be wrong but I would keep looking for a better answer. Steve

 

[elvis]

Mantisville!!!

 

[jake65]

I'm leaning towards mojos assumption...the dreaded clicking sound

 

[LakeEd]

I have a Coral Banded Shrimp... and yea, his large pinchers are waved around at the fish as they pass... but he is really too slow to ever catch one of them, unless there was something seriously wrong with it in the 1st place.

 

[Beto]

So through trial and error, I found that my shrimp is indeed a little monster...a murderer in disguise. Long story short, I've caught him and have him quarantined. I'll be getting rid of him so if there's any interest out there give me a holler. I'm about to put him in the Live Stock forum section.

 

[MikeS]

Did you catch him in the act of actually capturing and killing a fish, or did you mearly catch him eating the remains of an already dead fish?

MikeS

 

[Beto]

well, I had caught the fish snapping at several fish a few times...I figured then that he was being territorial and was simply scaring them away. Then today I actually witnessed him holding onto a fish for a few seconds before the fish got away...it was a chromis a bit larger than those that had already mysteriously disappeared or died. If the fish were smaller or slower, my guess is he would have been lunch.

 

[Elmo18]

One reason why I do not like having coral banded shrimps or one in my tank is because they will eat all your bristleworms. Every single one. Those guys hunt at night, and can be seen usually with one pincher (chela??!) holding a worm. I had one a long time ago in a 25 gallon...and yeah it wasn't good news.

- Ilham

 

[Boomer]

I do not buy the CBS theory at all and on another note not all mantis shrimp click. I raised spearing mantis for years and never herad one click, for they do not click, smashers are another issue and are the clickers. It is the spearers that most often kill fish

CBS are also cleaning shrimp and try to set up cleaning stations for fish. I always fed mine. Keep them fed they are happy

 

[MCSInc]

I have no doubt that the Coral Banded could be the problem. I tried 4 times to bring in a small sailfin tang to my smaller tank and each time it would be dead by night 2 or 3. Very discouraging (and expensive). The 4th try I confirmed that my rather large Coral Banded was indeed the problem. I removed him to my 110 gal tank with the larger fish and then successfully introduced a new sailfin tang as a companion to my perculas. To add to the problem each tank has a pair of cleaner shrimp also. I feel that in the stress of moving into a new tank they confuse the cleaner shrimp (who want to help) with the the coral banded (who wants to tear you apart). I am missing 3 chromis from the big tank now. No doubt the coral banded did his part. Everyone else is to big for him to hang onto but he still tries.

 

[Scooterman]

Unlike most so far I had a rather large one in my first tank, I would watch as my yellow tang would go right up it, I personally saw this shrimp catch that tang and claw chunks from it, the tang would go up to it like it was hypnotized, & this shrimp did it to several other fish before I could get it out. I removed his claws and he did well for some time until I gave him back to the LFS.

 

[Jiddy]

You removed his claws?

Did you put the claws in time-out?

 

[Scooterman]

Yes I did, they remove easily, he may of been a little disturbed but they do grow back.

 

[s/w fishrcool]

My cbs

hello i have a pair of cbs and one of there babies that survived so i have 3 good sized cbs in my tank and the only fish in my tank are baby perc. Clowfish and a bunch of damsels and they never bother tham AT ALL my shrimp get feed krill 2 times a day that always works for mine u might want to try it

 

[Scooterman]

When you say good size do they have 4" claws?
I think lots have to do with where they are caught, wild of captive bread, etc.