W_Oz
08-08-2008, 05:51 PM
So I thought to myself, "Self, you have lots of surface floaty algae type stuff going on, some Singapore Flower Shrimp ought to be just the ticket to clean that up. They'll be big enough that nothing will eat them and it'll be good, plus they look cool."
Well, apparently size isn't everything (maybe?). So the shrimp go into the tank and setup shop on the moss wall (after saying "hi" to all the other tank mates they'll be staying with which generally ignore them) and proceed to do the surface skimming thing (woo hoo!) and manage to knock all the surface algae down in the span of the afternoon (whoa). Lights out, they're still sitting on the wall. I get up the next morning (yesterday) and find that they're both gone, weird, and looking high and low I find one camping on the equipment in the corner near the water surface and can't find the other. I look all over and even behind the tank assuming an escape, but nothing. So I'm thinking it's just hiding somewhere I didn't look or moved while I was cleaning the tank and didn't notice. Lights out once again.
I get up this morning to feed the hungry lot and have a peek where I saw the shrimp last, not there. Once more with the looking around the tank, in and out, and no evidence of this shrimp, then a funny looking "rock" catches my eye in the corner, mostly because it moved. Upon closer inspection this rock is no mere rock, but the tasty tail of my dead shrimp! There's a piece of carapace laying on the substrate near it and the rest of the body is gone.
So I'm out $15 and very curious who the culprit was, though I'll never know for sure since there are two likely suspects. I don't believe it was the pictus cat, one he's only half again as big as the shrimp and two I don't think he could have gotten into the equipment area where the shrimp was last seen and three both shrimp hung out in his cave with him for the better part of an hour and he didn't even try to run them off like he does with anyone other than the little pictus cat and rubber nose.
The second culprit would be the clown loaches since they are capable of flushing a shrimp out of that area of the tank. The shrimp too briefly said their hellos to them as they headed to the moss wall.
The only other suspect (if this was indeed foul play) would be the Balas, though these deaths occurred after lights out so it was more likely one of the two more nocturnal critters in the tank.
About the rest of the inhabitants, a trio of SAEs, and a dozen ghost shrimp who seem to either not be on the menu or are faster than their would be eaters when making their escape.
Anyway, thought I'd share, I'm bummed about it but thought since the ghost shrimp were doing okay in these waters, something a bit larger and more robust would be able to avoid this grizzly fate. I suppose the other option would be that the shrimp died for some other reason and that feasting on the corpses ensued there after. I dunno. Anyway happy invert keeping.
Edit: For those wondering, I did remove the remains (well the meaty bit anyway the carapace can stay in there for the ghost shrimp to munch) and there's now a tiny mound of freshly turned earth in the garden.
Well, apparently size isn't everything (maybe?). So the shrimp go into the tank and setup shop on the moss wall (after saying "hi" to all the other tank mates they'll be staying with which generally ignore them) and proceed to do the surface skimming thing (woo hoo!) and manage to knock all the surface algae down in the span of the afternoon (whoa). Lights out, they're still sitting on the wall. I get up the next morning (yesterday) and find that they're both gone, weird, and looking high and low I find one camping on the equipment in the corner near the water surface and can't find the other. I look all over and even behind the tank assuming an escape, but nothing. So I'm thinking it's just hiding somewhere I didn't look or moved while I was cleaning the tank and didn't notice. Lights out once again.
I get up this morning to feed the hungry lot and have a peek where I saw the shrimp last, not there. Once more with the looking around the tank, in and out, and no evidence of this shrimp, then a funny looking "rock" catches my eye in the corner, mostly because it moved. Upon closer inspection this rock is no mere rock, but the tasty tail of my dead shrimp! There's a piece of carapace laying on the substrate near it and the rest of the body is gone.
So I'm out $15 and very curious who the culprit was, though I'll never know for sure since there are two likely suspects. I don't believe it was the pictus cat, one he's only half again as big as the shrimp and two I don't think he could have gotten into the equipment area where the shrimp was last seen and three both shrimp hung out in his cave with him for the better part of an hour and he didn't even try to run them off like he does with anyone other than the little pictus cat and rubber nose.
The second culprit would be the clown loaches since they are capable of flushing a shrimp out of that area of the tank. The shrimp too briefly said their hellos to them as they headed to the moss wall.
The only other suspect (if this was indeed foul play) would be the Balas, though these deaths occurred after lights out so it was more likely one of the two more nocturnal critters in the tank.
About the rest of the inhabitants, a trio of SAEs, and a dozen ghost shrimp who seem to either not be on the menu or are faster than their would be eaters when making their escape.
Anyway, thought I'd share, I'm bummed about it but thought since the ghost shrimp were doing okay in these waters, something a bit larger and more robust would be able to avoid this grizzly fate. I suppose the other option would be that the shrimp died for some other reason and that feasting on the corpses ensued there after. I dunno. Anyway happy invert keeping.
Edit: For those wondering, I did remove the remains (well the meaty bit anyway the carapace can stay in there for the ghost shrimp to munch) and there's now a tiny mound of freshly turned earth in the garden.