Are ghost shrimp killers?

I'd get rid of the shrimp.

IME, yes, they are killers and I'm never buying any more of those little scavaging savages.

I've posted before that I suspected they were killing my otos. I don't think anyone believes me, tho

I saw one attack a kuhlii and a corycat a while back and I saw one attack another cory tonight. I've found a few dead otos with their eyes missing and one dead corycat with missing eyes. I saw a shrimp swim down from the top of my tank with a dead oto in its claws. The oto had no eyes.

They sit on top of my big rock and wait for a fish to swim below and stop. Then they grab at them. Hate 'em.

I rounded all of them up and put them in my son's silver dollar tank. Mr. Cleaner, the Hammer's Cobalt Blue lobster lives in there. He hasn't touched them (typical!), but some day he might. I hope.

Roan

YES! Oh my bloody foobies, I just witnessed a terrible attack and only by removing the shrimp was I able to prevent a death.

I just put my new rainbowfish in my 36g (serving as a QT atm, but has shrimp and some kuhlis in it). One of the smaller fish (2 inches) zoomed to the bottom and hid under a rock. I watched my egg-carrying female shrimp swim up behind it and attack! The baby was bigger than her, but she attacked it anyhow!

She had the fish in both her pinchers and it was desparately trying to get away. It was thrashing and rolling and she was hanging on tight. I stuck a net in and she fled, only to return a second later and attack the baby again. I grabbed the net, cornered her and she is HISTORY!

I hope the baby is okay. S/he is swimming about normally now, but OH am *I* mad!

Roan

are you shure those are regular ghost shrimp roan? I have some that just hide all day from my fish, but they are very small still.

I have a ghost shrimp with my male betta. The betta flared at the shrimp a few times when the shrimp was new to the tank, but they stay out of each others way now. I've never seen the shrimp go on the offensive against the betta.

Yes, they are regular ghost shrimp. Max size is 2", which is the size of the females I have, the males are around 1½". Eggs are green. Clear white, no other markings. Believe me, I've been all over the web verifying. I got them from LiveAquaria.com months ago, so I've had them for a while.

Hate 'em. Gonna off them all.

Roan

2'' seems awfly big for a ghost shrimp...they are aggresive little buggers though. Never seen mine attack any fish though

beatle said:

I have a ghost shrimp with my male betta. The betta flared at the shrimp a few times when the shrimp was new to the tank, but they stay out of each others way now. I've never seen the shrimp go on the offensive against the betta.

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They stay away from fish that it can't take on. I've seen them go after my baby platies, but everyone went after those. I have only had strange cory and oto losses. No other fish, though I've seen them try to get at the kuhlis.

Any other fish in my tank would kill a ghost easily, except these new rainbow babies. I think the shrimp sensed how stressed it was and scared and immediately went on the offensive.

Roan

They can definately be killers...but just like Crayfish some are very aggressive and some are not...

knashash said:

2'' seems awfly big for a ghost shrimp...they are aggresive little buggers though. Never seen mine attack any fish though

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This is what I bought:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1468

Shrimp site:
http://www.petshrimp.com/glassshrimp.html

My shrimp are definitely NOT Macrobrachium. They have normal sized arms, do not have large pinchers, and have no other color on them at all. 5cm, btw, is about 2".

Here's a picture of one of my platy babies with a male ghost shrimp in the background. Best picture I can get atm.


I'll try and get a picture of the female in my son's tank.

Roan