Brigs eating RCS?

Nope. Not a Cana, for sure. It is a pure Ivory Brig. The seller from whom I bought them has the some of the most beautiful Ivories I've ever seen. Either this is only case of a predatory Brig in AC history, or I clearly must have misinterpreted his intentions.
 
Gosh, you know.... I've been wondering the same thing.

I have a planted tank with 2 ivory Brigs. I had yellow shrimp in that tank, and Amanos, and all was well when the brigs first went in there as marble-sized youngsters.

I've noticed that one by one, the shrimp kept disappearing. I've been suspecting nematodes, although I find very few, and had only seen them after I'd overfed recently.

And early on, I wondered about the Brigs, as I did see one eating a shrimp, but I assumed it was eating an already dead one (and I removed it in case of some contagion). And the last few yellows to disappear literally disappeared - not even a tail plate left, just the headcount went down by one every day or two, until none were left.

Finally, I had three small/young Amanos, and THEY went one by one. I've been tearing my hair out with this tank, trying to figure out WHAT is going on, but I didn't want to move anyone to my other tanks, either for cross-breeding issues, or for fear of spreading whatever mystery "disease" was going on. I've been putting together a plan to dose the de-wormer fenbendazole.

BUT..... the last two Amanos hung up on the top of the heater, in the darkest corner for the last few days I could find either of them. I thought at the time it was almost as if they were "hiding", and wondered about the mystery "disease" I'd assumed. But neither had that whitish-sickly look to their bodies (and neither had any of the yellows). But, one after the other, they too disappeared. And it was always overnight... fine at lights out, then absolutely nothing remaining of them in the morning.

You've got me wondering, Somervell.

Do shrimp "sleep"? I know its happened twice now with my fish that at lights-on, I thought one was sick or even on the way out, only to startle it with the net as I tried to remove him, and after a moment or two of seeming dazed, he was (and still is) perfectly fine. I've chalked it up to him (my large male Rasbora vaterifloris) being a "heavy sleeper", LOL, hanging out in a dark clump of plants, and he's often the last to rouse when the lights go on. Now I just wait a few minutes, and he eventually joins the "gang" and is ready for feeding time. Might it be that the shrimp are eaten while in a groggy resting phase?

So... COULD this be happening that the shrimps are not getting out from under the Brig fast enough? By sheer size, once under the snail, I could see how one might not be able to get away. And... if its particularly "yummy" I've found my Brigs are particularly tenacious about holding on to food.

I'd love to do an experiment - one Brig with a very healty shrimp and a night-vision video, to really see what's going on in there! No equipment to do this, but it raises a good question.

-Jane
 
I had 1 blue brigg that loved to eat shrimp. Most shrimp were fast enough, and didn't like to be touched. The mellow/laid back shrimp did not do as well. I stopped adding shrimp to the tank until the snail died. After the snail died, I went back to shrimp in the tank.
 
I had 1 blue brigg that loved to eat shrimp. Most shrimp were fast enough, and didn't like to be touched. The mellow/laid back shrimp did not do as well. I stopped adding shrimp to the tank until the snail died. After the snail died, I went back to shrimp in the tank.


Wow, so Catnipgal did your shrimp population do OK in that tank once the snail-eating Brigg was no longer an inhabitant?

I'm thinking I'll set up another 10 g with just fish and Brigs.
-Jane

ps - are you Calicmoo on APC?
 
Hmm.. the plot thickens. For the record, nerites not at all interested in my shrimp and the shrimp use the ramshorns as transportation (seriously- I have a blurry picture of it on two occasions.)
 
I've recently had 4 RCS in with a handful of Guppy juvies,about 2 dozen Pea-sized Red Ramshorns and about 3 dozen 1/4 inch MTS all in a ten gal. Weeks 1-2 fine. Weeks 3-4 fine. Week 5 fine. Week 6 all 4 RCS Disapear. Withuot a Trace. No way of escape. No way they got sucked in to filter. All Guppies still under an inch. ??????? Well ???
 
Hmm.. the plot thickens. For the record, nerites not at all interested in my shrimp and the shrimp use the ramshorns as transportation (seriously- I have a blurry picture of it on two occasions.)
Nerites are not carnivorous. No way will they eat something as fast as a shrimp. Canaliculata complex already has a long standing history for predation as juvenile ones are indeed very aggressive in the sense they eat everything in their path when they are hungry but I have a hard time believing brigs eat shrimps. It is possible, of course, they can run over shrimps during feeding time.
 
Gosh, you know.... I've been wondering the same thing.

I have a planted tank with 2 ivory Brigs. I had yellow shrimp in that tank, and Amanos, and all was well when the brigs first went in there as marble-sized youngsters.

I've noticed that one by one, the shrimp kept disappearing. I've been suspecting nematodes, although I find very few, and had only seen them after I'd overfed recently.

And early on, I wondered about the Brigs, as I did see one eating a shrimp, but I assumed it was eating an already dead one (and I removed it in case of some contagion). And the last few yellows to disappear literally disappeared - not even a tail plate left, just the headcount went down by one every day or two, until none were left.

Finally, I had three small/young Amanos, and THEY went one by one. I've been tearing my hair out with this tank, trying to figure out WHAT is going on, but I didn't want to move anyone to my other tanks, either for cross-breeding issues, or for fear of spreading whatever mystery "disease" was going on. I've been putting together a plan to dose the de-wormer fenbendazole.

BUT..... the last two Amanos hung up on the top of the heater, in the darkest corner for the last few days I could find either of them. I thought at the time it was almost as if they were "hiding", and wondered about the mystery "disease" I'd assumed. But neither had that whitish-sickly look to their bodies (and neither had any of the yellows). But, one after the other, they too disappeared. And it was always overnight... fine at lights out, then absolutely nothing remaining of them in the morning.

You've got me wondering, Somervell.

Do shrimp "sleep"? I know its happened twice now with my fish that at lights-on, I thought one was sick or even on the way out, only to startle it with the net as I tried to remove him, and after a moment or two of seeming dazed, he was (and still is) perfectly fine. I've chalked it up to him (my large male Rasbora vaterifloris) being a "heavy sleeper", LOL, hanging out in a dark clump of plants, and he's often the last to rouse when the lights go on. Now I just wait a few minutes, and he eventually joins the "gang" and is ready for feeding time. Might it be that the shrimp are eaten while in a groggy resting phase?

So... COULD this be happening that the shrimps are not getting out from under the Brig fast enough? By sheer size, once under the snail, I could see how one might not be able to get away. And... if its particularly "yummy" I've found my Brigs are particularly tenacious about holding on to food.

I'd love to do an experiment - one Brig with a very healty shrimp and a night-vision video, to really see what's going on in there! No equipment to do this, but it raises a good question.

-Jane

Jane, are you aware that Fenbendazole should not be used in the water? Make sure that there is nothing living in that tank that you wish to keep alive before dosing with this med.
 
I've recently had 4 RCS in with a handful of Guppy juvies,about 2 dozen Pea-sized Red Ramshorns and about 3 dozen 1/4 inch MTS all in a ten gal. Weeks 1-2 fine. Weeks 3-4 fine. Week 5 fine. Week 6 all 4 RCS Disapear. Withuot a Trace. No way of escape. No way they got sucked in to filter. All Guppies still under an inch. ??????? Well ???

Small guppies have and will tear up a shrimp if they're hungry. The shrimp would need to have been weakened, or molting. If it was after a water change, shrimp may have all molted, and attacked. The snails would have finished the the guppies left behind. 4 adult shrimp seems like a lot for your inhabittants to finish off within 12 hours, do you check on this tank often?
 
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