Something is eating my shrimp

[Susan987]

I am new to Reef Chronicles, but have had a reef tank for about a year. I recently upgraded from 50 gal to 90 gal with sump. I bought live rock at LFS, and since then, I have lost all of my shrimp except my pistol. I have seen something red and white that looks like the leg of a brittle star, but cannot find anything online. Any suggestions? Any idea how to get rid of it?

 

[DianaKay]

Hi Susan!
:welcomera WELCOME to posting at Reef Sanctuary!

Sorry you are losing your shrimp
I suggest if you think you have a predator that you should set a trap baited with a deli-shrimp. There are easy to make bottle traps or perhaps you could put a deli shrimp into a mesh bag & anchor it with a rock in an open stop on your sand bed & do a night watch to see if your culprit comes out to eat it.
The bottle trap idea worries me that a fish could get trapped in WITH a predator so I would probably set up late one night & watch for it.
BEST WISHES, Hope you catch the culprit quick :biker

 

[ddelozier]

Brittle stars are not normally predatory, they dont move that fast. They are detrivors. However if your Live Rock was Cycled in a large tank, which the LFS stocks from Aquaculture sites, Its entirely possible you obtained a nasty hichiker known as a Mantis shrimp. These are very predatory, and will go after shrimp, snails, sleeping fish, clams, and anything else they can kill.

 

[Mike Johnson]

If it's crab that's too big to go in a bottle trap a jar or glass with bait in the bottom will work. Sneak up on your tank after dark with a red flashlight to try and find out what you're dealing with.

 

[DianaKay]

+1^ Using the bait on the bottom be sure to anchor it to a rock so it can't be taken back into your rockscape.
A deli-shrimp tied in a cutoff piece of nylon pantyhose will be easy to secure to a rock with string. Your Predator won't be able to resist the smell of the shrimp

 

[Choff]

Don't rule out the pistol. I have lost many shrimp over the past 6 months and it's either my pistol or my 1 remaining blood red. I have added 4 or 5 large skunk cleaners (in addition to the 4 in started with) and they are gone within a few weeks.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jpsika08]

Agree with Mike it could be the Pistol to blame.
Or, a Mantis Shrimp which is worst news.
As above stated, place a trap try catching "it", if you manage to do so, share with a pic

 

[Susan987]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. I will try setting up a trap and keep my pistol shrimp well fed, so not to have to kill for food.

 

[Dking271]

I'll place my bet on the Pistol shrimp. I know some people can get them to live together, but Pistol shrimp are a natural predator of cleaner shrimp. I know mine took out a Fire shrimp five times it's size when it was less than an inch big.