shrimp bioload?

[leahski]

I really want sexy shrimp. i think they are adorable. but i realize i don't know much about them.
do they act as part of a clean up crew? like do they eat algae, detrius, dead organic matter, parasites, etc? or do i have to feed them regularly?
do they count as bioload?
also, would they get along with other shrimps? like a fire shrimp maybe?

and when i get my firefish (it'll be a month or so) will they eat any left over food?

background info:
I have an 8g biocube that's 1m and 2w old! i got 6 new frags last week (small zoas, gsp, one paly). put in a new fuge at the same time (in the back chambers, no sump). only livestock is the softies and the CUC.
plans include more corals, a firefish, and some sort of small goby. blue neon or green striped size.

oh, one more question. they're anenome shrimp, right? will they be okay with only very small corals or do they need some mature polyps to hang out in?

thanks!

[CMG]

It is my undertanding that they are carnivors.

[leahski]

okay, so carnivores. that means they'll eat leftover food? i know they're reef safe so they're not going to be eating corals.
does that mean i have to feed them?

in that case do they count towards bioload?

[Dentoid]

Generally, invertebrates do not add much to the bioload because they don't metabolize in the same way as vertebrates. Do not count them in your bioload calculations. They will be a part of your CUC.

[CMG]

I was just telling you they are carnivors because you asked if they would eat algae.

[vdituri]

Just make sure not to over feed them so the leftover food doesn't add to your bioload.

Just my 2 cents worth. I now return you to your regularly scheduled reefing.

[leahski]

alright, so i'll need to feed them sparingly until i start regularly feeding a fish.

my other questions:
will these shrimp get along with another larger shrimp? like a fire shrimp?

and since they're anenome shrimp, do they need to have mature corals to host in or will they be fine with just my frags?

[Tru2nr]

i think they do better with something like an LPS(like a torch/frogspawn/hammer) or a anemome but i do beleive that not having that won't be a problem i would wait a while though before you throw more stuff in ur tank considering how new it is and how much you've added to your tank recently

[michael_cb_125]

Sexy Shrimp are TINY. They have very little impact on your bio-load. They will pick at leftovers, and just about anythimg they can find. They also do much better in small groups. A single Sexy shrimp will feel alone in your tank. they will tend to hide more when kept singly. A group od two or three will be much more happy. In an 8 gallon tank I would just stick with the sexies. Fire shrimp NEED their own territory. They are not super aggressive, but may pester the much smaller sexy shrimp. Also, sexies dont NEED any coral to perch on, but they will do so on just about any coral.

A suggestion on the fish. I would only put ONE fish in a 8 gallon tank. I think that a small group of around 4 Sexy Shrimp, and one firefish wouldbe my max.
~Michael

[Tru2nr]

well glad i know they don't need it i know most animals don't need something to host in but usually the relationship that they form with it can b very interesting to watch

[leahski]

hey, thanks for all the advice! i ended up getting a trio of sexies and they've taken to hosting in my rhodactis mushroom!! it's pretty great!

[leahski]

well, my sexies seem to be doing well. they've taken to hosting in my rhodactis mushroom, which is really cute. it's not that large, so usually one sits in the middle and one kind of backs onto the edge at a time! i'll get some pics up eventually...

my mushrooms seem happier than ever - the original red one has stared sending out little "legs" or something which are detaching from the base of the mushroom and kind of budding up and making new baby mushrooms and my rhodactis seems to be expanding.
however, nothing else in the tank is happy. my GSP colony detached itself glue and all from the rock it was on and seems to be dying, and none of my zoas or polyps have opened up since the shrimp came, in fact, the shrimp seem to enjoy sitting on the colonies and picking at them. i don't think that they're eating the polyps...are they? i might just be kind of sensitive because of my last evil shrimp...
the yellow polyps seem to be spreading onto the rock that they are glued to and growing a new bud, which is exciting, but the polyps haven't opened and seem to be shrinking...
any idea what's going on? are my shrimp not finding enough to eat in my immature tank and going after any food they can find? would feeding them keep them off of the polyps and let them open again?

i'm really not sure what's going on. it's not chemistry or everything would be stressed, right? my dip tests look normal, but i'll be taking in a water sample to my lfs in the next couple of days to check. temp. has been constant, lighting hasn't changed... the only change has been the addition of the shrimp, but three TINY shrimp that aren't being fed shouldn't cause a swing in my tank, should they?

sorry for the rather long-winded update! let me know your thoughts!!