What is eating my Red Fire Shrimp?

[mzreenie]

I had a Red Fire Shrimp in my tank for about 7 months, then it disappeared without a trace. (I don't think it just molted because usually when they molt I see the traces of the old shell in the tank.) A month went by and I saw absolutely no signs of the shrimp.

I purchased another Red Fire Shrimp about one week ago, and now I believe something has attacked it. I saw a piece of it floating in the tank. (The floating piece contained meat, not just shell and the fish were going after it.)

Could the culprit be my small Emerald Crab, my fairly new Sand Sifting Star, or my Yellow Watchman Goby? Or something unknown?

The new shrimp that I added just a week ago was fairly large, not just a small specimen and I thought he would be safe.

 

[Frankie]

Hello mzreenie,
Could you list all your known fish and inverts please?

 

[Frankie]

After searching out you prior posts I came across two posts right away by you with complaints about aggressive fish.

My female clown is being a "you-know-what" (begins with a "b"). She is tormenting the male clown relentlessly, and his fins have several nips, and he is hiding out in the live rock more than he has ever done. I have captured her and put her in my quarantine tank till she settles down, and until the male recovers from all the nips.

My question is, how long should I keep the female in the quarantine tank. Just till the male starts to look and act better? One week, two weeks? Any suggestions?

And this one about the sixline,

Today my six-line wrasse bit me when I was using the turkey baster to blow off the rocks. It's not that it hurt so much, but I jumped so much that I got water everywhere!!!

So far my guess is the sixline. It is not common for a star to attack cleaner shrimp.

 

[Jess]

mzreenie, I had the exact same thing happen to me. Had my fire shrimp for over 6 months, molted countless times, and then one day a month ago - GONE. No trace, no nothing. I have no fish so that's not the answer. My green serpant star is the ONLY thing I can come up with...but would he eat the shell too? I love my serpant, and I target feed him, so really I am not sure if he's even the killer. But yeah, I understand your confusion!!

 

[mzreenie]

Well Frankie, I no longer have the female clown, returned her to the LFS. And the six-line is still pretty small. The newer Fire Shrimp was bigger than the six-line.

My fish and inverts include the following:
one small six-line wrasse
two very small (1/2") Black and White Clowns
one small Blue Sapphire Damselfish
one YWG
one small Emerald Crab
one Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
one Sand Sifting Star
2 Turbo Snails
4 Margarita Snails
3 tiny nasarrius Snails