coral banded shrimp
- Thread starter deepreeftank
- Start date
- Location
- Virginia
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR> 2 words
Cleaner Shrimp
lots of em! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Be careful, they will fight if you have two males, and then they also might kill off a female or two. I don't know about this androgynous thing, but I had 4 and 2 killed each other, and the other two have eggs, so I am assuming (and was also told by a LFS) that the dead ones were males.
Cleaner Shrimp
lots of em! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Be careful, they will fight if you have two males, and then they also might kill off a female or two. I don't know about this androgynous thing, but I had 4 and 2 killed each other, and the other two have eggs, so I am assuming (and was also told by a LFS) that the dead ones were males.
- Location
- Virginia
2 is the most you can have and they have to be male and female, otherwise you'll have a few no-legged shrimp floating around your tank getting picked apart. They are great additions to a reef IME and also, when you have a mated pair, they add their babies to the zooplankton in your tank every month or so. I have never heard of them ripping apart corals and anemones and am skeptical that they would do that, but I guess anything is possible in a tank.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by davelin315:
<STRONG>
Be careful, they will fight if you have two males, and then they also might kill off a female or two. I don't know about this androgynous thing, but I had 4 and 2 killed each other, and the other two have eggs, so I am assuming (and was also told by a LFS) that the dead ones were males.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The androgynous thing is true and you can prove it to yourself. With just 1 cleaner shrimp it will not produce viable eggs. Add 1 more and they will both produce viable eggs. That is only possible if they both make each other pregnant. Since there is a need for 2 to reproduce they are going to tolerate at least 1 other in their territory for that reason alone. That does not mean they will allow more than 1 other, especially if compitition for food is fierce.
<STRONG>
Be careful, they will fight if you have two males, and then they also might kill off a female or two. I don't know about this androgynous thing, but I had 4 and 2 killed each other, and the other two have eggs, so I am assuming (and was also told by a LFS) that the dead ones were males.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The androgynous thing is true and you can prove it to yourself. With just 1 cleaner shrimp it will not produce viable eggs. Add 1 more and they will both produce viable eggs. That is only possible if they both make each other pregnant. Since there is a need for 2 to reproduce they are going to tolerate at least 1 other in their territory for that reason alone. That does not mean they will allow more than 1 other, especially if compitition for food is fierce.
As far as I can tell, banded coral shrimp (Stenopus) are not hermaphroditic; the males stay males and the females stay females (unlike the Lysmata cleaner shrimps which take turns laying eggs).
A mated pair of Stenopus is really fun to watch! The male will actually feed the female by collecting food then allowing her to take it right out of his mouth. They're not as prolific at producing plankton as the cleaner shrimps, but at least they leave my Christmas tree worms alone and they don't try to pull food out of my corals. They haven't tried to attack my tiny anemone shrimp either.
Ken
A mated pair of Stenopus is really fun to watch! The male will actually feed the female by collecting food then allowing her to take it right out of his mouth. They're not as prolific at producing plankton as the cleaner shrimps, but at least they leave my Christmas tree worms alone and they don't try to pull food out of my corals. They haven't tried to attack my tiny anemone shrimp either.
Ken
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ken:
<STRONG>As far as I can tell, banded coral shrimp (Stenopus) are not hermaphroditic; the males stay males and the females stay females (unlike the Lysmata cleaner shrimps which take turns laying eggs).
Ken</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You are right. The hermaphroditic discussion was in respect to cleaner shrimp.
<STRONG>As far as I can tell, banded coral shrimp (Stenopus) are not hermaphroditic; the males stay males and the females stay females (unlike the Lysmata cleaner shrimps which take turns laying eggs).
Ken</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You are right. The hermaphroditic discussion was in respect to cleaner shrimp.
i had to trade mine back to the LFS. Mine was big (it got real big) and I actuall wittnessed it grap my Yellow Tang in its pincher and shake it like its was a toy. After that, any time the tang swam by, the CBS would try to grab it. I hated him! (It had to be a him! Girls are much nicer!)
Mine would actually grab the tang a friend gave me by the tail and "ride" him around the tank. I hated him. I got a peppermint shrimp (for aptasia) and it got picked to death and eaten by a brittle star.
So I got rid and him (and the star) and began my tank anew witht he stuff I wanted, not what had been given to me.
Their mean, unsociable and (i think) not as pretty as a cleaner or peppermint.
My Opinion and Observations,
Angela
So I got rid and him (and the star) and began my tank anew witht he stuff I wanted, not what had been given to me.
Their mean, unsociable and (i think) not as pretty as a cleaner or peppermint.
My Opinion and Observations,
Angela
Its a crap shoot. I have had nothing but grief from my pair of coral bandeds. They are damn cool looking! However, it sucks to watch your new mandarin get stabbed and dragged behind a rock.
I know numerous other people whose coral banded shrimp more-or-less keep to themselves.
Just my 2 Cents
I know numerous other people whose coral banded shrimp more-or-less keep to themselves.
Just my 2 Cents
I had a three inch goby and a one inch percula disappear from my tank. There are three suspects. 1. 8 inch brittle star. 2 and 8 inch condy that was hosting the percula. 3. a 3 inch coral banded shrimp. I never considered the shrimp. Any thoughts? I can usually tell if the condy has eaten a large meal. I think he is innocent. It spent over a year with a tomato clown and and damsel without any unwanted meals. I never even considered the shrimp but after hearing about them tang surfing I am starting to wonder.
I love my CBS, but I did see him grab and shake a clown fish. The clown was dead the next morning, but not eaten. Also, saw him grab another fish by the tail as it swam past, but it seem more like a practical joke than an attack because he let go right away. Still, he/she is quite an entertaining character. We named him Kramer because he startles himself just like Seinfeld's neighbor.
well, ive had few issues with my coral banded shrimp. i have two, one in my 45 gallon, one in my 30 gallon. the one in the 45 gallon is kept in line by a frisky porcupine puffer, who nips off the shrimp's pinchers whenever it steps out of line. the shrimp in the 30 gallon is also fairly tame, or so it seems. it leaves 2 peppermint shrimp alone, and doesnt harm any of my corals...
they do seem to have the potential to be bastards, though... throwing their claws in the air and chasing after things and such.
i'd take the advice given and get some cleaner shrimp. theyre far more useful, and extremely tame.
they do seem to have the potential to be bastards, though... throwing their claws in the air and chasing after things and such.
i'd take the advice given and get some cleaner shrimp. theyre far more useful, and extremely tame.
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