Is cleaner shrimp cleaning up too much?

[jethro]

I bought some live rock because I have lost all trace of copopods and amnipods etc.

When I had it in my sump, I saw lots of critters. It has been in my tank for a week. I took a look the other night with my flashlight and I saw nothing.

I am suspecting that my cleaner shrimp is eating everything.

Am I correct?

 

[Anonymous]

What else do you have in the tank?

 

[jethro]

purcula clown, humbug damsel (3-striped damsel), watchman goby, royal gramma, emerald crab, mix of aster and turbo snails, serpent star, two blu legged hermits.

Tank is a 54 gallon corner tank. Sump is 35 gallon. Skimmer is a terminator by D&D Marine.

 

[Anonymous]

I would doubt it is the shrimp. I would guess it is a combination of the fish.

 

[Anonymous]

Aren't watchman gobies pretty good pod predators? I don't know, never kept them, but they strike me as something that would spend a lot of time picking on pods.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep.

 

[Anonymous]

It also might be that it was easier to see them in the sump vs the tank.

 

[jethro]

You may be right but I can't figure out how I went from tons to none. The cleaner shrimp is huge compared to when I got him. The damsel and roya grama have grown too and I am guilty for underfeading.

Probably a combination of the fish and underfeading.

 

[zonkers]

I have observed a significant difference in amphipod behavior when live rock is kept in a fish-free tank versus being placed in 'general population'. When keeping rock in a fuge, or other times in the past when allowing the main tank to go fallow while the fish were in quarantine for ich, I have noticed that amphipods get a lot braver when they feel there are less predators about. They will be much more visible during daylight hours & seem to be unconcerned with my scarlet cleaner shrimp. Add a couple of fish & *poof!* they all seem to disappear. Check your tank after the lights have been off for a couple of hours with a flashlight & I bet you'll find a bunch

 

[Panzz]

I have observed a significant difference in amphipod behavior when live rock is kept in a fish-free tank versus being placed in 'general population'. When keeping rock in a fuge, or other times in the past when allowing the main tank to go fallow while the fish were in quarantine for ich, I have noticed that amphipods get a lot braver when they feel there are less predators about. They will be much more visible during daylight hours & seem to be unconcerned with my scarlet cleaner shrimp. Add a couple of fish & *poof!* they all seem to disappear. Check your tank after the lights have been off for a couple of hours with a flashlight & I bet you'll find a bunch

agree that when you have fishes or other predators around you will most likely see none of your pods but without any possible predators they do come out more often and even with the lights on. so maybe they were not missing just hiding
and by the way anyone here has a clownfish that likes to eat pods?? mine will for some reasons

 

[jethro]

I forgot to add at the begining of this post that I checked well after the lights went out. I checked at 3AM. I think the pod population is wiped.

 

[zonkers]

Are you keeping any rock in your sump still? I haven't used one, but I understand they can be used as a fuge of sorts to cultivate pods in a fish free zone (?)

 

[WRASSER]

Food fo thought, IF you other rock in the tank the pods will move from rock to rock. Also if you have them in your sump, you will have a great deal of them in your tank. The ones in the sump are a small amount that fall into your over-flow..Dont sweat it they are there weather you see them or not. If you are worried about it and need a reminder put the rock back in the sump and check it every now and then :wink: 8)