Missing Shrimp

[drew2005]

I havent seen my cleaner shrimp for about 3 days. Hes always in this little cave hanging out and now he is no where to be found. Im a little worried that he might be dead. He molted last week so i dont think hes molting again. Hes been missing since a put in a new emerald crab which from what i think, died within 24 hours. The crab kinda hung out right by the same cave so maybe he moved but i would see him somewhere

 

[fishmamma]

What else do you have in your tank for livestock? Emerald are algae eaters, I dont think they could take down a healthy cleaner.....maybe clean up after a death though.

 

[drew2005]

I have 1 emerald crab, 5 nassarius snails, 8 turbo/astrea snails, 10 blue leg hermits, 1 feather duster, 1 mexican turbo snail

 

[dory36]

We used to have a peppermint shrimp and I haven't seen him in weeks. I'm assuming he died for whatever reason and my clean-up crew finished him off. There was absolutely no trace. :notsure: Have you checked behind your tank? He might have gotten out, too.

 

[drew2005]

Originally Posted by Dory36
We used to have a peppermint shrimp and I haven't seen him in weeks. I'm assuming he died for whatever reason and my clean-up crew finished him off. There was absolutely no trace. :notsure: Have you checked behind your tank? He might have gotten out, too.
Just checked behind tank. nothing

 

[bigarn]

I can't keep peppermints either ... seems like after a month or so they just dissapear. Nothing out of the ordinary in the tank either. :thinking:

 

[dory36]

I bet he and my peppermint shrimp are laughing their heads off cause we don't know what happened to them!

 

[dmitry]

My blood-red suddenly vanished. Well, I did see him "stuck" between rocks and hermits eating him. But I assumed it was a molt - that was days ago and haven't seen the actual shrimp...so perhaps it was the actual shrimp. I can't imagine he would have gotten stuck between the rocks by accident, so something else must have happened. The skunk shrimp is still around!

 

[fishmamma]

Still no sign of the cleaner? No fish predators, must have died and was cleaned up by your crew??
I do know some people never see their peppermint shrimp and think they have died, but the skunks are usually out and about for food.

 

[teen]

my peppermints are always out and about. they clean my fish,and they never hide. i walk into the room, and they scurry up the glass to try and get food from my hands. but i have heard a lot of people dontr see theres for months and then one day, hes just sitting there. ive had mine 2 and a haf months already and no problems at all.

 

[drew2005]

Originally Posted by fishmamma
Still no sign of the cleaner? No fish predators, must have died and was cleaned up by your crew??
I do know some people never see their peppermint shrimp and think they have died, but the skunks are usually out and about for food.

Still no sign. Im guessing he died and the clean up took care of the rest. He never really came out of his lil cave looking for food. He always just hung out in there. He was a lil shy.

 

[fishtanknewbie]

I feel your pain!!!!!!

I have lost three cleaner,three coral bandits and two peppermints in the last three months.I am giving up on shrimp two expensive to be losing every month! I have a shrimp muncher in my tank and when I catch him!!!! :thinking:

 

[it's_fishy]

do peppermint shrimp clean fish? I haven't heard that they do but Teen said his did. I have a Coral Beauty who I've seen backing up to them sometimes like he's expecting a cleaning but i've never seen them oblige.
Although my 4 peppermints all set up shop behind one of my LRs, so maybe they got a "fishwash" service shop in the back.

 

[fishtanknewbie]

fishwash shop.

 

[teen]

yea, my fish, open there fins and back up on towards the shrimp, then they like hover right above the ground, and the shrimp hops on and u see his little arms go to work, then the shrimp hops off, the fish swims away, and then they do it again later i wonder if peppermint shrimp can keep ick off of fish?

 

[amphicar77]

This just happened to me recently. I have had 3 peppermint shrimp living happily since December (it is now July). The only other fish are two clowns and two Fiji Damsels in a 90gal LR tank.
The shrimp were always fun to watch, especially at feeding time when they would come right to the top to chase after flakes. They were smart enough to wait by the overflow and let the food come to them.
Anyway, the other night at feeding time I find myself asking, "where are the shrimp?". All three of them gone without a trace. Looked with a flashlight, etc. More than a week now and they have vanished.
My only theory is that water got warmer than normal (not hot) and that *perhaps* shrimp are more susceptible to heat than the fish? In any event, I just got my chiller this evening.
Not like they were expensive exotics but I do miss those 3 shrimp!