Could A Six Line Wrasse Kill A Cleaner Shrimp?

[@ombomb]

Something in my tank has (2 killed in a week) and the wrasse is all I can think that would have done it.

Other tank mates:

Six Line Wrasse
Clown
Anthias (tiny)
Shrimp Goby
Pistol Shrimp (never seen just heard)
Emerald Crab
Electic Blue Hermit
Blue leg hermits
Red leg hermits
Various snails etc

I assumed that the first one was killed in a small rock slide I had the other night, bought another, it was fine this morning, an hour later it was lunch for the fish...

It was quite comical to see the wrasse swimming around with a 3" feeling poking out of it's mouth, but I'd rather have the shrimp...

 

[dixaisy930]

Did you buy the pistol, or did you just start hearing the popping? Could it possibly be a mantis?

Maybe the wrasse was just being opportunistic, and just ate the dead shrimp?

I have a sixline in with a cleaner, pistol, and two peppermint shrimp and I've never seen the wrasse pay any attention to any of my shrimp. They've been together for about six months now....although I've heard of sixlines getting rather "bossy" with other fish. I suppose anything's possible.

 

[@ombomb]

I've seen the pistol once...

It's a long story, but I'm 99% sure it's not a mantis.

The wrasse was pestering the new shrimp the other day, which is why I think it may be guilty, especially as it got very aggressive when I added the anthias. The original shrimp was in there with the wrasse for about 8 months, but it really seems to have become more feisty recently...

Maybe what happened was that the shrimp (the new one) was about to shed, and it got hijacked midway through.

 

[Lynden]

Are you sure that the Wrasse didn't simply eat the Shrimp's shed skin? I have had many instances in which I was dead sure that my Triggers had finally snapped and eaten a shrimp, only to find both of my Shrimp hiding and foraging as normal. Maybe this night - you do have moonlights, don't you? - you could check around for the shrimp. It may still be alive.

There have been a rising number of reports in which a small Wrasse allegedly eats a Cleaner shrimp. Maybe these animals are not a reef-safe as they are given credit for? It seems odd that my Triggers, supposedly about as far from reef-safe that you can get (and certainly much more capable of assasinating a shrimp than a Psudocheilinus) can resist eating a shrimp, while a Sixline can't.

-Lynden

P.S.
Pistol Shrimp are also very capable of killing a Cleaner Shrimp. But don't jump to conclusions...

 

[SkiFletch]

wrasses will often peck at newly introduced shrimps in the aquarium if the wrasse is resident first. My solorensis wrasse killed a peppermint shrimp I tried to add and I've since come to learn that this is somewhat common. If you do want to add shrimp AFTER the wrasse, you have to do it at night after the wrasse is asleep. Even then it doesnt always work

 

[@ombomb]

Are you sure that the Wrasse didn't simply eat the Shrimp's shed skin?

Fraid so, one of the hermits was tucking into it's very fleshy tail.

There have been a rising number of reports in which a small Wrasse allegedly eats a Cleaner shrimp. Maybe these animals are not a reef-safe as they are given credit for?

I can only think that the wrasse it to blame. It's a lovely looking fish, but if I was starting from scratch now, I wouldn't buy it again, can just be too aggressive...