Ghost Shrimp Eating Guppies?!

[allan078]

I bought 5 guppies 2 days ago. 3 female and 2 male. I now have one female left and 2 males. The last 2 mornings I put the lights on to find a half eaten guppy left. Last night I put the light on while I was up during the night to find my ghost shrimp attacking the last female as she slept! Luckily she wasn't actually injured when I found her. So I have moved her into a breeding trap for now for her own safety. Has anyone experienced this before? The ghost shrimp are well fed. Every second day I feed all the tank occupants with blood worm, and they always get their fair share!

I have platies in there too who have similar sleeping habits to the guppies, but they're fine. Maybe because the platies are bigger. I have 2 young platies who sleep at the top of the tank. Probably to avoid the evil shrimp!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I've not had them myself, but a friend of mine had the same problem. Her shrimp ate all her fish and now she has a tank full of shrimp. For that reason, I stick with red cherry shrimp.

 

[allan078]

Well one of my shrimp died recently, so I think I will replace it with a more friendly one! I was planning on breeding those guppies, they had amazing markings.

 

[phurn]

Shrimp won't eat anything they think is alive that's fish sized. I've got some ghost shrimp and if they see a sleeping fish they sit and watch it for 5 mins, if it doesn't look alive then they poke it. In all honesty if they ate it then it was either dead or half dead. They're scavengers not predators.

Though one of the funniest things I saw was when a Molly had a pop at one and took a punch in the face for its troubles.

 

[allan078]

Shrimp won't eat anything they think is alive that's fish sized. I've got some ghost shrimp and if they see a sleeping fish they sit and watch it for 5 mins, if it doesn't look alive then they poke it. In all honesty if they ate it then it was either dead or half dead. They're scavengers not predators.

Though one of the funniest things I saw was when a Molly had a pop at one and took a punch in the face for its troubles.

As it turns out, it was one guppy and one white gold mountain minnow not the 2 guppies i initially thought.


I've been doing research, and have read several stories about people turning their lights on to find a seemingly healthy guppy/similar trying hopelessly to get away from the ghost shrimp's death grip!

Last night when i turned my lights on, my fish remained asleep for a few minutes, and the shrimp went to every fish that was at the bottom of the tank and attempted to attack it. As a precaution i have removed the shrimp from my tank, it now resides with a friend who's fish are big enough to keep it in check. It just seems very suspect that i have lost a frog (Which i saw being attacked by the shrimp and dragged under a rock (again just after i turned the light on)). One guppy and one white gold mountain minnow half eaten with just the head remaining. Both who looked very healthy the last time i saw them before they died.

 

[phurn]

Most of my fish sleep at the bottom, and ive never had a problem. They poke them, they wriggle slightly, the shrimp moves on.

 

[allan078]

Most of my fish sleep at the bottom, and ive never had a problem. They poke them, they wriggle slightly, the shrimp moves on.

That's what mine used to do, until recently it's got really big and has started taking on the fish!

 

[OldMan47]

I have never had any trouble with ghost shrimp eating fry. On the other hand cories, which are generally little threat to other fish, have been known to relish fry that are laying on the bottom of the tank.

 

[allan078]

OldMan, it was adult guppies!

 

[onidrase]

I've never had issues with ghost shrimp trying to eat healthy, live fish. They're not predators, nor are they built to be predators.

A ghost shrimp would not physically be able to hold down a guppy and eat it if it's healthy and alive. They're rather sluggish unless flicking backwards with their tail. A healthy fish would feel a ghost shrimp nibble at it and take off, or fight back.

 

[phurn]

From what I can see they never just bite anything anyway, they pick bits off and put them in their mouths, if the fish dorsnt move when its pinched that says something's wrong with it.