M.i.a

[dem0nz]

hey

i was checking my tank around a week ago and noticed that one of my shrimps was shedding its exoskeleton
yet it hasnt been seen since. there are 3 cherry shrimps and they are all very social and its very uncommon to not see all 3 of them at least once a day

the tank has had a few changed in the past month,

5 endlers have been added
i stopped using a carbon insert in the filter
replaced the carbon with filter wool
started using waterlife tropiflora plant food in my tank

the other tank mate is a male betta who they have happily lived with since i go them around 3 months ago

i did a big clean out earlier and didnt find him or any trace of him.
the tank is 34 liters and sadly i dont have any of my water stats.


shall i pressume him dead?
if so any ideas on who or what could have killed him?

i know the obvious suspect is the betta but i am not so sure,he's always well fed and has never bothered them before.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I am still adamant that "bettas" are being crucified by virtue of their name.... (being Siamese fighters) and I maintain, that I've never, never seen them aggressive toward anything but their own, but I had such a scrubbing the first time I suggested this that I will not rule them out. Maybe he just ate the body, bvut cannot be blamed for the "killing"

 

[Shrimper]

I am still adamant that "bettas" are being crucified by virtue of their name.... (being Siamese fighters) and I maintain, that I've never, never seen them aggressive toward anything but their own, but I had such a scrubbing the first time I suggested this that I will not rule them out. Maybe he just ate the body, bvut cannot be blamed for the "killing"

I'm certain my Betta killed the cherry shrimp i tried to keep with him. They lived happily together for about a month before he turned on them. I'm certain he killed them as their were two dead halfs of dead shrimp on the bottom of the tank. Every other shrimp that has died in my tank was in 1 piece.

If you haven't seen any corpse the shrimp could just be hiding. So keep your fingers crossed, they could still be there.

 

[dem0nz]

well when he had shed,i noticed that his exoskeleton was in a perfect shrimp shape complete with legs.
but it was totaly see thru like a normal shed,but i have never seen them leave a perfect shell shape,could that have been his corpse?

 

[ALEXF]

well when he had shed,i noticed that his exoskeleton was in a perfect shrimp shape complete with legs.
but it was totaly see thru like a normal shed,but i have never seen them leave a perfect shell shape,could that have been his corpse?

my bamboo shrimp, when they shed, leave it in pefect shape to the point the first time i saw it i thought it had died, so like shrimper said i would just hope they are hiding. also i had 4 yamato shrimp in a tank 3 of which i know have been eater, but every now and then the 4 pops up out of no where so it very possible they are hiding from your possibily aggressive betta. of course i would hide too if i thought i might become food.

 

[Wolfenrook]

It may well still be hiding. I have quite a lot of cherry shrimp in my planted, but rarely see more than 3 at a time.

Oh and on the topic of bettas, any fish that can fit a shrimp in it's mouth will eat them given chance. Once they get the taste they then become outright predators, hunting them out. Shrimp are part of their diet in the wild. Add in the fact that they have had their camouflage bred out of them and cherry shrimp make lovely snacks for anything that can fit them in their mouths. Heck betta food contain shrimp derivatives. lol. This becomes an even higher risk when they moult, as then they don't even have a tough shell to protect them.

Bettas aren't the worst culprit for predating shrimp, but they can if they chose to. So when you house cherry shrimp with one you are taking a 50/50 gamble. It might, or it might not.

I always say though that with shrimp unless you have seen the stinking corpse (or part thereof) never assume anything. They are masters of concealment. lol

Ade

 

[dem0nz]

wouldnt the other shrimps/endlers or betta have eaten the body?

in a week or 2 i am planning a substrate change to sand so i may find something there

hmmm the other shrimps have been a lot more in iding in the past few days,
but i havnt seen any agression at all.

 

[Wolfenrook]

In my experience it takes at least a couple of weeks for cherry shrimp to come out of hiding when added to a new home. Then they become outright cheeky, heck even my babies walk across open expanses of substrate at the front of my tank. I never ever ever see more than 3 at any one time though, as my tank is so heavily planted.

Ade

 

[vonnie06]

it my sound stupid but have you checked inside your filter when you clean it as my mum and dad has to check everytime we got about 25 shrimp out of the external and 30 out of the internal hope you find him

 

[dem0nz]

an update on the situation...
around 2 weeks since the disappearance
done a 40% clean out 2day and a very in depth gravel clean
i have been placing all the shrimp food in an easy to spot area but only ever see the 2 shrimps eating
it is only a 6.6 and its tall rather than long,so even with the live plants and cave there isn't many places to hide
the filter is to small so suck the shrimps up but will check next time i clean the filter

still no sign...

 

[pika06]

My betta fish ate the largest ghost shrimp I had. He carried him around the tank while shaking his head and then held the shrimps body outside the water and then finished eating him.

 

[Tacklebury]

.......then held the shrimps body outside the water and then finished eating him.

That’s just nasty!!!

My shrimp live with Plecs, adult mollies, platies, ghostcats and blue neons.

I added 10 and 6 got eaten straight away, it took around 2 months for the cherries to resurface again, and my god did they come back!

My other half counted 17 shrimplets yesterday at around 8pm (lights off time) and i have over 40 adults now. I never saw them for months and suddenly they are everywhere.

Not one of my fish attempts to eat them, i even spotted on cleaning on and around my latest batch of Pleco eggs!

He may be in there somewhere, just be very careful when changing media and substrate, i siphoned off some water a few weeks ago and one managed to get into the bucket!

 

[dem0nz]

the filter is due a clean this week so i will look in there
if he isnt there i will presume he is dead

its been 3 weeks now and before hand barely a day went by without seeing all 3 so...