Can a cleaner shrimp kill a firefish?

[gophia]

I saw the firefish well fed and alive. 10 minutes later when I returned to the tank the cleaner shrimp has the firefish and is eating it! Is it possible for a claner to be a predator?

[Looper121]

What else do you have in the tank? I doubt a cleaner would snatcvh up a fish. Are you sure it is a cleaner?

[mocerich]

More likely he was being a scavenger - firefish are too quick and timid to be caught by a cleaner. He was eating what was already dead.

[gophia]

I also didn't think a cleaner shrimp can kill. The only other fish I have are a couple of true percs. It's just that I couldn't believe that my firefish, which I've had for about 4 months, suddenly just die.
Anyhow, I dought I would ever find an ansewr to his death but I just wanted to know if anybody has seen a cleaner shrimp prey on a fish.

[Looper121]

What about coral? Anemones? I would say something along that line could be the Culprit. I lost a purple firefish to a LTA about a year ago...

[gophia]

Looper121
I have a couple of shroom, yellow polys, hammer, cup and a BTA. I don't think the BTA is big enough to do any damage. He's only about 1.5 inches across and the firefish was about 2.5 inches. Now that I have been thinking about it I did see my cleaner leap on my clown once. Who knows, the cleaner could have leaped on the firefish and gave him a heart attack.

[john76]

More than likely the firefish was already dead.

[Looper121]

Actually, fish usually LIKE cleaners, yes even timid firefish I would assume not be afraid of a cleaner. Who knows, firefish can be on the fragile side IMO.

[J4Life]

The cleaner didn't kill your firefish. Something else did or it was already ill from the start. Fish can show now signs of illness and yet they still may live for awhile before one day they just die.

Also I had cleaner shrimp in my tank for a year with a firefish and never did it ever bother the firefish other than to clean it of parasites. Sad to say my cleaner shrimp passed away after I killed it adding my Tech CB additives. It got to close to where I was adding them and it killed him instantly :mad2:

However my neon dottyback made short work of him in no time.

HTH's,
Bill

Oh! and by the way I now have a Golden Banded Coral Shrimp in my tank and it has never bothered my firefish.:)

[john76]

The coral banded on the other hand...........:rolleyes:

[J4Life]

John76,
The coral banded name is not correct. The correct name for those type of shrimps sometimes called the boxer shrimp is Banded Coral Shrimp. To many people on this forum call them by the wrong name.

If you don't believe me look it up for yourself or you can ask Dr. Ron.

Please in no means take this as a flame. Just trying to pass good info on to fellow reefers is all.

Thanks,
Bill

[john76]

Is "coral banded" another shrimp entirely, or is it just incorrect?

[J4Life]

Hey John76,
"Coral Banded" is the missused name for Banded Coral Shrimp. So to answer your ? there is no other shrimp that goes by the name Coral Banded".


HTH's,
Bill:)

[RUFISHY2]

Actually, I've got to say I have a customer that swears she saw a cleaner shrimp attack, and kill an ocellaris clown. I didn't believe her, but after seeing this, I wonder.

[john76]

Maybe the clown was sick? I have seen shrimp attack snails that were dying. I'd shew the shrimp away and right the snail. Then the shrimp would jump it and it would retract and fall over again.

BTW....I knew the snails were dying because the batch that I bought were all dying slowly. By week three they were all gone.
Now I only buy snails from display tanks and from florida pets.

[RUFISHY2]

Considering she saw it happen at my competitor's store, I'm sure it was LOL.

[gophia]

I'm sure the cleaner shrimp didn't do it but have you ever seen how aggressive a cleaner shrimp can be during feeding time. Maybe the firefish took his share and ****ed off the cleaner!

john76, the clown was fat and happy when the cleaner jumped om him (or her).

I'm sad about my loss so please no bickering on my thread :(

[bewildered]

I had a cleaner shrimp dragging around a fire goby( while it was still alive) and it was eating him tail first. The goby was sick and had slowed down, and I didn't see the shrimp catch him, but he was chewing on him for at least 10 minutes. It gave my 14 year old daughter nightmares.

[mike4271]

Get the shrimp a cellphone, let him call Johnny Cochrane, Ill like to bet he proves somebody/ something unknown did it.LOL

[redawg]

i've had a "mean" cleaner shrimp before.. any invert i put in tank after him didn't last more then a day. i tried 3 cleaner shrimp.. thought i was just getting some that was drug caught or already sick. watched him tear up some snails and hermits too.. i'm pretty sure there wasn't a thing wrong with them.. hard to tell though.. pulled that shrimp out and haven't lost another invert since(other then the occasional upside down snail)

[gophia]

So from some of the post, it look like there is some evidence that a cleaner shrimp can be a predator to some degree.

[redawg]

really it all depends on the cleaner shrimp.. not all of them will act the same way.. the 2 i have now i don't have a problem in the world with.. they play nice.

[karlas]

i have 2 cleaners, 2 blood shrimp, and 2 firefish they never bother each other. infact the blood shrimp share the same rock as the firefish. maby u have a crab of some type in your tank some crabs are ambushers when the fish like gobies hide or go sleep for the night thats when they get grabbed. rock crabs are known for this

i would suggest taking a flashlight and get some red renylds wrab put it over your light and go critter huntin when your lights are out