Normal for a Cleaner Shrim to steal food from Inside my LTA

mnestroy · #1 03/02/2007, 11:54 AM

I have just introduced a LTA to my tank, it s a pretty decent size, I have two cleaner shrimps and they are very un-afraid of it.

The first day they were just walking all over it, almost like they were hosting it (shrimp don't host do they? ehhe), the LTA didn't seem to mind.

Then yesterday I noticed the darn shrimp sticking half his body into the mouth of the Anemone and pull out an 8 hour old silverside...

So I was thinking to myself this can't be good for the longterm health of the Anemone... I mean if all his food is going to be stolen from inside him, how do i keep him healthy? hehe

TheVillageIdiot · #2 03/02/2007, 11:56 AM

lol, mine does it all the time... very frustrating... what i do is spot feed the shrimp first, usually a hard pellet that will make him take his time, and then feed the anemone.

as for the old silverside, how big was it? Anemones will reject food that is too big...

davocean · #3 03/02/2007, 12:02 PM

My cleaner will steal mysis.
When your nem has settled it will take the silverside in within seconds and the shrimp won't be able to steal it.

mnestroy · #4 03/02/2007, 12:04 PM

it was only half of a silverside... and it wasn't rejected, the Cleaner Shrimp put half his body inside the mouth of the Anemone and removed the 8hr old, half digested shrimp.

jefathome · #5 03/02/2007, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mnestroy
it was only half a silverside... and it wasn't rejected, the Cleaner Shrimp put half his body inside the mouth of the Anemone and removed the 8hr old, half digested shrimp.

I don't have a nem, but I hate it when my cleaner shrimp goes and starts picking the poop right out of my sea-hare's butt.

It really ****es off the sea hare though!!

davocean · #6 03/02/2007, 12:12 PM

Wow, that's is weird!

TheVillageIdiot · #7 03/02/2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mnestroy
it was only half a silverside... and it wasn't rejected, the Cleaner Shrimp put half his body inside the mouth of the Anemone and removed the 8hr old, half digested shrimp.

I suspect the anemone was having trouble digesting and either getting ready to or in the process of rejecting the shrimp (or is it a silverside). Anyway, what you need to do is serve smaller servings of minsed food. This will be much easier for the LTA to handle.

hth,

Matt

Sk8r · #8 03/02/2007, 12:26 PM

Normal for a cleaner shrimp to steal food? Ye-a-a-ah...very. From anything, anywhere, anytime. He's a shrimp. It's what they do.

davocean · #9 03/02/2007, 12:33 PM

Yeah, but to go in mouth 8hrs later and pull semi digested silverside?
I have to agree w/ Village that the nem was rejecting or something.

GSMguy · #10 03/02/2007, 03:13 PM

feed the shrimp to the point where they wont go looking just until you get the nem healthy and aclimated then it wont give up any food. O
nce the nem is healthy it will just eat the shrimp i saw my LTA eat two shrimp that went to far towards its mouth