Wow. I suck at keeping cleaner shrimp

[Privateye]

My flame hawk will eat any shrimp I put in there. I've also had pistol shrimp (the blue and orange ones from Florida) stalk and kill peppermint shrimp. With a mantis, this is pretty much a jump ball IMO. It could be a mix of the three.

 

[Miami Reef]

Here’s the update!

First, I‘m positive that I only have 3 left

I came home from work and I saw one skunk cleaner behind the powerhead. I thought, “Oh, maybe that’s why they are dying!”

I took a picture as evidence:

That shrimp is alive.

I looked to the right side of the tank and I saw a different shrimp floating around, looking dead.

Then I started swimming and landed on a rock and looked normal. Then it started swimming and the clownfish were trying to eat it. It got pushed to the left side of the tank because it was pretty much lifeless at that point.

Then I looked to the rock on the left side and I saw my MANTIS shrimp getting all hyper and running around that area.

Then I saw my hawfish in that area looking like it will biting at the shrimp (but I’m not sure).

I believe that the mantis shrimp is using the force of its power to zap the shrimps, then they get lifeless and float around until they get sucked in the powerheads.

 

[Miami Reef]

And I never asked to keep a mantis shrimp, it hitchhiked to my tank.

I have been procrastinating on using the trap though, because I’ve not had luck with traps in the past. So it’s my fault for not trying.

Does anyone have ideas on mantis shrimp traps?

 

[Rmckoy]

This is very puzzling to me.

And I’m not new to reef keeping either.

First, my tank is 260 gallons. I have acropora, sps, 7 tridacna clams, a few LPS. A variety of trochus, astrea, and Mexican turbos.

I added 8 cleaner shrimp to my tank about 3-4 weeks ago.

They’ve been fine, but lately they’ve been dying one by one. I believe 4 died. 1 died yesterday and 2 died today. I lost another one a week ago.

Parameters are all in a good range and I sent out an ICP with no elevated metals.

I do weekly 15% water changes.

Here’s my working theory:

• I have a red flame hawkfish. Maybe it’s killing them?
• I have a mantis shrimp which hitchhiked from my KP rocks. It stays hidden but I can hear it snapping. Pretty sure I also have pistol shrimp as well, but I definitely saw a mantis shrimp. It looks black in coloration. Maybe it’s killing them?
• All the pistol shrimps that die are attached to the powerheads. My flow is very strong. Maybe they are getting sucked in?

About the mantis shrimp theory, I usually wake up to the cleaner shrimps attached to the powerhead (that means that sometime at night the shrimps died, which does seem likely murdered by a mantis, HOWEVER, today after work I saw the latest shrimp dead on the powerhead. Which means that it died in the day time, and the mantis shrimps NEVER meets a cleaner shrimp in the day.

The mantis shrimp hides in the right side of the tank, and the skunks stay on the left. It doesn’t make sense for them to meet each other, especially since the mantis doesn’t travel, and the skunks don’t either. I have a hard time believing that the mantis is killing them.

Here is a picture of the dead shrimp that I found after work. They all look like this when they died, I see a small opening in their flesh, but I’m not sure if the powerhead caused that after the fact that they’ve been dead.

Meaning, I’m not sure if they got wounded prior to meeting the powerhead.

Let me know what you think.

For what it’s worth .
I couldn’t keep any shrimp alive for the first few years .
the one shrimp I have now I’ve had him for almost 3 years .
the one before that was close to 5 years .

I’m considering trying a creamer wrasse again . But they are known not to do well long term .

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

And I never asked to keep a mantis shrimp, it hitchhiked to my tank.

I have been procrastinating on using the trap though, because I’ve not had luck with traps in the past. So it’s my fault for not trying.

Does anyone have ideas on mantis shrimp traps?

I've dismantled tanks for shrimp and crabs many times, its better to do it before all the coral grows in...I've never had a mantis shrimp but still same idea and they have been said to be dangerous in glass tanks due to possibly breaking the glass but that I don't know that either. If you can, get it out, I like to keep what I purposely put in the tank even that sometimes doesn't work out.

 

[Miami Reef]

I've dismantled tanks for shrimp and crabs many times, its better to do it before all the coral grows in...I've never had a mantis shrimp but still same idea and they have been said to be dangerous in glass tanks due to possibly breaking the glass but that I don't know that either. If you can, get it out, I like to keep what I purposely put in the tank even that sometimes doesn't work out.

Thanks! I don’t think I’d go as far as tearing down the rockwork. I’d just get/make a bottle trap.

 

[jpb1137]

It’s 100% the hawkfish. I’ve seen in person mine attacking cleaner shrimp leaving the exact same bite mark in your pictures. Mistake on my part, didn’t realize they would do that. Gonna give the hawkfish away since I definitely want cleaner shrimp. Guarantee 100% it’s the hawk.

 

[grynning4fish]

Did you end up loosing all your shrimp?
I just noticed mine has black spots all over…
I’ve had him for 3 weeks.
I’m thinking it could be stress or injury?
when I first got him he stayed on one side of the tank where my orchid dottyback’s cave is , now he’s migrated to the other side of the tank and hasn’t gone near the dotty. Fingers crossed mine doesn’t die i paid $100 to get the little guy shipped to me

 

[Miami Reef]

Did you end up loosing all your shrimp?
I just noticed mine has black spots all over…
I’ve had him for 3 weeks.
I’m thinking it could be stress or injury?
when I first got him he stayed on one side of the tank where my orchid dottyback’s cave is , now he’s migrated to the other side of the tank and hasn’t gone near the dotty. Fingers crossed mine doesn’t die i paid $100 to get the little guy shipped to me

Yes. I tried twice and ended up losing all…twice.