An Aquarium Success (removal of a wily Lysmata shrimp)
Hi Crew,
I don't currently have any noteworthy problems I am seeking advice for.  I do, however, have a recent success that I thought I'd share so others with similar problems can find it while surfing your site.  I have a 60 gallon reef with about 100lbs of live rock, 150watt 10,000k MH and an AquaC Remora protein skimmer.  (I am reasonably sure you can appreciate the work that went into building a good, solid, steady reef in a hex tank.)  It's a mixed biotope, mostly with stuff that my wife and I think are pretty or cool (polyps, Ricordea, Xenia, toadstool leathers, SPS, LPS, clams and several reef-safe fish).  All are doing very well and proliferating.  Like many in the hobby I had Aiptasia.  After doing some research I decided to buy a Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni).  It did the job it was hired to do, and then some.  After eating the Aiptasia, it developed a taste for my feather dusters (and possibly some of my yellow polyps).  I tried for a couple of months to entice him out of the tank and to net him (then spear him, then squish him as my frustration grew).  Short of breaking down the tank I could not think of a way to get the bugger.  I searched your site for quite a while and could not find someone with a similar problem that you provided advice for.  I finally asked a trusted employee at my favorite LFS and he suggested baiting a small plastic water bottle.    I tried what the LFS guy (Ben, an avid reader of your site) suggested, only I used a 12oz wide mouth glass juice bottle.  I baited with some unrinsed Mysis shrimp and caught the little ba---rd in about 10 minutes.  I think the slightly wider mouth on the juice bottle, as opposed to the smaller mouth on the water bottle, was the reason for my success.  This worked surprisingly well for me (and quickly) so I thought I'd pass it along.
Thanks for all of the help you knowingly and unknowingly provided me with in the past and for the help you are yet to provide.
Bob
<A pleasure. Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Fire Shrimp Turns To "Ice"
Hi There,
<Graham at your service.>
I have two fire shrimp, (along with two cleaner shrimp), in a 240 gal. fish only tank for about 6 mo. Everything was going along fine 'till about one month ago.  After molting, one of the fire shrimps, was white. (A little icy?) I thought the shrimp was going to be gone soon, however, he's been eating and being normal except for his coloring. I'm happy he's still around and don't mind his change of "scenery". The tank's been up for 1 1/2 yr.s and everyone else's has been fine. I'm guessing his "temperature" change is here to stay, have you heard of this before?
<I've never heard of such an event happening before. Iodine plays a significant role in the molting of invertebrates. Too much iodine can be fatal, however, too little may cause molting defects or abnormalities. I would be curious to know what your iodine level is. As well, I would also be interested in hearing if your other invertebrates such as Shrimp, Crabs, etc. are molting since the event, and if so, if you have noticed anything strange from the molts. Also, has the fire shrimp since molted after turning white?>
Thanks a lot,
<I apologize I haven't quite answered your question directly -- I'm puzzled myself. Possibly someone else will chime in. Take Care, Graham.>
Q

Re: Fire Shrimp Turns To "Ice"
MacL,
Not at all-pass it on to ever you'd like. As an update, a week or so after I
last wrote, my fire shrimp showed signs of some red on his side. Ever since
then the red has been coming back slowly. As of now only a patch of white
remains in his upper body, (kind of blotchy looking). The coloring on his
body isn't bright like normal, (his lower body is a little blotchy too).
Maybe a fungus like you suggested. Anyway, I wonder why the other shrimp
didn't get it? Hope the update gives you more info to the puzzle.
Thanks for the input,
Quinn

White Fire Shrimp Update
MacL, <Quinn this is just so kewl. Please tell me you got some pictures of him all white and of him as he's coloring back it. It could indeed be a fungus or possibly might be the food deficiency we discussed where he was missing or lacking an important nutrient. Its also possible he did indeed get to "hot" for some reason and its taken this many layers of his exoskeleton to shed the damage.  Too GREAT.  Please send me some pictures if you took some.> Not at all-pass it on to ever you'd like. As an update, a week or so after I last wrote, my fire shrimp showed signs of some red on his side. Ever since then the red has been coming back slowly. As of now only a patch of white remains in his upper body, (kind of blotchy looking). The coloring on his body isn't bright like normal, (his lower body is a little blotchy too).
Maybe a fungus like you suggested. Anyway, I wonder why the other shrimp
didn't get it? Hope the update gives you more info to the puzzle.
Thanks for the input, <Please stay in touch Quinn, MacL>
Quinn

Shrimp vs. wrasse 6/30/04
Hello-Question? My sixline wrasse ate most of my cleaner shrimps legs.  This all started right after he molted.
<Shrimps and wrasses are like sheep and wolves.  Also, shrimp are very vulnerable post molt.>
I have him in a net box to keep him out of harms way, but I was wondering-will the shrimps legs grow back?  I been trying to feed him by my hand, which is not working.  So I dunno if I should just keep him till he dies or take him back to the fish store.
<If the shrimp is able to take food, it may grow some of the legs back, but you won't see them until the next molt.  I don't see any benefit to returning it to your LFS.>
Also my firefish, although he is active and eats a lot, looks very malnourished. I feed him formula one frozen food. Is there anything else I can do? I am guessing that my wrasse is a very aggressive fish and my tank may be just too small.
<Firefish really benefit from several feedings per day. They also don't compete well with aggressive feeders like wrasses.  You may have to give one or the other up.  Best Regards.  Adam C.>

Seastars and dancing shrimp - 1/30/04
A quick question.  I accidentally put dancing shrimp into my tank and now can't catch them to get them out. <How do you accidentally put dancing shrimp in a tank?? :) There are great many DIY and commercial traps available online. I am sure there is something out there for you> Can you suggest how to trap them? <I think you can search the internet for a trap solution, but my question is why do you want to take them out?>  Also at the same time I put in a lovely little blue sea star only to find within the week that it had it's entrails hanging out from it's oral orifice one day. <Is the star alive. Many seastars use their stomach to feed by placing it over food items and digesting before ingesting so to speak. So this is a feeding strategy>  Do you think that the dancing shrimp could have done this or do you think that it may be one of the as of yet un-identified crabs that came with live rock that attacked that star? <What type of seastar? I think that the shrimp are not responsible here. Do look into Echinoderms on our website (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seastars.htm) and you will find many stories of seastar and starfish evisceration. It is important to ID your inhabitants before purchasing them so that you know their needs for acclimation, their foodstuffs, their compatibility with other inhabitants, as well as a great deal of other necessary needs. (don't always believe what the dealer tells you) Also important to note, that starfish, regardless of type, need to be acclimated slowly with very special attention paid towards water quality. >  Any suggestions on a good location to search for info about traps besides direct answers to those questions in red would be appreciated. <start with searching on google with the key words "DIY aquarium traps" and then change the key word search as you see fit to get what you are looking for. Don't dis-count some of the fish traps available either. All can be made suitable for shrimp ~Paul> Thanx again .
Greg

Peppermint Shrimp, marine scavengers?
If I am starting a saltwater tank - 55 Gallon - I have spoken to people who
said that I need Peppermint Shrimp to help keep it clean - How many do I need
to buy?  How often should I expect to replenish them?
<Mmm, I believe you have mis-heard. This species of Lysmata shrimp is employed as a cleaner of sorts... for removing pest anemones. Please make use of the search tool on the homepage of www.WetWebMedia.com (at bottom, left)... insert the terms "marine scavengers"... and read.
Bob Fenner>

- Peppermint Shrimp & Clownfish -
Hello,
Thank you for your excellent site. <I'm glad you find it useful.> I am new to marine Aquariums and have had a 12 Gallon eclipse tank cycling for 3 weeks.  I have 8 lbs. of live rock that came with some hitchhikers.  One I believe to be a Hawaiian feather duster.  It is a tan tube protruding from the LR and has a crown with what look to be flower petals that are white with red spots.  I also have some type of polyp, or so I think.  It has moved locations in the live rock.  It is red only about 1 cm in diameter and moves daily from one spot to another.  There are also 2 Aiptasias.  One is only about 1 cm, the other is about 3cm. After letting the tank cycle and testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH, and salinity, I decided to add an ocellaris clown and a peppermint shrimp to deal with the Aiptasia.  
My first question is why when the shrimp approaches the Aiptasia does it almost get scared away and quickly move away? <It's just a normal reaction... anemones aren't very complex so they have to react defensively to some stimuli.> Is there a way to get the peppermint to eat it? <Patience.> Also the peppermint shrimp has a stick looking object protruding from under its "whiskers" it seems to play with it and flick it. <Perhaps the rostrum.> Is this normal? <It's not abnormal.>
Finally, the clown seems happy a little shy when I approach the tank, but is swimming like "a mad man".  I think he is enjoying his new home.  I also think he is still a little stressed because he doesn't eat when I feed him. I am feeding him TetraMin pro flake food as that is what my LFS said they feed them.  He is captive-bred, and very small as he is still a juvenile.  I am wondering how should I put the flake food in?  If I put it on top he doesn't seem very interested and if I put it under water he goes towards it and nibbles, but the bio wheel almost seems to push the food to the filter.  I tried turning the filter off during feeding, but there has got to be a better way? <Probably your best option in such a small system.> How do you suggest feeding clown fish? <As you are... put a pinch of the food underwater so it won't float... turn off the filter.> Are they surface eaters? <Not even remotely.>
Thank You
Keith Kaplan
<Cheers, J -- >

Taxonomic Messes, Pictures, and Pontonid Shrimp
Hi Bob,
Re: Palaemonids, yes I am interested in scans, I'll check with Sandy (A.J.) Bruce in Brisbane, AU he's doing a revision of Pontonides right now (most people call
everything which has a Pontonides-look as P. unciger) Dasycaris ids should be OK, but very nice shots!  Would be nice to have these pics for my seminars etc. Periclimenes - a hell of taxonomic mess ... I saw a lot of half-identified species, once I have a good scan I can check in all my books and forward the photos to Sandy, if the photo is good and one can see the details he'll provide me with ID, Sandy was the one who described well over 150 species of pontoniine shrimp !
<Would you like me to cc you on the above groups> - what do you mean with cc ?
cheers, Art
<Art, it's JasonC here - if you could please, try and locate some of the potential scans you think would be of use. You can browse the Wet Web Media [http://www.wetwebmedia.com] site as well as our companion site, Wet Web Fotos [http://www.wetwebfotos.com] and then please send me a list of what you require. Loose species descriptions don't really help as we have too many photos to browse and then scan. Any work you can do on your side will help us quite a bit. Thanks.
J -- >

Peppermint Shrimp Attacking Lettuce Nudibranch - 8/23/03
Dear WWM Crew:  Long time lurker, first time writer here.  
<welcome>
Thank you for making the reefkeeping hobby so much easier for me to learn!  
<our pleasure>
When I got the tank and equipment as a wedding present just over a year and a half ago I knew absolutely NOTHING about tropical fish and reefs except what I picked up as a diver occasionally visiting the Caribbean.  (I have logged quite a bit of time in the North Atlantic.)  Now I'm addicted and loving every minute of it!
(Not so) Very briefly I have a 30 gallon mini reef that began to go into overdrive last spring when I first replaced the light bulbs. (2 65w PC's)  Everything is growing wild (1 Acro, 1 frogspawn and about 1000000 mushrooms and zooanthids), but unfortunately that includes hair and Cyano algae too.  
<usually a sign of inadequate water flow and/or skimming (3-5 cups of skimmate weekly for smaller aquaria is possible)>
I've just added a lighted 10 gal. sump/refugium with Caulerpa to provide nutrient export.
<do read through our archives with a key word search for "Caulerpa" and "allelopathy" for this noxious plant. I have concern for its use in particular in smaller aquaria. Do consider Gracilaria, Ochtodes or Chaetomorpha instead. We have more extensive coverage of these topics (refugium, plants and algae at around 100 pages or 400) in our new book "Reef Invertebrates">
I'm not interested in maintaining the insane coral growth (I'm going to have to learn to frag a frogspawn REAL soon) but am looking for better stability and less nuisance algae.)
<do consider if your skimmer is working optimally... most are not and can be tuned/tweaked to produce dark coffee like skimmate almost daily>
Last night I went to the LFS and added some additional Astraea snails to replace my Turbos which have mostly died off (but my Cerith, Nerite, Nassarius and Conch all seem to be doing great) and a lettuce nudibranch to chow on the hair algae.  Unfortunately I noticed a few hours later one of my two rather large
peppermint shrimp picking at the 'branch!  And the damn thing sat still for it!  
<Lysmata shrimp of all kinds are not truly reef safe.. they will also attack brain corals, corallimorphs, clams, and even small fishes>
I dared to hope that maybe the shrimp was removing dead tissue or parasites. (I have quarantined all my fish and crabs before putting them in the tank, but with the specialized feeding habits of snails and now this 'branch I was uncomfortable doing so for them.)  But the chunks looked just too big and I shooed the shrimp away.  I removed the 'branch to the sump with a nice algae covered rock to keep him company.  There did not seem to be any serious damage.  He crawled to the top of the Caulerpa  where he spent the night, but sometime during the day today he must have cast loose and drifted over the wall into the pump chamber and been sucked up by the pump.  
<ouch... that's gonna leave a mark>
As I gathered up what pieces I could find in the main tank one seemed to be sticking to a batch of hair algae.  It was a pencil-eraser size portion of the head with one antenna and the mouth.  Well I fumbled the piece, lost into cave and saw it later crawling up the glass!  The damn thing's alive!  (for now) So my first question is whether or not you think that this piece will recover into a viable nudibranch?  
<yes... possible>
(assuming the shrimp don't find it before I can trap them)  The LFS has no idea if it could, but they re-assured me that the pieces of 'branch that I missed cleaning up would probably not poison the tank.  It was under 1" long originally.
<agreed>
The second question is whether or not you have ever heard of a peppermint shrimp going after a nudibranch like this?  
<oh, yes... they are one of the least reef-safe Lysmata in the trade>
I read elsewhere on WWM of one taking down a Midas Blenny, but I thought that nudibranchs were supposed to taste really bad.  
<well... sort of. This is a case of you are what you eat. Carnivorous opisthobranchs that eat stinging animals like coral, jellyfish and anemones (as evidenced by cerata on their backs) are very noxious to eat. Your Elysia crispata however only eats algae and is very palatable <G>>
This guy was spooning it down.  Again the LFS has never heard of
this behavior, and they have some pretty experienced people working there.  In fact the owner speaks at MACNA regularly.
<OK>
I've pretty much made the decision to trap the shrimp and trade them in on some smaller models.  
<leave them out... they simply are not necessary and do more harm than good>
I've had them since they were clear and I have never seen an Aiptasia in my tank, but I wonder now if they played a role in the demise of most of my Turbos.  
<quite possible on the latter... and not needed on the former. Aiptasia do not become a problem in tanks with good nutrient control. Your nuisance algae problem however suggests that you do have a nutrient control issues (overfeeding, under-skimming, lack of water flow, etc). My educated guess is that you have a weak skimmer model... Seaclone, Prism, Red Sea/Berlin, Amiracle or the like. Do consider a skimmer upgrade to a better design (more reliable and lower maintenance) like a EuroReef or an Aqua C>
I removed some large hermits thinking they were the snail killers but thinking back I remember that the shrimp never missed a chance to tear into a late turbo snail, while the hermits were rarely around for the buffet.   Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated and thank you for reading my long e-mail.  (Now that I'm hooked I can talk about marine tanks all day)  Please feel free to edit it for brevity if you use it on a FAQ page!  Regards, Matt
<best regards, Anthony>

Shrimp/Crab Molting - 8/23/03
Hello Crew...
<howdy>
Great resource you have here.  
<thanks kindly>
I have a 2 mo. old 37 gallon marine aquarium with 4 hermit crabs (2 blue legged, 2 red) and a cleaner shrimp, plus a maroon clown, Fiji damsel and a yellow clown goby.  20+ lbs live rock etc...2 quick molting questions...
1.  Do the hermit crabs molt?
<yes... all crustaceans... shrimp, crab, lobsters, etc>
2.  After my cleaner shrimp molts (and perhaps the crabs), should I remove the shed skin/shell from the tank, or does it serve a better purpose being left alone?
<the latter indeed... something (perhaps the owner) will eat it for its rich chitonous nature>
Thanks for the input! Bob
<best regards, Anthony>

Algae on Back of Shrimp? - 8/14/03
Hi,
<cheers>
A few weeks back I introduced a Cleaner Shrimp Lysmata amboinensis to my tank. It has taken up residence on an exposed rock at the front of the tank, I think this is mainly due to a territorial Dottyback that will not let it have any of the cave type areas at the back. It molted normally about 2 weeks ago. The problem is that although it does not seem unhappy, it is in direct light, and has developed a greenish tinge on its back. On very close inspection you can actually see algae growing on it. Is this detrimental, and is there anything can be done?
Much Thanks for your always good advice.
<the algae is not at all natural nor is the exposure to excess light. Let me suggest that you add some larger empty sea shells for better and more natural retreat for the shrimp and/or fishes to use. A handsome conch shell is well received by Lysmata. Anthony>

Disappearing cleaner shrimp
Hi Guys,
  My 2 large (about 2 inches each) cleaner shrimp disappeared 2 days ago. I've had them for about 3 months in my 100gal tank with plenty of live rock for them. I found some shell pieces today while cleaning but they're definitely gone.
<the shell pieces may be from ecdysis/molting, if both shrimp molted, they would definitely be well hidden. A fresh shrimp shell takes several days to harden, making them easy prey while it is soft. I'd wait and see if they reappear>
I suspect its my flame hawkfish but he's only a little over an inch long. Could he have gotten both of them within a 1 day period?
<probably not>
I like having a couple shrimp around the tank. Is there another species of shrimp that might stand a better chance with my hawkfish?
<Coral Banded>
Thanks,
Kris
<best, Chris>

Re: Disappearing cleaner shrimp.
Thanks Chris, but I'm pretty sure they're a goner. I'll give them another
couple more days just in case before buying a couple coral banded shrimp. I
have a 100gal tank with live rock. Can I put 2 coral banded shrimp in my
tank together and they'd get along OK?
<coral banded shrimp do have a pension for consuming other crustaceans, but introduce them at the same time and keep them well fed with meaty foods, and you should be ok>
One more question -- I have a purple tang, Kole tang, eibli pigmy angel,
and my hungry flame hawkfish in my 100gal tank with live rock. I'm thinking
of getting a Goldflake angel. Would this be OK to add? The only real worry
I've come up with so far is that he has a similar look as the eibli angel.
The eibli is pretty timid and has been in the tank for 4 months (the tank is
basically very peaceful with the purple tang the dominant fish). What do you
think?
<Personally, I would say you are pretty well stocked for 100 gallons>
Thanks,
Kris
<best, Chris>

Blood (fire) cleaner shrimp losing its color
>Dear WWM Crew,
I have a blood (fire) cleaner shrimp, Lysmata debelius, which has lost its intense, deep red color and is looking very dull. It has been like this after several molts already. I have had this shrimp for over 6 months.  Could this be due to stress, or other natural cause? Due to it being the lone shrimp in the tank (best kept in pairs)? Due to chemical factors, such as iodine, magnesium, alkalinity or calcium? Due to lack of color-enhancing food?
My water chemistry is:
SG 1.026
temp 80F
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <5ppm
Alkalinity 3.4meq/L
Calcium 420ppm
Magnesium 1300ppm
(It's a 37 gallon system)
I feed my fish the following food and the shrimp picks up whatever falls to the bottom:
frozen brine shrimp
frozen Mysis shrimp
Spirulina pellet food
krill pellet food
Please shed some light on how do I bring its color back. If I have to get him a companion, would an unmatched pair fight to the death? If I have to improve its diet, what kind of food is recommended? If I have to dose any chemicals, what and how much is needed? How do I test for it?  Thanks very much for your help.  Isaac
>>Good morning, Isaac, Marina here.  After looking through the information you've provided, the only suggestions I have are to add a bit more variety to its diet, and do consider available iodine.  I've never heard of this problem, and two of the four food items you're feeding (those being the brine and Spirulina) are what I would recommend as "color-enhancing" foods.  Thus, iodine would be the only nutrient I might consider to be lacking.  I don't think the animal *must* be kept in pairs or groups, though, if you'd like to try adding another animal there should be no conspecific fighting between them.  I would also try small bits of Nori, as well as any one of the quality marine frozen foods that are available, for they'll provide much variety as well.  Best of luck, Isaac.  Marina

Cleaner shrimp with a (desired!) Aiptasia
>Hello,
>>Good morning, Mike.  Marina here.
>I have a new (about 1 month old) 30-gallon marine setup that currently houses 45lbs. live sand, 45lbs. Fiji LR, 6 scarlet-legged hermits, 3 turbo snails, and one False Percula (Amphiprion ocellaris).  As a "bonus", my live rock came with an Aiptasia Anemone that my wife adores (she has decided to name it "Flo" because it's tentacles flow in the current).  
>>LOL!!!  Oh Lordy...(chuckling and shaking head here)
>I'm willing to put up with this so long as it doesn't replicate wildly, and am hoping aggressive skimming (with my AquaC Remora H.O.T.) will help.
>>Doubtful that the skimming will have any effect on Aiptasia reproduction.  They do tend to get settled and begin...well, "like rabbits".
>Tank parameters are: S.G. 1.023, pH 8.3, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates <5 (hard to read this one any more accurately).  I also have a full-spectrum fluorescent tube and an actinic blue fluorescent tube on a 12-hour timer.  One of the things I definitely want to add is a shrimp, but as it turns out, I need to find one that won't hurt "Flo" or I'll be in the doghouse.
>>LOL!!!  Please forgive me, this is definitely one of the more entertaining emails I've received in a while.  Whatever you do, don't hurt Flo!  You could consider giving Flo her own dedicated system, 5-10gals, a simple power filter, and let her have at it.  ;)
>Originally I had wanted a Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus), but I think this may present a problem.  Same for the Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni).  
>>DEFINITELY avoid those Flo-eaters! [giggle]
>Do you think a Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) or White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata grabhami) would be non-threatening to
the Aiptasia (and the rest of the tankmates, for that matter)?  
>>Yes, you're spot on in your assessments.  Both, either, whichever, neither will eat your precious Flo.  LOL!!  
>Thanks for any advice you can give.
>>Please forgive me for having such a chuckle is all I ask of you.  Do expect the anemone to reproduce, I can't give you a time frame, but whatever you do, DON'T FEED IT.  You've assessed the crustaceans correctly, so Flo should be safe.  Best of luck to you, your wife, and Flo!  Marina [giggling furiously now]

Peppermint shrimp? Butterflies in reef aquariums.
Besides cleaning Aiptasia, will this shrimp also clean parasites off the fish (Amyloodinium? Cryptocaryon?) <If your talking about peppermint shrimp, I have had 2 for a while now and have "never" seen them even attempt to clean any of my fish. Although some people say they clean fish I have never encountered this before>
Also, with the Raccoon butterfly, I've heard it will also eat Aiptasia, but is it coral/reef safe?<I would not trust "any" butterflies in a reef aquarium (too much of a risk.), IanB>
Thank you,
Luke

Fire Shrimp
I have a pretty new Fire Shrimp . .. in my 10 Gallon Reef. He' has been doing fine and eating fine. I came home today and he is not moving at all.<How did you acclimate this invertebrate?> is he molting or what?<From what I have encountered with about the ten-twelve shrimp that I have (5-6 diff species) they have always molted at night or at least when I am not around, and my blood shrimp never just stands there. he is always moving/eating...etc> MY purple Flame Goby seems to be fine. <good>How long should i wait before I'm sure he isn't molting and I should take him out???? THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!<If you can grab this fish with your hand...he is most likely in bad shape (if you put your hand near him and he climbs up he is fine, or if he swims/walks away from your hand, good luck with this very interesting and beautiful shrimp, IanB>
-Ian

- Greedy Shrimp in a Nano Tank -
Greetings Gang:
<Good morning, JasonC here...>
You guys perform such a great service.  Thanks for your support.
I have a 5 gallon nano-reef, which includes all the living rock I could cram into it, several varieties each of red and green macro algaes, several snails, including a small bumble bee snail, a small orange sea star,  a red legged hermit crab, assorted types of button corals, a hammer coral, a Euphyllia, and two hungry peppermint shrimp (to control the Aiptasia).
This tank has been set up for several years and has a great balance.  I have been feeding the stony corals frozen Mysis shrimp and frozen zooplankton, rotating on  a daily basis.  I keep the water clean with very regular water changes every other day and have not had any problems, until I had a heart attack and spent a week in the hospital. <Good grief - I hope all is well with you now.> After coming home I noticed the Euphyllia was not very happy (hammer is doing fine), so I immediately got back to the water change thing.  Problem is that part of the Euphyllia looked like it was just not going to make it. <Probably not - a tank this small, with as much life and live rock in it as you have, has much less than five gallons of water in it, and that balance you speak of is precarious at best. Without the water changes, things would go south quickly.> I noticed last night that my two peppermint shrimp were busy cleaning up the last few remaining polyps off the skeleton.  Do peppermint shrimp pose a threat to a healthy Euphyllia? <Not to a healthy one... and not if they've been getting fed with other items, but... again, the week off... your system was out of balance.> Now I'm not sure if the coral died due to water quality or is being irritated and digested by the shrimp because I've seen them walk over the coral and seem to irritate it. <I'd think the changes in water quality would be most likely.> I would like to keep the remaining half of the Euphyllia alive and not sure how to protect it from the peppermint shrimp, or were the peppermint shrimp just performing housecleaning duties? <Most likely the Euphyllia was on its way out.> One of the peppermint shrimp is extremely red while the other one is more subdued and in the past have watched one of them giving birth to dozens of baby shrimp.  I am impressed how they can "walk" upside down on the surface of the water.  It is truly hard to believe so much life can survive in such a miniature ecosystem.
Also, I am having trouble controlling the razor Caulerpa.  The Bubble is a little easier, but both require constant harvesting.  Do you have any ideas regarding natural controls while keeping the size of my tank in mind? <Not in a tank of this size - you're just going to have to continue to remove it manually.> I was thinking along the line of either an invertebrate or small fish which feeds on the stuff. <I think it would throw your system off... make it harder to maintain.> I have tried to pull it out but, as you probably already know, totally getting rid of it is impossible.
Please don't suggest upgrading to a larger tank. <Ok.> We are in the process of adopting two otherwise homeless children and this tank is not a priority.
Thank you very much for your assistance.  You guys are very helpful.  I have submitted questions in the past and your advise is always right on.
<Cheers, J -- >

Dead shrimp
<Hi Jude, PF with you today.>
Hi there, I am from Singapore and its a great site you have! I just been starting to keep marine fishes. And I have a few questions.
<Well, that's what we're here for.>
I have a 40 gallons tank with 1 blue tang, 2 clowns and a 2 damsel. And cured rocks, with a worm (those have a flowery end) in it.
<The will get far to large for that system, most tangs need at least a 75g system, if not 100g or more. Bigger is better for these fish.>
Ammonia , nitrate at zero. SG is about 1.025-1.027 @ temp around 30 to 31 degree C. (weather hot here!). I have a Sander Protein Skimmer (Piccolo) which have not been producing dark liquid. what can be wrong?
<Well Jude, if your tank is 30C, then you're slow cooking your inhabitants. A small desk or muffin fan (the kind computers use) blowing across the top will help cool it down. You may need to invest in a chiller though. As for the skimmer, as I recall the Poccolo is good for small nano tanks (10g and under). You need a much larger skimmer.>
Water level is correct as in instruction..
I had been keeping 2 cleaners shrimp until they died mysteriously. 1 blood shrimp and the other don't know its Lysmata amboinensis or Lysmata grabhami. I had been keeping them for more than 3 weeks and they had been feeding. The latter died first followed by the blood shrimp 2 days later.
<Blood shrimp are deeper reef animals, and prefer temps around 21C, if not cooler. Most reef tanks are kept around 25C-26C, even that is to warm for them.>
I am using a stainless steel mesh in the system and I notice it started rusting about 1 week back. <GET THAT OUT NOW! God only knows what metals are leaching into the system. You need to find a Polyfilter or equivalent product and use it right away, this can pull a lot of the toxins out of your tank. See if you can find a copper test kit and check your water. If you have had copper contamination, then your tank is permanently hostile to inverts. The copper will permeate the LR and the sealant on your tank. Time to start over if that's the case.> I cannot think of anything that causes the death of my shrimps.. I have not add anything to the system.. is it the rust? If yes, can I still keep shrimps in the future? Does the rust change anything in the water? My worm and fishes are still doing fine after 4 days my shrimps died.
<I think I already answered that one.>
I wanted to take the stainless steel mesh out but I am afraid it will cause a spike in the NH3 as it is under my filter. <No worries there, if you want to keep a mesh there, find a plastic one. Be sure and clean it out every day.> Any methods to reduce the spike?
<A DSB (deep sand bed) will do so. Start here, lots of reading/learning to do. www.wetwebmedia.com/dsbfaqs.htm >
Love your site and thanks for your help! Jude
<Your welcome, hopefully there's been no copper leached into your system. Have a good day, PF>

Putting Shrimp To Work (Or, Show Your Shrimp Some Love)!
Thanks for your help, and I do have one more question.  Out of all the species of cleaner shrimp, is there one that cleans the substrate better than the rest?
<Well, I'd have to say...no! I don't think that shrimp do a great job as true "substrate cleaners". They do pick a fair amount of uneaten food, etc., off of the substrate and rocks, however. For true substrate cleaners, I'd go with brittle stars or sea cucumbers. As far as which shrimp does the best job at scavenging...I think the banded coral shrimp does a great job...I have one in my reef, and I hate it (I'm not sure why, though! I might need some professional help dealing with the "issues" that I have with him?). He is rather obnoxious, and clearly considers me a fool. But he does a great job scavenging, and occasionally raising hell with the other shrimp in my tank. Nadine thinks that I am nuts even anthropomorphizing a crustacean, so I better cut this short here! Bottom line, shrimp are a great help at keeping your tank clean, but they are better as part of a "team" of animals doing this job...Have fun, and learn to love your shrimp...I will- eventually! Regards, Scott F>

Throw Another Shrimp On The.. Err- In The- Tank!
Hello again.
<Hi! Scott F. back with you!>
I have heard that scarlet cleaner shrimp can help control Ich in a saltwater aquarium.  Is this true, and if so, wouldn't the Ich still be present somewhere in the tank even if the parasites were picked off the fish?
<You hit it right on the head! Yes, cleaner shrimp can help reduce some of the parasite population when they are attached to fishes. However, you are correct in realizing that the parasites can be located throughout the aquarium during various phases of their life cycle. The key to defeating ich is to break the life cycle of the parasites, and this involves removing fishes from the tank, as we discuss frequently on this site...>
Do you recommend these shrimp?
<Sure, they can always provide a natural, biological cleaning capability>
If so, in pairs or groups?  Introduce in tank before or after fish? Thanks again, James
<They can be introduced in groups, and can be introduced either before, during, or after the fishes are. You can read up on these animals on the WWM site, as well as in Bob and Anthony's upcoming "Reef Invertebrates" book...Enjoy the research- and enjoy the shrimp! They are interesting animals! Scott F>

CBS, Aiptasia and coral 5/20/03
Gentlemen (and ladies),
<depends on what I'm wearing for the evening. Tonight... its chiffon>
I have recently set up a 30 gallon tank and it is still cycling.  The other day, I noticed a clear anemone-looking creature in one dimly lit corner. Sadly, I am certain it is an Aiptasia.  
<no worries... they only spread if fed (excess nutrients... week husbandry)>
So, I boned up on them and tried the Peppermint Shrimp solution.  Next morning, I found his half-eaten carcass on a piece of live rock, and the anemone is still there.  I witnessed nothing, but all signs point to my Banded Coral Shrimp, Harvey.  
<almost certainly... very territorial>
Harvey has been known to eat a hermit crab now and then.  I have no fish in there, and everything else is either hermit crabs or turbo snails...  :-( Here's my dilemma.  At some point, I would like to introduce a few (as in three or less) pieces of small coral to the tank.  Will the CB Shrimp eat them too?  
<certainly not>
I hate to get rid of Harvey, but don't want to have to limit myself any more than I already have by going w/ such a small tank.
<alas... it is an aggressive, if not inappropriate shrimp for a small aquarium (fear of it eating small fishes too)>
Any other suggestions of getting rid of the Aiptasia?  
<again... no worries... I have had/seen many that simply do not reproduce in well-maintained systems. Plagued systems typically have weak water flow (under 10X per hour), overfeeding and/or overstocking, or modest water changes/skimming/chemical filtration>
The butterfly fish is out...too small of a tank.  I can't find a Nudibranch, and am afraid Harvey would just eat him.  Should I try the vinegar???  The hot water and scrub brush???
<none are necessary>
Thank you very much, Jeff Skaggs
<best regards, Anthony>

Impossible shrimp id
Dear Sir/Madam
We have caught some shrimps but we don't know that what the name of the
shrimp is. Actually it comes out seasonally, it is very tiny and the
color of it is pink.
We would appreciate a lot if you could please give us the name of the
shrimp
Thanking you in advance
Karunesh     
<... this might describe most all shrimp. Please see the references listed on our shrimp materials starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/shrimp/shrimp.htm particularly Debelius (1999). Bob Fenner>

Are 'feathers' (Tubeworms) incompatible with cleaner shrimps?
Hi, I've heard two opinions on this subject. Some say they are perfectly
file if kept together, others, that it's a big no-no...
Which one is true? :-( <I have never had a problem with them being together and have had them and seen them together many times.  So I say go for it!  Cody>
Thank you,
Luke

Fighting Shrimp - 2/15/03
Will different types of shrimp fight in a tank, or will they leave each other alone.
<most will fight like reef creatures in general. The reef is a tough and crowded environment and conspecifics are rarely tolerated. Withy so many different types of non-competitive creatures available, our advice is not to mix shrimp, tangs, triggers, most crabs, etc. Enjoy a variety instead>
Specifically a pair of cleaner and a pair of pistol shrimp.
<the cleaner shrimp may be injured. If you'd like to experiment mixing shrimp... blend the small-clawed species like camel, peppermint, fire/blood and cleaner shrimp and avoid the large-clawed species like boxers/banded corals and pistol shrimp. With kind regards, Anthony>

Baby Peppermint Shrimp
One of our peppermint shrimp just had a bunch of babies last night. Do you have any recommendations as to how to raise them and what to feed them so that we can keep as many alive as possible?
<I know we have answered this same question before for others. Take a look through the Shrimp FAQ, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimpfa.htm -Steven Pro>
Thanks in advance for your response :)

Peppermint shrimp
What is the average lifespan of a peppermint shrimp?
<Several years>
I've had mine a year and a half and this evening I found him dead. He was the first addition to my reef aquarium so tonight was a bit of a shock. I haven't lost anything in my aquarium for a year or more.
<Probably no reason for alarm just yet. I assume you know the difference between a dead shrimp and a molted shrimp as you have had him for a while. Double check your water quality parameters to be sure. There is no telling how old your shrimp was when you got it, so hard to say if it lived a full life.>
One more question...Will my coral beauty nip at the mantle of a Tridacnid (sp?) clam?
<Possibly. I had one that liked to nip at my Turbinaria and I have heard many stories of them eating Xenia.>
Thank you, Jeremy
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Marine questions, Shreemps, brittle stars, goby diffs!
-Can I keep a pistol shrimp which is living in a symbiosis together with a Cryptocentrus cinctus (yellow goby) together with a peppermint shrimp, or will they start fighting?
<My pistol shrimp have killed cleaner shrimp.>
-My brittle star have got a lot of small brittle star babies, will a new brittle star eat them, and what shall i feed them?
<The small brittle starfish are probably a different species. These mini brittle starfish are detritivores and do not need target fed.>
-Do you know how i can see the difference on a yellow goby? -Arne
<I am guessing you mean "difference" in the sexes of the fish. There are some subtle differences in size and girth of the belly when you see an obvious pair together. Baensch "Marine Atlas: Volume 1" was an in depth description. -Steven Pro>