Rock Flower ate Cleaner Shrimp

[snoop306]

I just went to feed my fish tonight and noticed that my Cleaner Shrimp was half sticking out of the Rock Flower... upon closer look it was because it had already eaten half of it. :/

 

Is this normal? I just setup my aquarium a couple weeks ago and had just added the Cleaner Shrimp last weekend.

 

I'll post a photo from my phone in a minute.

[snoop306]

 

RIP Cleaner Shrimp.

[Lynaea]

I am new to reef critters too, but I have several spotted cleaner shrimp that routinely host my rock flowers. ........ as in they literally lay inside or across them for hours at a time. Given the relative sizes (shrimp to flower) and what I've seen of my rock flowers eating brine shrimp, flake, etc I would say that the shrimp died and floated near the flower. I'd also question whether the flower could actually eat part of a large shrimp, they don't really have teeth, they appear to just swallow things whole. Also, rock flowers don't sting. My only other thought would be to make sure that's not actually a molt, although in my experience molts are more transparent than that.

 

How many fish / inhabitants have you added? What are you water parameters? How long is "a couple of weeks"?

 

Sorry about your shrimp

HTH

[SbCaes]

yes it is possible. rock flowers should have a very potent sting when healthy.

[Lynaea]

http://www.vipreef.com/rock-anemones/?fullSite=1

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/342744-rock-flower-anemone-information-and-appreciation-thread/

 

Everything I've read from other reefers and info online says rock flower anemones have a weak sting if any. I have held them in my hands while placing then in my tank and felt nothing.

[famousdan314]

A 150 lb person is much different than a cleaner shrimp. The sting although hardly noticeable to the human hand can be deadly to such a small critter.

[ninjamyst]

nom nom...now u dont have to feed the anemone for a week =P.

[doppelganger]

if you want a real word example my rock flower's sting is stronger than my rbta. When they were fighting for space, the rock flower won. Their sting can be quite strong.

[hypostatic]

 

RIP Cleaner Shrimp.

 

 

Are these the two animals in question?

 

That nem doesn't look like it could eat up that whole cleaner shrimp...

 

Are you sure it wasn't just a molt that was being eaten? The only thing I can think of is that the shrimp either died and fell into the nem, or it wandered into the nem right after it molted and its shell was still soft

[Mr. Microscope]

Cleaner shrimp are fairly hearty, but are very sensative to acclimation. It's possible that since you just got it, that if failed to make the adjustement and died. I'm guessing it just got too close to the nem after dying and hense, the nem tried to make a meal out of it.

[HVani]

My guess is the shrimp died first. My cleaner shrimp constantly mess with my rock flower anemones, mostly to steal food, and he never seems to be affected. The tube anemones on the other hand, I can tell he feels that.

[Tamberav]

Cleaner died or was not healthy and the flower was just trying to clean up. My cleaners walk all over all of my anenome's cuz they are greedy jerks.

 

I have bubble tips and rock flowers with many inverts, cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, crabs, sexy shrimp, and small 1 inch goby's that have even perched on my rock flowers. No harm has come to any of them.

[Enchelycore808]

Oh man I thought mines was the only one! I had a p.ciliata in my rock flower tank for over a year and one day found her half sticking out I the nem. I feel like she died and just so happened to drift in to the nem as she used to crawl in and take the nems food all the time with no ill effect. Or the nem got mad.....

[SquishyFishy]

Same here, sometimes I think I wouldn't mind if something ate him...he steels my nems target food all the time, never gets stung! He's a menace! Not to mention galloping all over the other coral irritating them! Ugh!!

 

Really wanting to put him in my new pico pod breeder I'm starting just to get him out of the DT!