Can a Damsel eat a skunk shrimp?

[artschwartz]

I have a yellow tailed damsel in a Nano cube. He has been in the cube about a month.

 

I introduced a skunk shrimp and a peppermint shrimp on Saturday and he proceeded to terrorize them. I talked to my lfs yesterday (Sunday) and they told me he wouldn't eat them but he would act aggressively towards them to assert his territory (the whole tank).

 

I didn't see either shrimp yesterday afternoon or in the evening. I thought they were goners and had been done in by the damsel. However, I did see the peppermint shrimp this morning. He seems to have found out all the hiding places.

 

Should I wait it out and see if the skunk shrimp reappears? Or should I assume that the "evil" damsel has done him in? If the damsel has done him in then I am going to get rid of the damsel. Unfortunately, to net the damsel I will have to move the LR, there are just too many hiding places.

[slaeyer]

Damsels are very territorial, as you no doubt have realized. They do not usually actively kill tankmates, but may terrorize them to death. That said, I've not seen a fish alive that didn't like the taste of shrimp, whether it was dead before or after the particular fish eats said shrimp is another matter all together.

 

My personal recommendation is to never again buy another damsel unless they are in a species only or fish only tank, but that's my thoughts, not necessarily yours.