SHOCKING Discovery!

kimco · Post by **kimco** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:29 pm

I have read in quite a number of posts that algae shrimps do not kill and eat others shrimps, ............................ well, yesterday i saw with my own eyes, one of my amano shrimp actually attacked and kill and eat one my my blue/mix shrimplet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Shrimplet is about close to 10mm. I've always suspected that but was unable to prove anything till yesterday. Why do you think my Amanos became KILLER Shrimp!!!!!!! OMG!

Do you think i should seperate them lest i end up with more dead shrimps?

Cheers,

KG

Ljung · Post by **Ljung** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 11:33 pm

must have starved your amano?

or too small of a tank to let the shrimplet to excape?

not enough plant for hiding place?
any picture of your tank?

kimco · Post by **kimco** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 12:02 am

Cant be starving coz my tank got plenty of thread algae and not to mention i feed them once a day. My tank is a 2' tank and my bio load is 8 cherries, 2 tigers, 2 bees about 4 blue/mix and 4 amanos, 8 cardinals & 8 other tetra (name of which i've forgotten

) Dont know how many shrimplets coz they keep on getting more!

As for picture, well but havent figured out how to post them here!

Cheers,

KG

hwchoy · Post by **hwchoy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:42 am

Yamato shrimps (my apologies, but I am going to stick to their native Japanese vernacular name 大和藻虾 which literally means Yamato algae-eating shrimp) are quite an agressive shrimp when it comes to scavenging for dead and almost dead animals. They also go for vegetation such as hairgrass and moss when really hungry.

Usually shrimps are safe from attacks of Yamato shrimp because of their shell. However when the shrimps moult, they are susceptible to attacks from Yamato because of their soft new shell. I saw a just-moulted red-nose shrimp about 2cm in size swimming past a Yamato shrimp, which opportunistically seize it and completely consumed it in less than 5 minutes.

They also attack stricken fishes that are about to die, and start eating them without waiting for them to die completely.

amber2461 · Post by **amber2461** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:25 am

Eeeewwww ... Heng Wah ... what an image to put into my mind right now; and my shrimps are being kept in my hubby's care (who doesn't know anything about shrimps) ~shudder~

hwchoy · Post by **hwchoy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:28 am

amber2461 wrote:Eeeewwww ... Heng Wah ... what an image to put into my mind right now; and my shrimps are being kept in my hubby's care (who doesn't know anything about shrimps) ~shudder~

It was quite amazing how the Yamato grasp the red-nose and started chewing from one end. wish I had a video.

louieknucks · Post by **louieknucks** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:06 am

That's really crazy. I've never heard of anything like that.

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:22 am

I personally don't think that they C. japonica can hold on and eat a *healthy* shrimp of any kind. They just do not have the tools necessary to hold on to a jerking animal. If you saw their "claws" under a microscope you would know what I mean. They do not have claws at all, but have mini versions of the appendages that filter feeding shrimp have (like the Atya and Atyopsis). Try holding on to anything that moves with those.

I think Heng Wah's "Red Nose" shrimp was not a healthy shrimp. I know that some of them "seem" healthy, but even half-dead shrimp still swim around (and some even *still* pick on food!!).

It's even hard for some Macrobrachiums with real claws (such as M. assamensis) to catch healthy adult shrimp.

Just my experience....

Mustafa

hwchoy · Post by **hwchoy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:31 am

it helps when the Yamato is more than twice the size of the red-nose. perhaps I didn't describe it clearly enough. this Yamato didn't walk over and grab onto the red-nose. the red-nose was swimming fairly rapidly and the Yamato intercepted it in mid-swim. it wrapped its legs completely around the red-nose in a kind of alien-embrace.

perhaps I should make you feel even more incredulous by relating the story of a Boraras maculatus, alive abeit very weak, being eaten alive in similar circumstances. the fish was still struggling. again it wasn't the claws or tip of the appendages but the entire leg that was embracing the fish.

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:07 am

Hmmm...I believe you Heng Wah.

But still, do you have that video available somewhere?

Mustafa

hwchoy · Post by **hwchoy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:09 am

Mustafa wrote:Hmmm...I believe you Heng Wah. But still, do you have that video available somewhere?

Mustafa

of course you do

I said I wished I had a video. in any case there is no real reason to worry. I my several years with 10-20 Yamatoes in a 3ft tank, this is the only two times I have seen them actually grabbing something alive. Mostly they just swamp the dead or half-deads.

frankly I am myself quite incredulous that it managed to intercept a swimming red-nose. and in this particular case the red-nose was not doing its characteristic hover, it was actually a dash. I'm more amazed by its speed of reflex and actual ability to track such a fast moving target!

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:22 pm

Oh I thought you had taken a video of this. Oh well, maybe you just had one or more very unusual individuals. They sound more like jumping spiders than shrimp....

Mustafa

hwchoy · Post by **hwchoy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:54 pm

actually they acted like Aliens.

Ljung · Post by **Ljung** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 6:33 pm

feel so sad for your red nose....

i have seen a red-nose molting process (just once by chance), was at around 5am....
a newly molt shrimp seems very weak, gasping and doesnt swim well, even the own kind tried to grab a piece from him!!! well, lucky this guy still able to shrug off and swim to some isolated area... phew.....

maybe the hunt by yamato is by chance.... pure luck....

mmm, one question, do they have any 'favorite' time for molting process? e.g. in the morning or night time?

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:47 pm

There seems to be no favorite time for molting. My shrimp molt pretty much any time of the day.

Mustafa