Killer Shrimp!

**octomatic** · Mar 17, '11, 7:52pm

sorry guys i didnt know where i should post this, but i need some help. so for funsies i thought i would put a coral banded shrimp in my tank UNTIL i can get an octo. THIS GUY HAS GONE FREAKING SATANIC!!!!! everyone i talked too says they are peacefull and nothing to worry about. WRONG! he has killed my black blenny (i watched him, but it was too late) and 2 of my hermit crabs. the problem is i cant catch him. i tried netting him, placing a diy bottle trap...nothing. i wanna get rid of him or put him in my sump before he kills all my hermits. help!

**DWhatley** · Mar 17, '11, 9:26pm

They are definitely territorial and aggressive about cleaning parasites but I have never heard of one killing a fish (or hermits for that matter, they are known to kill each other if they don't except being placed together and should be bought in introduced pairs if more than one is put into a tank.). You might try putting a little food in an opaque bottle and checking it in the morning but some critters are a real pain to catch and require live rock removal to get to them.

**octomatic** · Mar 17, '11, 9:28pm

i already tried the bottle trap.....i dont like this guy. i cant wait to feed him to my octo

**iAlex** · Mar 17, '11, 9:34pm

Did you bait it?
In this video, it shows there is a cube of frozen Brine shrimp. I used this exact same thing and caught a gorrila crab after I couldn't get him with the net.

**octomatic** · Mar 17, '11, 9:44pm

i baited it like a thawed raw shrimp. i also tried with fish food (he loves it!) i need a super tiny speargun!

**matthewjgrabow** · Apr 28, '11, 5:41am

Have you tried pouring a half gallon of laundry bleach and two or three pounds of the hottest Mexican chilli that you can find into the tanK?

**matthewjgrabow** · Apr 28, '11, 5:44am

And please note that I didn't feel that the above post of mine needed a laughing, smiley-face icon. Even this reply is damaging the "dryness" of the "humor".

**Thales** · Apr 28, '11, 10:28am

Just to note, coral banded shrimp are not 'cleaners' and are well known for being aggressive to fish and inverts. Sorry you had to deal with it!

**Mike Bauer** · Apr 28, '11, 12:51pm

The one I have have made a place in the tank it's home and will protect it from any intruder, I don't care how big it is he will attack it and run it off never see him kill anything yet but he did attack my emperor angelfish once.

**Neogonodactylus** · Apr 28, '11, 4:25pm

Thales,

Stenopus hispidus is a facultative cleaner.

Roy

**Thales** · Apr 28, '11, 5:27pm

Thanks for the clarification Roy!

**octomatic** · Apr 28, '11, 7:37pm

i have since removed it. i took out ALL my rock and then netted it and gave it to a friend. i have heard that they can be in an octo tank and that the octopus will just ignore it, but i have not tested this out or do i ever what this shrimp in my tank again (unless i have fireworms)

**DWhatley** · Apr 28, '11, 10:57pm

I can vouch for them eating parasites. The trigger we had developed parasites around the eyes a week or two after we got him. He hated the bandid but it removed the parasites (whether or not the fish wanted him to or not) until after about a year, we never saw any signs of the nasties. However, about that time Harvey lost and arm and then disappeared.