Why Isn't This Cleaner Shrimp Fighting Back??
 

Put this shrimp into the 20 gallon yesterday. It has an abundance of bristle worms, an ocellaris clown (3"), and a baby BTA. Tonight the shrimp has bristle worms all over its abdomen, and through its "flippers."

WTF?? (Sorry, I mean WTH??) :question:

http://members.shaw.ca/AJ_77/cleaner-&-worms-001.jpg

Here it is stretching to pull itself free from a few of them, and gently knocked them off with a feeler. It shows no sense of urgency, discomfort, or ANYthing. Almost like IT is being cleaned... New to me! :eek:

http://members.shaw.ca/AJ_77/cleaner-&-worms-004.jpg

sounds like you got the runt of the litter there. Send him off to self defence class

You've got me buffaloed. I myself have had two cleaners since they were very little, and I have more Bristleworms than I really want. I have never seen a Bristleworm anywhere near the cleaners. :confused:

Is this shrimp active and moving around? Or is it possible that the worms know it's dying?

:eek: That's quite a weird thing to see. Sorry I have no idea but it's a cool picture :confused:

Thanks for the sober replies (mostly). The shrimp was moving around but slowly, like it didn't quite recover from being moved from the 50 to the 20. Guess I should have spent more time acclimating it... Rats...

You're glad I can't get a pic of what is going on tonight - the shrimp's belly is a worm party... It's actually kind of nauseating.

Yup, it was weak, and now it's going-going-gone. Shat...

:confused:

was the shrimp carrying eggs?

*heh, just saw your last comment. Poor shrimp...*

I wondered if they might be after eggs or leftover eggs, but didn't see any - no bulge or change in colour in the abdomen.

Weird that all the worms would stay on the underside though, even now. Is this the best point of entry?? Wouldn't they eat the whole thing?

:eek:

The shrimp could have just molted and is very defenseless when that happens.

Cheers

Gut feast.
 

First. Sorry for the death.

Second. Coral Banded Shrimp; mine loves em.

Third. Maybe its kinda like the lions when they have a kill. First they get the weak ones and second they start at the softest place, the stomach, and go from there. I know its a stretch but I think that would be the weakest place on a crusty shrimp.

Fourth. Those are cool pics though.

George