wrasse and cleaner shrimp

[chevyjaxon]

little bastard went after my new cleaner shrimp looking for a lunch..... trap is in and that wrasse will be soon on its way out.

[kien]

Originally Posted by chevyjaxon

little bastard went after my new cleaner shrimp looking for a lunch..... trap is in and that wrasse will be soon on its way out.

If your wrasse wanted to eat your new shrimp he would have done so quickly and your shrimp would probably be done by now.

It is a vary natural response for some fish to be curious whenever you add something new. He could just be checking out the new shrimp. Sometimes fish will also try to assert their dominance and show newcomers who's boss by charging at them and chasing them for an initial period of time. This doesn't mean he's trying to eat your shrimp. Also, a lot of fish will recognize the cleaner shrimp for what he is, a cleaning shrimp and will try to engage the shrimp to get it to clean them. Sometimes the shrimp just don't want to clean the fish but the fish will keep trying to bother the shrimp to get them to do some cleaning.

At any rate, I wouldn't panic, unless of course you can actually witness and see your pink fairy wrasse nipping the shrimp's body and antennae. The antennae are usually the first to go if in fact the wrasse is trying to eat it.

[chevyjaxon]

it was a very aggresive nip at the antenae not once bit twice.

[kien]

Originally Posted by chevyjaxon

it was a very aggresive nip at the antenae not once bit twice.

D'oh! Sounds like Murphy has struck again! That's some bad luck. Every once in a while you'll get a fish that breaks the generality that's applied to it, sadly.. Like us fish have personality too. Even though their species may generally be reef safe you'll get the odd fish with a very non reef safe personality. This pretty much goes for every fish out there.

[kien]

Mind you it could still be a territorial response. I've owned lots of inverts in my time and have lost a few antennae due to new addition aggressions. If the shrimp wasn't eaten right away, the antennae grows back and the fish in about a day or so is satisfied that she has shown the shrimp who's the boss and leaves him alone there after.

[chevyjaxon]

the shrimp is still alive this morning so that's good news. looked up what the wrasse is turns out its a pink marginal fairy. no more attacks on the shrimp thus far.....

[kien]

Originally Posted by chevyjaxon

the shrimp is still alive this morning so that's good news. looked up what the wrasse is turns out its a pink marginal fairy. no more attacks on the shrimp thus far.....

Excellent! That is a pretty wrasse! Again, if your wrasse wanted to eat your shrimp the shrimp would be done by now. :-) He/she is probably satisfied that they've shown that shrimp who's boss and they will probably become BFF going forward :-)