sixline wrasse behavior

jonathan · 07-31-2006, 02:20 PM

i've had my sixline wrasse for a few weeks now and i have a questioin pertaining it's behavior around shrimp. i have had a fire shrimp for about a month, the shrimp would hide quite a bit but would come out to feed. i noticed about a week ago that the shrimp had molted (after finding the molting stuck to one of the power heads) but he was going on about his business...hiding and feeding. i realize after a molting, shrimp tend to hide more than usual until they "heal". a few days later (today) i find that my shrimp wasn't moving at all while i was feeding the tank. so i moved the rock that would expose his hideout, then i find his remains...near the tail, he was almost split in two. it looks as though my wrasse was up to no good. has anyone had problems with sixline wrasse going after larger shrimp (lysmata), the shrimp was about as big as the sixline. i also have had my tank running for about six months now and i have never noticed bristleworms or serpent stars that could possibly do this...the fault always comes back to the wrasse. i was wondering if anyone else has had experiences such as this with a sixline wrasse or other. thanks in advance...

jtReef · 07-31-2006, 02:37 PM

You never know. It could be anything.
I have 3 shrimp with my 6 line wrasse. 9 months with no issues. Then one night after getting back from the bar around 4am with a red flash-lite I see one of them being eaten my my cardinal fish.
My wife blames me for scaring the cardinal into eating the shrimp. I blame it on Nature. :-)

rickzter · 07-31-2006, 03:01 PM

I wouldn't be surprised as you are warned about the sixline's behavior around shrimp. If it was just as big as him, there is a real possibility it was him. The shrimp should be bigger than him to discourage him from attacking them.

Zissou · 07-31-2006, 03:25 PM

i too have had this problem i bought two peppermint shrimp for my tank and the six line wrasse killed them immediately. i could not believe it at first but by mornign they were dead and the wrasse was still cruising the tank. he has killed multiple crabs too. shrug....

jonathan · 07-31-2006, 11:32 PM

i suppose i'll have to skip on having a shrimp as a tank inhabitant for now. i was almost tempted to go buy a skunk cleaner shrimp to replace my dearly departed fire shrimp....

amcarrig · 08-01-2006, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathan

i suppose i'll have to skip on having a shrimp as a tank inhabitant for now. i was almost tempted to go buy a skunk cleaner shrimp to replace my dearly departed fire shrimp....

I'd rather get rid of the fish but that's me