Cherry Shrimp disappeared?

[airdog44]

I just got some red cherry shrimp, 10 of them. 3 of them died, so there should be 7. I just did a water change and only see 2(I know for a fact that I didn't suck any up). I have 6 neon tetras in there, I think they ate them. They are juveniles. But they looked big enough to the point I don't think it could fit in the tetra's mouth. I saw them picking at the dead ones and they couldn't eat them(I removed the bodies). I looked everywhere for them, in my sponge filter, under plants, rocks, and I can't find them. Do you think the tetras ate them even though the shrimp seem too big to fit in their mouths? Or are they just really good hiders? I saw 3 before the water change, and now only see two. I watched the tank the whole time and didn't see the tetras eat any. I appreciate the help!

 

[ruud]

"They are juveniles." The tetra's or the shrimp?
Tetra's will go after shrimplets (juvenile shrimp) for sure.
If I look at my planted tanks, I think I can spot around 50-70% of the populations if I really do my best.
They can also be dead of course; a dead shrimp is gone within a day.

 

[airdog44]

The shrimp are juveniles

 

[BlackOsprey]

It's pretty likely that they're just hiding, especially if you have a lot of plants or decor. Of course, it's also possible that the tetras managed to eat the bodies. Heck, even in my shrimp-only tanks, dead shrimp tend to get devoured in hours by their former tankmates.

Edit: oh, juvenile shrimp? Yeah, those are basically the chicken nuggets of the freshwater tank. Neon tetras absolutely will hunt and kill them, regardless of whether they can fit them in their mouths. I wouldn't recommend mixing the two species unless your tank is fairly large (like 29g or more), densely planted, lots of hiding spaces, and you gave time for the shrimp to establish a colony first.

 

[airdog44]

Ya that was my mistake…I made a forum for tips and did lots of research but no one even mentioned the fact that the tetras would eat them. Just flushed $30 down the toilet