Ghost shrimp killing my cherry shrimp?

For starters, I know nothing about keeping shrimp.
I have 4 shrimp and a goby and they all get along pretty well. Last night before I went to sleep I noticed that my ghost shrimp and cherry shrimp were being kinda weird but I thought that they were.. you know, so I left it and went to sleep. I woke up 2 hours later and checked on them, and I see my cherry shrimp upside down and my ghost shrimp was (it looked like) taking chunks out of my cherry shrimp and eating it?? I honestly have no clue so I put on a flashlight so that he would go away but I'm sure once I went back to sleep he continued doing the same.

 

So I recently learned about a type of shrimp called whisker shrimp that are often sold as ghost shrimp but are way more aggressive. They have pretty distinctive markings, so look up a picture of one to see if it looks similar to your shrimp.

 

I don't know exactly what happened but I know shrimp are opportunistic eaters and will pretty much chow on anything that can fit in their mouths. Could have been a sick or week cherry that the shrimp found appetizing. Also I agree with bcsay, check to see the exact species.

 

Cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp do not breed, however it’s not recommended to keep them together. Ghost shrimp have been known to attack and eat smaller shrimp. Though most of the shrimp they claim will already be weak, they can also claim cherries while they’re shedding and stress through food aggression.

 

I see some whisker shrimp that look similar to mine with blue spots but I don't think that mine is a whisker shrimp.

 

I don't know exactly what happened but I know shrimp are opportunistic eaters and will pretty much chow on anything that can fit in their mouths. Could have been a sick or week cherry that the shrimp found appetizing. Also I agree with bcsay, check to see the exact species.

lol "weak" not "week"

 

Cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp do not breed, however it’s not recommended to keep them together. Ghost shrimp have been known to attack and eat smaller shrimp. Though most of the shrimp they claim will already be weak, they can also claim cherries while they’re shedding and stress through food aggression.

ahh ok. I got these shrimp as a gift and the lady we bought them from said that they would all be good together. I also have a blue velvet shrimp in the tank that is the same size as the cherry shrimp. will The ghost shrimp start killing the other shrimp in there?

I don't know exactly what happened but I know shrimp are opportunistic eaters and will pretty much chow on anything that can fit in their mouths. Could have been a sick or week cherry that the shrimp found appetizing. Also I agree with bcsay, check to see the exact species.

do I need to feed them more? I give them shrimp pellets and occasionally frozen cubes of some sort of very tiny shrimp.

 

ahh ok. I got these shrimp as a gift and the lady we bought them from said that they would all be good together. I also have a blue velvet shrimp in the tank that is the same size as the cherry shrimp. will The ghost shrimp start killing the other shrimp in there?

Anything's possible but I doubt it. They would much prefer to find food that won't resist consumption. The cherry that got eaten was probably already very weak.

 

Thank you for your help!!

 

ahh ok. I got these shrimp as a gift and the lady we bought them from said that they would all be good together. I also have a blue velvet shrimp in the tank that is the same size as the cherry shrimp. will The ghost shrimp start killing the other shrimp in there?

So since this is a new tank, you won’t have lots of biofilm, so your shrimp will be heavily reliant on supplemental feeding. It’s possible your ghost shrimp will outcompete them for food and slowly stress them. In a well-established tank you could keep the two together, with both multiplying and the ghost shrimp possibly outcompeting the cherry shrimp in the long run by out multiplying them, but then that would also depend on lifespan as ghost shrimp genetics may be weaker from the start and the cherries will live longer, or both populations could be just fine. However in a new tank, both shrimp will have low shrimplet survival rates from lack of biofilm and the adult ghost shrimps will outcompete adult cherries for supplemental foods.

Be careful not to overfeed. Even living on supplements shrimp don’t need to eat that much. Don’t leave in blanched veggies longer than a few hours and be sparring with high-protein foods.

It’s perfectly fine to keep different colors of neo shrimp together, but they will have mostly brown/wild-type offspring.

Did you drip acclimate the shrimp?

 

So since this is a new tank, you won’t have lots of biofilm, so your shrimp will be heavily reliant on supplemental feeding. It’s possible your ghost shrimp will outcompete them for food and slowly stress them. In a well-established tank you could keep the two together, with both multiplying and the ghost shrimp possibly outcompeting the cherry shrimp in the long run by out multiplying them, but then that would also depend on lifespan as ghost shrimp genetics may be weaker from the start and the cherries will live longer, or both populations could be just fine. However in a new tank, both shrimp will have low shrimplet survival rates from lack of biofilm and the adult ghost shrimps will outcompete adult cherries for supplemental foods.

It’s perfectly fine to keep different colors of neo shrimp together, but they will have mostly brown/wild-type offspring.

Did you drip acclimate the shrimp?

I am unsure of how they were put into the tank or when because they were already in the tank from when I got home after leaving for 3 days.

 

I am unsure of how they were put into the tank or when because they were already in the tank from when I got home after leaving for 3 days.

Are you able to contact the person who set up the tank? Do you at least know if the tank is cycled? Was the tank set up within 3 days or was it kept somewhere else and then moved? 3 days is not long enough to cycle a tank

 

I´ll ask today when I see them, but no I don't know if the tank is cycled

 

I´ll ask today when I see them, but no I don't know if the tank is cycled

If the tank is not cycled, I would immediately return the shrimp and goby and do a fishless cycle. While it is possible to cycle a tank with shrimp in, doing so is very risky because shrimp are low-bioload and also very sensitive. Your bacteria colony may be too slow to expand and then be overloaded over time. Goby are also an extremely sensitive fish so I wouldn’t do a fish-in cycle with them either, especially because this is your first tank and a fish-in cycle is very risky.

 

I´ll ask today when I see them, but no I don't know if the tank is cycled

The cherry shrimp was probably already dead when the other shrimp started eating him. Shrimp need not only fully cycled, but as stated above a fully mature tank is extremely important. Do you have a way to test water parameters while you wait to see the people who set up tank? Also, what temperature is the tank, and have you watched the goby go after shrimp before?

 

Anything's possible but I doubt it. They would much prefer to find food that won't resist consumption. The cherry that got eaten was probably already very weak.

Update, my blue velvet shrimp is now dead as well... and the ghost shrimp were eating him

The cherry shrimp was probably already dead when the other shrimp started eating him. Shrimp need not only fully cycled, but as stated above a fully mature tank is extremely important. Do you have a way to test water parameters while you wait to see the people who set up tank? Also, what temperature is the tank, and have you watched the goby go after shrimp before?

I haven't seen my goby attacking any of my shrimp. I also don't have anything to test the water.

So I recently learned about a type of shrimp called whisker shrimp that are often sold as ghost shrimp but are way more aggressive. They have pretty distinctive markings, so look up a picture of one to see if it looks similar to your shrimp.

are ghost shrimp supposed to be super aggressive?? They killed my other shrimp and were picking on my goby. They don't have the same marking that whisker shrimp have so I don't think that they are. I also don't have another tank for my goby if I need to move him. I don't want him to die either

 

Update, my blue velvet shrimp is now dead as well... and the ghost shrimp were eating him

it sounds like your shrimp are dying and then being eaten by the ghost shrimp. Neo shrimp are much more sensitive than ghost shrimp. It's important to figure out how these shrimp died so we can prevent your goby and ghost shrimp from having the same fate.

If you do not already I highly recommend you get a test kit. It is important to have so you can monitor your tank and you will need it to know if your tank is cycled. If you do not yet have one, you can take a water sample to your LFS and they can test it for you. Make sure they tell you the exact levels and show you what they are using to test. Strip tests are often inaccurate as they are contaminated by any contact with water vapor.

Do you know what size the tank is? Smaller tanks are less stable than larger tanks. Is there a thermometer in the tank for you to read? Does the tank at least have a filter? What kind? A picture of the tank and fish/shrimp can help as well.

If you can, I want you to look for signs of ammonia poisoning in your fish. The goby might have darkened or reddened fins, skin, and gills (they might even be swollen). If you see your shrimp or fish acting lethargic or sitting near the top of the tank this is not a good sign. They shouldn't be acting erratic or trying to jump out of the tank either.

Please try to contact whoever set up the tank. It seems like these shrimp were not drip acclimated and the tank is possibly not cycled. I'm also very sorry you had to enter the world of fishkeeping on such a sour note, but it's not too late to save your other inhabitants.