Saddleback fed my fire shrimp to anemone?

[bearpeidog]

So, bad couple weeks in the tank. Lost my 3 sps for some unknown reason - all water paramaters check out on the dot...everything else is fine and not showing any signs of stress.

Next, I watched my saddleback clown dive into my leather and pull my fire shrimp to the other side of the tank and drop him into my anenome. I got the shrimp away from the anenome and he was still alive, but in a pretty hopeless state....fire shrimp is no more.

I know clowns will feed their host, but I've never heard of them taking live tank mates. Its possible something was already wrong with the shrimp and he was cleaning up, but I know the shrimp was fine yesterday. The shrimp was my favorate tank member - had him for 3+ years.

Anyway, anyone ever have this happen? I'm thinking of pulling the saddleback clown from the tank to prevent future "feedings". I just don't know if the clown got the shrimp cause he was dying or if he is aggressively feeding the anemone.

What do you think? Should the saddleback get banished to the Nano tank without the anenome?

[m2434]

I have a clowns in each of my two tanks and both are a PITA!

[mile sq. reefer]

I once witnessed my saddleback pair tear into a new cleaner shrmp, and the shrimp was 3". I never seen such aggression from my clowns before, especially since they were well fed. As far as banishment, I dont think it will change the behavior. You may have to just go without the shrimp.

[tinmanny]

just read about the same thing on this sight the clown just drajed a tank mate in for the kill and it was to late
sorry to har you lost the shrimp

[ahullsb]

I never seen that before. Saddlebacks are fairly aggressive though aren't they? How big are they?

[Nicholas89]

I've heard of Maroon clowns grabbing healthy chromis' and putting them into their hosts, so anything is possible I suppose.

[AquaReeferMan]

My female saddleback has done that to a couple of my fish. She is 5+ inches. Its happened to 2 Leopard Wrasses(Macropharyngodon bipartitus, and Macropharyngodon meleagris) and one of my chromis. The b**** is so mean.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/aquareeferman/carpet3.jpg

[bearpeidog]

Thanks folks - I'm going to banish the clown to my nano. Perhaps if there is no anemone to feed it will stop the behavior. (Plus it will be the only fish).

A couple weeks ago I also noticed one of my nassarius snails made it into the anemone. Typically, these are in my sand bed and come up to the surface when I feed the tank. I had no idea how he "fell" into the anemone. Now I know....

I did have some True percs for a couple years and they never caused issues with their tank mates.

A LONG time ago I had a Domino Damsel - you want to talk about a mean fish...attacked everything including hands, sticks etc. FEARLESS. I had to take him back to the fish store as NOTHING was safe with him around.

[boomsticks]

LOL! My maroon will try and drag my hand into the BTA!