crab eating shrimp?

T

tonyg

Reefing newb
My watchman goby has a pet tiger shrimp. They share a borough under a big rock that has a couple of entrances. This is the fourth time I've seen the shrimp come out, grab a crab, and drag him back into his hole.

At first I thought maybe the shrimp just saw the shell and wanted to add it to his home, but this time the crab tried like crazy to get away. The shrimp turned him over and poked at the crab with his pincers until the crab tucked back into his shell.

Anyone seen this before? Does the shrimp kill the crabs? I have about a dozen blue legs so its hard to tell if any are missing.
 
Oh my, I have found a couple of dismembered Blue crabs in my tank, I wonder if My Gobies pet Tiger shrimp is the culprit?? Seems I find the shells lying outside thier home under a big rock, tagging along here to see what kind of answers you get on this!!
 
It is absolutely possible that the tiger shrimp is going after the crabs.

However, the shrimp and the goby have a symbiotic relationship, it's not the goby's "pet".
 
ErinCahir said:
It is absolutely possible that the tiger shrimp is going after the crabs.

However, the shrimp and the goby have a symbiotic relationship, it's not the goby's "pet".
Click to expand...

Many people feel the relationship they have with their pets is symbiotic. Especially dog owners.

I could argue that I share a symbiotic relationship with my fish tank. I feed them and change their water ect, and in exchange they offer me relaxation, stress relief, ect.

The shrimp sure looks like the gobys pet, the way he nudges the gobys tail and such.
 
There are even arguments in the scientific community about what constitutes a true symbiotic relationship.

But its a lot more fun to tell someone who is looking at your tank that the goby has a pet shrimp.

Heck, my clownfish got along with one another for over six months before the female decided the male was getting too big and started a major dominance battle, the poor male got beat up so bad, I thought for sure if I didn't get him out of the tank he was gonna die. They stopped fighting just a suddenly as they started. Of course when people saw them fighting, instead of trying to explain clownfish behavior I told them that the female wanted him out of there for flirting with the blenny....
 
tonyg said:
There are even arguments in the scientific community about what constitutes a true symbiotic relationship.

But its a lot more fun to tell someone who is looking at your tank that the goby has a pet shrimp.

Heck, my clownfish got along with one another for over six months before the female decided the male was getting too big and started a major dominance battle, the poor male got beat up so bad, I thought for sure if I didn't get him out of the tank he was gonna die. They stopped fighting just a suddenly as they started. Of course when people saw them fighting, instead of trying to explain clownfish behavior I told them that the female wanted him out of there for flirting with the blenny....
Click to expand...
Are they Maroon Clowns, I have a pair and they get along fine, except she won't let him in The BTA, he wants too, and hangs out by it with her, be he isn't allowed in it LOL, clowns are so cute and funny!!
 
They are ocellaris clowns. They sure are strange, mine like to sleep in the barnacles i have. Though if the female sees the male in any of them she chases him out. He has to wait until she goes to sleep before he can go in one.
 
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