[almostdiva]

Hey guys!

So... I got a new 3/4 inch Sea Swirl last week to improve water movement etc. in my 55g. I ended up talking to Ed at Sea Swirl about a plumbing question I had after reading the directions. We were discussing the overall contents of the tank. (my boyfriend was actually making the call -- plumbing is his area). So the two of them are chatting and the subject of my 3 banggai cardinals in quarantine comes up. Ed mentions that once the cardinals get to be the size of quarters, they will eat the shrimp. NOWHERE have I read anything about banggais being shrimp munchers. Until this morning, when I came across one reference that said their natural food in the wild was "crustaceans".

Anybody keeping these guys?? With shrimp?? I LOVE my shrimp (4 peppermint and 2 fire) and if it's them or the banggais, the cardinals will go back to the store!

Rebecca

[leebca]

Cardinal fishes are carnivores. They may eat some invertebrates in the wild.

You should feed them the carnivore recommended foods noted here:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

Since the shrimp were there first, quite often carnivores that eat shrimp will not bother the ones that have already established themselves in the aquarium IF the carnivore fishes are fed well and properly.

I keep a Harlequin Tusk Wrasse with several shrimp that it has never bothered. Shrimp were there months before the wrasse was introduced. BUT, I keep it fed the right foods with vitamins and supplements. But, there is no guarantee. . .

If the carnivore has any 'inclination' that it is not getting the nutrients it needs, it will view your shrimp as meals. If the shrimp are largish (1 or more inches) they will protect themselves. Any smaller and they would be 'goners' if the cardinal decided it was on the menu.

I am glad you're using a quarantine process. Good for you! Good for your display tank!

[almostdiva]

Lee,

Thanks for the response and the link. I do mix up their foods with a variety of frozen,meaty products (formula one, squid, chopped clam, Formula A, Reef complete, etc) and it all either gets selcon or vitachem. I am not really feeding anything whole though, other than mysis or plankton. I used to feed Krill, but then I stopped when I started keeping fish like jawfish, anthias, firefish and scissortail gobies. I suppose I need to start buying "whole" products again.

Re my shrimp. the fireshrimp are a good 2.5 -3 inches in body length. The peppermints are probably about an inch and a half. Two of the three banggais are about the size of a quarter in body (not counting the fins), the third is smaller, bigger than a dime, probably about the size of a nickle. Would you risk it, or trade them back to the LFS??

PS -- I ALWAYS quarantine. I lost too many animals early on from not doing it and got tired of throwing money away!

[leebca]

I would risk it, but you need to understand that I don't have any particular attachment to my shrimp. They die or get eaten, either I replace them or go without.

[kevinpo]

Hi Rebecca,
I've kept many Banggai Cardinal fish and never had any of them go after Cleaner shrimp, Fire shrimp, or Peppermint shrimp, even very small ones. I would not trust them with Sexy shrimp however. The only species of cardinal that I had trouble with shrimp and small fish was the Flamefish (Apogon maculatus) which is one of the largest Cardinalfish (4").

Regards,
Kevin

[almostdiva]

Hey, Kevin!

The guy at SS sort of modified his statement when I asked him about it. He said he had only seen it happen with really large banggais (ones that were at least the size of a silver dollar). I don't have sexy shrimp, and don't really plan to get any, so I think I should be in pretty good shape. Yesterday I was ready to take the silly things back to the store, once they get whatever silly infection they have cleared up. But now I'm thinking I will keep them. They're all pretty small right now, and my fire shrimp especially are pretty good-sized. I DO like the fish, I think they are cool, and I need peaceful tank mates for my firefish.



Rebecca

[kevinpo]

Hi Rebecca,
I would keep them. They are easy, and fun, to breed and raise the fry. They are very peaceful and get along with almost all community type fish.

Regards,
Kevin

[almostdiva]

That's actually sort of what I was thinking... I already have a long-spinned urchin in residence for them. I figured if I got 3, they would pair up, have fry and I could watch a little bit of the ocean in my living room -- have the babies hanging out in the urchin's spines. It sounded like a pretty cool relationship to try to duplicate. The urchin does eat some green algae, but he sure is going to town on the corraline on my live rock! There are obvious places where he's gnawed it away and left bare, white spots.