Guppy Eats Cherry Shrimp

[andynx]

Hi,

Whilst eating breakfast, my horrified daughter said "dad, autumn (guppy's name) has bitten the head off a shrimp!". When I looked, sure enough the guppy was swimming round with a cherry shrimps head and shoulders sticking out of its mouth...

Which leads me to this post:
1. I thought cherry shrimps were safe with guppies?
2. Is it likely that the shrimp had dies, and the guppy was scavenging?
3. Is it possible I'm not feeding the guppys enough?

Thanks for your help!

Andy

ps. is it "guppys" or "guppies"?

 

[KittyKat]

It's guppies, mollies, swordtails, but platys.

Are you sure it wasn't trying to eat a shed exoskeleton? I wouldn't put it past guppies, knowing how aggressive some of mine used to be, but I wouldn't say I would have expected to have an adult guppy eat an adult shrimp, although yes to eating baby shrimp.

 

[Louiseness]

The shrimp could have been dead, or it could have been alive, theres no way of telling unless you saw it to be honest.

To be honest, no fish are 100% 'safe' with any other tankmate unless they won't fit in their mouths. Most if not all fish will eat other fish and inverts if they get the chance. In the wild, guppies naturally eat inverts, larvae and other live foods as part of their natural diet.

 

[andynx]

Thanks for both your replies, you've put my mind at rest.

As they're so elusive, it's not possible to see if they're all still there (thinking about the exoskeleton suggestion). They're not baby shrimp, although probably not full size either.

I think the comment of "nothing is 100% safe", also sounds very plausible...

Thanks for the responses!

Andy

 

[Caprichoso]

Hi,

Whilst eating breakfast, my horrified daughter said "dad, autumn (guppy's name) has bitten the head off a shrimp!". When I looked, sure enough the guppy was swimming round with a cherry shrimps head and shoulders sticking out of its mouth...

Which leads me to this post:
1. I thought cherry shrimps were safe with guppies?
2. Is it likely that the shrimp had dies, and the guppy was scavenging?
3. Is it possible I'm not feeding the guppys enough?

Thanks for your help!

Andy

ps. is it "guppys" or "guppies"?

Yes, guppy's will peck at shrimp if they get the opportunity. Most fish will. I find live bearers, gourami and some of the larger tetras to be the worst for pecking at them. It bothers me when I hear people say "only if the shrimp can fit in the fish's mouth". A fish doesn't have to fit the shrimp in it's mouth, it can just as easily peck it to death. So unless the shrimp head you saw in it's mouth was clear or a whitish colour, then it was the actual shrimp. Fish will also scavenge dead shrimp. As for your concern about feeding your guppies enough, you should feed them as much as they can eat in 30 seconds without a bunch of food falling to the substrate. It's natural for fish to browse all day long for food, and live food is very attractive to them.

 

[KittyKat]

[…] guppy's […]

Well, it's definitely not that one because the fish do not belong to a single guppy

I also recommend 30 seconds worth of food twice per day, with one day per week without food, but it is also true that the guppies will take less interest in shrimp if you feed a tiny bit more. Try to never go over 60 seconds (although this guideline only works for usual fish, not those which need special feeding).

 

[Caprichoso]

Thanks for correcting me, I do know how to spell....had a bit of a brain fart there I guess.