Will Shrimp Completely Eat Dead Fish?

[Cazgar]

I seem to be missing a dwarf cory.
Haven't seen it for a couple of days.
I've looked everywhere, lifted wood & searched plants.
I have quite a few shrimp in the tank, is it possible he died & they've cleaned up?

 

[Baccus]

With enough shrimp its more than likely they did their job and "cleaned" the tank, if you have any snails like rams horns they too will clean up a corpse in a matter of hours.

 

[Cazgar]

Oh dear, looks like he's gone then, but at least he didn't go to waste

 

[Baccus]

Shrimp will also eat their own deceased and that is one of the ways that white muscle disease is suspected of being spread throughout shrimp populations. Don't know if that applies to them having a munch on dead fish as well.

With rams horns I get suspicious anytime I see a ball of snails congregated in one spot and I know they haven't been fed. Investigation usually proves a death has occurred and the snails are just cleaning up the windfall.

 

[Cazgar]

I don't have any rams horns in the tank, or any other snails that I've seen, just the shrimp & the corys

 

[Baccus]

Your lucky, most times I wish I could erradicate the snails in my tanks, but my Pakastani loaches are making a good dint in the populations while not eating my shrimp so I am pretty happy.

 

[Cazgar]

When I changed the substrate from gravel to sand I took the opportunity to eradicate all the snails & touch wood haven't seen one since