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I have two questions… How hard are shrimpfish to keep? and also does anyone know where and how much a remora costs? Don\’t worrry the two fish would be in separate tanks. Thanks
Dear Nigel:
I don’t know any hobbyists that have kept shrimpfish in their home aquarium, but Robert PL Straughan (renowned author of the old classic "The Salt-Water Aquarium in the Home") used to collect them and keep them back in the day, and according to him they are reasonably hardy aquarium fish. They are sometimes displayed at public aquaria and are peaceful fish that might make good tankmates for seahorses if you can obtain healthy specimens and quarantine them properly before introducing them to your main tank.
They are normally fed with live Mysis and live feeder shrimp. I don’t know if they would accept frozen Mysis or other nonliving foods.
They are very curious fish that make fascinating aquarium animals because of their unusual behavior. It is their habit to swim upside down with their heads pointing toward the bottom in an up-and-down vertical posture. The striped shrimpfish have longitudinal stripes and are accustomed to sheltering amidst the spines of long-spined sea urchins (Diadema spp.). Their inverted, vertical swimming style and stripes help them blend in amidst the spines of the sea urchin. Once established in the aquarium, they seem to be fairly hardy, but they sometimes have a hard time adjusting to aquarium conditions.
If the price is right, and you can obtain healthy specimens from a reputable dealer, I think they may be worth a try. If you quarantine them properly and can keep them eating, and provide them with one or two long-spines sea urchins to make them feel at home, they might do well. And they should make fine companions for seahorses under the right circumstances.
Unlike seahorses, the armor-plated shrimpfish do not seem to be very susceptible to Gas Bubble Syndrome (GBS), but they are vulnerable to all the same diseases and disorders as other tropical marine fishes.
If you decide to give them a try, Nigel, be sure to quarantine them properly and by all means let us know how well they do in your aquarium and it they are indeed good tankmates for seahorses.
The remora is a different matter altogether. They are normally only displayed by large public aquariums in their humongous shark tanks where they make an interesting exhibit as they hitch a ride on the bigger sharks or sea turtles. Most species grow pretty large and would not be good specimens for a typical home hobby tank. I’m not quite sure why you would want to keep a boring ol’ tag-along remora sucker fish when there are so many other marine fish available that are much more colorful and far more interesting aquarium specimens. I know of no pet dealers or fish stores, wholesale or retail, that might carry a remora. If you really want to try one, your best bet would probably be to contact a collector and make a special order, and I imagine that could be costly to arrange…
Best wishes with all your fishes, sir!
Happy Trails!
Pete GiwojnaThank you i read some more on the striped shrimpfish and found a carrier. They seem pretty reasonably priced. They say they also live in seagrass as well. They seem like interesting fish and mabye a conversation starter…
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