Dotty back killed cleaner shrimp!!!

[guitars2018]

I have a cleaner shrimp for a out a week now and tonight it was dead on the sand bead with no cuc around it yet and its eyes were ate out and nothing else. 2 days ago I had seen my dotty back swipe on it and thought nothing of it it was near the rock were he likes to hang out. And it wasn't a recent shed, it shed the day it got in my tank.

Tank parameters

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ph 8.15-8.3
Calcium 490
Alkalinity 9.9
Phosphate 0.1
Magnesium 1200

It was a Springari dotty back.
The only other thing I could think of is my salinity dropped from 1.023 to 1.022 and I raised it the next day. It was a 10 gallon water change that dropped it.

I have seen some other threads that said they had the same problem. 40 breeder with 20 gallon sump.

 

[BadFish619]

I have a dotty. Very territorial so I wouldn't be surprised. Mine keeps to himself until someone gets near his rock. Kinda goes with the territory of owning one.

 

[guitars2018]

I have a dotty. Very territorial so I wouldn't be surprised. Mine keeps to himself until someone gets near his rock. Kinda goes with the territory of owning one.

Thank you for your input I was unaware that they had a little bull dog in them.

 

[mattzang]

that's surprising, i thought springeri's were pretty chill for the most part. slightly more aggressive than orchids, but not the demonspawn level of others

 

[Waynerock]

I have a cleaner shrimp for a out a week now and tonight it was dead on the sand bead with no cuc around it yet and its eyes were ate out and nothing else. 2 days ago I had seen my dotty back swipe on it and thought nothing of it it was near the rock were he likes to hang out. And it wasn't a recent shed, it shed the day it got in my tank.

Tank parameters

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ph 8.15-8.3
Calcium 490
Alkalinity 9.9
Phosphate 0.1
Magnesium 1200

It was a Springari dotty back.
The only other thing I could think of is my salinity dropped from 1.023 to 1.022 and I raised it the next day. It was a 10 gallon water change that dropped it.

I have seen some other threads that said they had the same problem. 40 breeder with 20 gallon sump.

Dotty backs are just evil. Have an orchid and have been trying for a year to get gone. Even when I changed thanks it found a hole way up in a rock and hid till it was safe in the new tank. I can’t have any sexy shrimp cause it eats them like Doritos! Went through 6 till I figured that out. When I had FW it killed 2 six lines I bought and that’s pretty brutal

 

[mort]

that's surprising, i thought springeri's were pretty chill for the most part. slightly more aggressive than orchids, but not the demonspawn level of others

Completely agree with this.

Whilst I couldn't rule out the dotty, cleaners can die for various reasons such as changes in water chemistry that can promote a bad shed which doesn't always kill them straight away.

 

[nereefpat]

You sure it isn't a molt?

 

[guitars2018]

You sure it isn't a molt?

Yes I am very sure I took it out

 

[bluprntguy]

Dottybacks often take half -hearted swipes at other animals to defend their territory. It usually works, the intruder leaves, and everyone goes about their business. I think what you saw are normal tank dynamics and the cleaner shrimp likely died for some other reason.

I’d keep an eye on the dottyback, but I think it’s too soon to convict it for murder.