What could it be? (Lysmata Amboinensis)

[Gabbone]

Hi guys,

I got this lovely Lysmata Amboinensis two weeks ago. Super active, curious, eating a lot and even moulting yesterday.

She has this white spot only on one side of her body since the beginning and to me it seems it's getting a bit bigger but I can be wrong. What can it be? Thank you all!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Possibly a parasitic isopod:

@DaJMasta may be able to help:

Removing a parasitic isopod from a shrimp

I saw this technique a year or so ago on youtube when I had a Caribbean white spot cleaner shrimp with an obvious isopod, and I successfully removed it with only slight modifications to the method. I just got an Urocaridella antonbruunii shrimp with a smaller isopod lump, and I documented and...

www.reef2reef.com

You can find a few videos on removal.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi guys,

I got this lovely Lysmata Amboinensis two weeks ago. Super active, curious, eating a lot and even moulting yesterday.

She has this white spot only on one side of her body since the beginning and to me it seems it's getting a bit bigger but I can be wrong. What can it be? Thank you all!

Looks to be skeletal. Assure calcium is not low and nitrates not elevated

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi guys,

I got this lovely Lysmata Amboinensis two weeks ago. Super active, curious, eating a lot and even moulting yesterday.

She has this white spot only on one side of her body since the beginning and to me it seems it's getting a bit bigger but I can be wrong. What can it be? Thank you all!

Most likely it is a Epicaridean isopod. Surgical removal is risky as the host shrimp can only repair damage to its shell when it molts again.

Jay

 

[Gabbone]

Looks to be skeletal. Assure calcium is not low and nitrates not elevated

Calcium is 500 and nitrate 28ppm but she had the white dot since the first day I got her.

 

[Gabbone]

Most likely it is a Epicaridean isopod. Surgical removal is risky as the host shrimp can only repair damage to its shell when it molts again.

Jay

What should I do? Any recommendations?

 

[vetteguy53081]

What should I do? Any recommendations?

These guys are delicate. The safest thing you can do is dose 80% praziPro as Hyposalinity will kill the shrimp. I see this now on a large screen and agree on pod. Im surprised it did not remove with molt which says its attached to the shrimp well

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

What should I do? Any recommendations?

Since the shrimp JUST molted, IMO, you should wait a bit. The shrimp may molt again in 3 to 4 weeks. Right before that time, you might then consider surgery to remove the isopod. Hopefully, then the shell will heal with the next molt.

 

[Gabbone]

These guys are delicate. The safest thing you can do is dose 80% praziPro as Hyposalinity will kill the shrimp. I see this now on a large screen and agree on pod. Im surprised it did not remove with molt which says its attached to the shrimp well

Will prazipro kill the isopod?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Will prazipro kill the isopod?

Prazipro is only effective against flukes and tapeworms, not isopods. Isopods are closely related to shrimp. Anything that will kill the isopod, will also kill the shrimp.

Jay

 

[Gabbone]

Prazipro is only effective against flukes and tapeworms, not isopods. Isopods are closely related to shrimp. Anything that will kill the isopod, will also kill the shrimp.

Jay

Thanks!

One little question since I am a newbie. Is the shrimp gonna die if I don't do anything?

Is this parasite gonna move to another member of my tank?

Kind regards,
Gabriele

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks!

One little question since I am a newbie. Is the shrimp gonna die if I don't do anything?

Is this parasite gonna move to another member of my tank?

Kind regards,
Gabriele

Yes, the shrimp could die from this, but there is not good data on how many die versus how many survive. It won't spread to other animals.

Jay

 

[Gabbone]

Yes, the shrimp could die from this, but there is not good data on how many die versus how many survive. It won't spread to other animals.

Jay

Thanks! Then, I will proceed to extract the pod. I am scaredddd

 

[Gabbone]

Hi guys, quick update:

I just found him dead. He is the first dead of my tank. I found the two hermits and the crab eating him and in a couple of hours the poor body completely disappeared. I believe the cause it's the isopod since I remember yesterday it was huge.

All the creatures of my tank are very peaceful so I highly doubt my two clumsy hermits killed him. That shrimp was very fast in movement.

 

[Gabbone]

I am actually thinking where the isopod is since the hermits and the crab ate the whole shrimp in two hours. Maybe they ate it?

 

[DaJMasta]

Sorry for your loss. In my understanding, isopods wouldn't grow that quickly if it had gotten noticeably larger in the course of a week. Not sure I can shed any light on it beyond that, but I at least don't think it's the kind of isopod I've seen a couple times in other shrimp.

I know that dark spots can be bacterial infections, perhaps there's an infection that shows externally as a light spot like this?

 

[Gabbone]

Probably not that noticeably larger but still big for his size. He was super active, and never showed any weird act. No dark spots.