Can a ghost shrimp catch a neon tetra?

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albertjavieraguilar

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 14, 2011
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iowa
This morning i saw my 5 neon tetras swiming then about 5 minutes later a ghost shrimp was eating one. The neon wasn't moving at all, it looked died. I would have assumed the neon died and the ghost shrimp was just eating a died neon if i hadn't seen it swiming 5 minutes before. Anyone ever seen or heard of ghost shrimp catching and eating a live neon?
 
I believe so. at my LFS they keep the ghost shrimp in a tank of their own. but they do stock alot of these guys so that could also be the reason why. i have seen a FW lobster catch a 2" cichlid before and start eating at it. i stuck my hand in there and he let him go tho. lol
 
I was always concerned with larger fish eating the ghost shrimp, never really thought much about (or heard about) ghost shrimp catching fish. The neons are pretty small but I still find it hard to believe the shrimp can hold one with its little claws. I wana think I imagined seeing all the neons swimming just before the shrimp started eating one and he was died or close to died when the shrimp got him. It's all the circle of life anyway.
Crayfish and "lobsters" are well know fish eaters. Ghost shrimp just got little tiny claws.
 
Ghost shrimp become very bold little hunters when they get some size on them. I had one that would not let my guppies go to the surface to eat flake. I found a half eaten guppy one day so I fed the shrimp to my jack dempsey.
 
I don't think any ghost shrimp could catch a healthy neon tetra. If it was sick maybe. Most likely died first.
 
My ghost shrimp are certainly bold and I wouldn't put it past them to catch a small fish. Some of the bigger ones push two inches and sit in ambush on the undersides of my wood.
 
With there little claws I agree that it would be hard for them to catch a healthy neon, I am going to say he was sick for the record.
I have a couple of female that are 2 inches but the one that was eating the neon was under an 1 1/2 inch.
I will try an take a pic of them tonight.
 
The macro's look like cool shrimps. I think mine are true ghost shrimps since I have had them for 8 months and they haven't gotten beyond 2 inch but time will tell. Thanks for the info
 
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