| By the way...another reason I wouldn't keep any infested shrimp is that I use the shrimp as breeders. Every couple of weeks, my cleaners (and the ghosts) let loose hundreds if not thousands of fry (is that the proper term for shrimp babes?). They are then consumed by my pipe fish, seahorses, and some are siphoned for the seahorse fry in the grow out tanks.
The Bopyrid Ispods actually CASTRATE their hosts. By Castration, I mean, render them infertile. There is actually studies being conducted as to HOW they do this. Most feel that they alter the biochemistry of the host and preclude them from reproducing. There is also some correlation to weight loss, and general health of the hosts as a result of the infestation. It then gets to a point where the energetic costs of reproduction are not worth it for the shrimp. They could suffer and fail trying to produce offspring in such a volatile state.
Obviously, this is a problem if I depend on farming the shrimp fry as a food source for my systems.
Dave
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Experience in aquaria, 35 years. Experience in marine, 20+ years. Experience in Reef Keeping, 6 years. Always a newbie! |