Banded Longfin Basslet(Belonepterygion fasciolatum) safe with smaller ornamental shrimp?

[Phycodurus]

hi all, happy friday! (^__^)v

does anyone have experience keeping these beautiful banded longfin basslets with smaller shrimp like Ancylomenes and Periclimenes species?? ;Bookworm

i’m a fan of small fish in large tanks (180G DT here), and i was unaware of these guys until i started seeing them on LiveAquaria’s Divers Den.

i have clams and i’m willing to bet clams won’t get their attention but the movements of these smaller shrimp may trigger an irresistible urge to chow down.

i’ve already scratched chalk basslets off my short list because i feel chalk basslets are just large enough & aggressive enough to make a meal of my little shrimp children lol. ;Nailbiting

thanks for reading.

 

[Phycodurus]

sample pic of a yucatan cleaner shrimp (Ancylomenes yucatanicus). they max out at about 1.5” (3.8 cm).

 

[WMR]

They will eat them, if they can’t swallow them whole, they’ll break them in pieces against the rock & eat them. Basslets( pseudochromis, grammas, etc) are basically mini groupers, if they think they can eat something, they will, even if they swim around with some of it hanging out their mouths til they digest it. We’ve had them in the shop before, they’re very secretive

 

[Phycodurus]

thanks for the testimonial, WMR. i did suspect typical basslet/grouper behavior: the Belonepterygion will fit as much as it can seize in it’s mouth regardless of the prey’s size, and just keep working it down. (>__<)’