# Shrimp parasite?



## maxpayne_lhp

Hello all!
Well, see what I get! I took several photos of a shrimp that I found something on his/her body. Is it a parasite or a cooporator? Or his/her young?
The 2 photos show before and after I isolate the 2 of them. Now they're back together.
Before:








After:









Thanks!


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## Lexus

looks like a form of a water flea


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## maxpayne_lhp

Anyone else has ideas?


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## drosera

*parasite*

That's interesting. Where did you get the shrimp from? It looks like an aquatic form of "wood lice". They are obviously not called that, but they are related to them (also known as potato bugs or sow bugs.) There are some parasitical species, although at that size I would think it is either an opportunistic feeder, or perhaps even a symbiotic pal. 

I would keep them seperate at first if you plan on keeping the "hitch-hiker". If it can survive alone on flakes, pellets, etc. for a while, it is probably safe to keep them together. Be watchful if you ever introduce it into an aquarium, that it doesn't hurt the fish. A long quarantine would also be very adviseable.

Neat!

Chris


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## Ownager2004

I was interested in finding out what exactly that was. I think it may just be a "freshwater louse". I found pictures of fish lice that looked similiar but none were right on. If i were you id exterminate that guy.


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## fishboy

i agree with Chris

if he can live on his own=symbotic
if it can't survive on its own=parasite

try this out if he lives on his own he may be just cleaning the shrimp. but if he can't and he dies well you don't lose anything but a good for nothing parasite


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## maxpayne_lhp

Ok, thanks! I noticed that many of these shrimps have! Let me find some to isolate and test!  I also found that it's very easy to isolate the two and the lil' swim very fast and show that it's very independant, but let me try anyway...


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## mlefev

Weird little critter. Just being that it's the basic color of the ghost shrimp makes me think it could be a parasite. I know there are lots of things that do have symbiotic relationships, but the way it was attached to the upper portion close to the head also makes me think it could be a parasite of some sort. Of course now that you've got it off him it might be interesting to study.


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