Quick Peppermint Shrimp Q!

[Crab Rangoon]

So I just got home @ 11 from work and get all my new critters into their acclimation containers, and very quickly noticed my Peppermint Shrimp seemingly trying to feed on other critters? First, they were all picking at over-turned snails, which quickly were retracting into their shells, so I put them in the container with other shrimp (sexy shrimp, with an anemone being acclimated with them) and they go after the anemone too? I was hoping the Pep's would control any aptasia the tank could have, but not eat real anemone (a small/medium LTA). So, basically what I wanna know is: Will peppermint shrimp eat feather dusters, anemones, snails, sea slugs, smaller shrimp? If so, I'll just keep them in their acclimation container running off an airstone till I hear otherwise, then proceed to put them into the tank, or take them back to the store.

[Richard]

I would not trust them. Take them back is my opinion.

[MikeDeL]

I had a peppermint in my tank ONCE. I had a good size colony of yellow polyps that mysteriously started disappearing. Shortly after all the yellow polyps and aptasia were gone the shrimp came up missing(dead). I wouldnt put any in my tank unless I absolutely had to. Now I get an occasional aptasia pop up, but I just squirt it with a little joe's juice.


Mike

[Crab Rangoon]

Ah, thanks for the quick responses, I'll just run their bucket on an airstone for the rest of the night and take em back tomorrow. But, I figured maybe they'd help me out by gnawing the 4 or 5 aptasia on one of my liverocks, which I threw in their bucket too :) :crosses fingers:

[MikeDeL]

Stick the rock peppermints in a bucket with a heater and airstone or small powerhead, and QT the rock for a couple weeks, then take them back. Might as well, you already have the rock out and its in the bucket with the shrimp. Hell youre half way there. LOL


Mike

[MikeDeL]

Josh, did you have a shrimp fry the next day? LOL

[elm0]

I currently have 4 good size peppermint shrimp in my tank, they took care of my aptasia right away, and I havent had any other problems with them, they havent seemed to affect my zoos, button polyps, or gsp, I dont have any anemones so I dont know anything about that. I think they become aggressive when there is a lack of meaty food for them, I know I've lost some turbo snails to them, but only because I wasnt home to turn over the snails in time. I think as long as you feed your tank meaty food regularly they should be ok....IMO

[MikeP]

Peppermints will eat small featherdusters, worms, polyps etc. The behavior may be different on the two main Lysmata species sold as 'peppermints'. Make sure you didn't accidentally get a camel shrimp by accident - they are voracious and will do a number on other invertebrates.

I caught about 10 peppermints last trip to Corpus and they hid most of the time. I forgot I had them until I saw my lyretail hawk swimming around with half of one hanging out of his mouth :)

[Instar]

elmO, they are significant predators regardless of feeding. There's a ton of posts about the stuff they eat. Get rid of them before you also suffer loss, unless the pepps rank higher than other things for you, of course. They do have their purpose, as in hawk food, etc. You're already loosing turbos to them by your own observations. Think of all the things you don't see and never will see in your tank. They eat that too before it gets large enough to see. Turbos, btw, can right themselves most of the time so long as there are no predators like pepps or butterflies that like them in the tank. I've had lots of peppermints and bred them. They have no place in a reef tank. FOWLR or select combo species tank maybe, but, not a dynamic mixed reef.

[Instar]

Peppermint shrimp larva, btw, are the most incredibly beautiful nd extremely odd and very colorful things in larval stages I have ever seen. I wish I had equipment to photograph them well during their stages. They are so awesome you could not believe it!

[JimD]

I guess Im the ecception to the rule then, Ive always kept Peppermint shrimp with absolutely zero problems, in fact, I wouldnt be without them in my reef... They do a great job of controlling Aiptasia and are very entertaining. Ive yet to witness them being the merciless killers theyve been made out to be. No thanks, Ill keep my peps! Just make sure what you have is in fact Peppermint shrimp.

[jrhein]

I second that. I have five in my tank and haven't noticed anything missing. But, I have so many different things it would be hard to notice if I was missing anything.