Disappearing Xenia.

[1460sun]

Not sure who is eating my Xenia but it’s disappearing nightly. First it was my Waving Xiena, now the clenching. I'n talking whole stalks. Here’s my critter list:

Yellow Tang
2 Ocellaris Clown
Diamond Goby
Fire Goby
Skunk Cleaner shrimp
6 Peppermint Shrimp
2 Emerald Crab
Blue, Red, leg Zebra Hermit crabs
3 Porcelain Crabs
Cerith, turbo and Nassarius snails

Hight on my suspect list are the peppermint shrimp. Anyone had a similar experience? I've also seen a very large brittle worm.

[CD]

Hmmm...We've never kept any xenia, but from your list I'd vote on the peppermint shrimp too. I think I'd be staying up late after lights out one night to see who's doing it for sure though.

BTW...what did you mean by "brittle worm"? Brittle star? Bristle worms?

Wendy

[christerrell2k3]

its the peppermint, they are evil as hell if you ask me.

[Andrew]

most likely the peppermint shrimp. I had two a few years ago that nearly wiped out three dozen button polyps until i caught them in the act!

Many people have problems with them eating zenia, zoanthids, palythoa, etc.
HTH
Andrew

[1460sun]

That being the case why are they advertized as reef safe?

[1460sun]

Will feeding them more often help prevent them from feeding on my coral?

[JimD]

My Peppermint shrimp have always been reef safe model citizens, doing what theyre supposed to be doing, keeping Aiptasia in check. I wouldnt be so quick to point a finger.

[mathias]

mine are also reef safe all 4 of them they don't even eat the aiptasia.... lucky me huh?

[Andrew]

most likely the peppermint shrimp.

It is possible that something else is doing the eating.

However, nothing else on 1460sun's list of livestock are known to have eaten corals with any regularity. A number of maast members and posts on other forums have reported peppermint shrimp eating various corals (I've never heard of them eating sps, though). When I had peppermint shrimp, they didn't touch any corals for months. At some point they began eating palythoa, at which point i removed them.

(Dwarf angels will sometimes snack on them as well - you wouldn't happen to have one of these?)

The only way to be sure is to watch them closely, at night with just a moonlight on . . .


HTH
Andrew

[JimD]

Also, higher than normal temperatures say 85/86 and up will cause Xenia to drop their heads. Tis the season ya know.

[1460sun]

Temps not the problem, I'm not talking about head dropping, I talking a stalk 2 1/2 to 3 inches gone in one night. I had one peppermint shrimp for several months and he never touched anything and then I read that peppermint shrimp did better when there were several. So I bought 5 more. If I could catch them they'd go in the refuge.

[GaryP]

Its not just dwarf angels that will eat Xenia. Several of the larger species will as well. I've kept 4 different species of dwarf angels and they have never eaten any Xenia. However, as many of you know, there are no rules carved in stone with any species.

[Sherri]

Caught my peppermint pulling the head out of my featherduster....got him out after that - he had already taken care of my aiptasia...which I have no more.

[GaryP]

Hyst for the sake of general information, Berghia Nudibranches are a much better way to go to control Aiptasia. The only thing Berghia will eat is Aiptasia.

[JimD]

I disagree, the fact that thats ALL they eat means they die when its food source is gone unless you can remove it and pass it on. Ill stick with the shrimp. Nothing against the Nudis, this is just what works for me, ymmv. I direct feed mine daily so he's well fed. Id be willing to sacrifice an occasional feather duster or whatever to keep the Aipasia population in check... I have none... I only have one Pep in a 60 gallon, I can defnately see where a gang of them could be problematic.

[GaryP]

I think the point is that the berghhia will never completely eliminate the aiptasia. There will alsways be a few basal cells left over from a grazed aiptasia to start a new aiptasia. The same applies to peppermint. As they tear the aiptasia apart as they feed, they are spreading bits and pieces of the aiptasia into the tank and thus spreading them.

[Thunderkat]

Try putting food in there at the bottom for the shrimp to eat. If they shrimp have food then maybe they will not eat your xenia (hopefully).

Also try searching at night for odd looking snails, slugs, or even a spider looking critter. Saw a few hitchikers in my invertebrate book that could be eating them.