5 pep shrimp in a 55?

[blenne]

Hello. I have a 55 gallon, set up since SuperBowl Sunday this year. With CC, 40 lbs live rock, some tree corals, and all levels normal (no ammonia, ph 8.2, 78 degrees, 1.019-1.020 salinity).
Currently I have a black blennie, a maroon clown, a blue chromie, a green spot puffer, a blue/red clown goby, a brittle starfish, one decorator crab, 4 mini hermits, 3 turbo snails, and 5 peppermint shrimp.
I mix it up alternately feeding marine flakes, freeze dried krill, vitamin enriched frozen brine, and Emerald Entrée, blood worms, and nori seaweed. My question is: do I have too many pep shrimp (cleaner crew) and is there room for a few more fish? Any compatibility suggestions?

 

[earlybird]

You can have as many shrimp as you want (technically). You could even add some other species of shrimp IMO. They produce a very light bioload so now it's all about looks. I'd up your clean up crew though, more snails. I'm planning around 20 snails in my 29. 5 nassarius, 5 astrea, 5 cerith, and 2 turbos as of right now. I may get 5-10 scarlet hermits as well. I also plan for a blood shrimp and a cleaner shrimp and maybe pepermint if I get some bad anenomes.

 

[browniebuck]

I agree...I have 5 skunk cleaners in my 55 and they have done perfectly fine. You may be able to add something small in terms of fish, but not much.
To add to the look of my tank I have added emerald crabs, porcelain crabs, anemone crabs, hermits, and different types of snails (Mexican turbo, nassarius, astrea, etc...). That may be a safer way to go (this is assuming that your puffer will leave inverts alone, as you said that you have 5 peppermint shrimp, turbos, decorator crab, and mini hermits already).
If you decide to go with the anemone/porcelain crabs...go with the white ones, as mine are constantly out and about, whereas the porcelain (maroon with white swirls/stripes on them) are always hiding until feeding time.

 

[joojoo]

I would raise your Specific Gravity up 1.025 over the next 2 days. Inverts need a higher SG than fish.

 

[garnet13aj]

I don't know anything about shrimp (except they taste yummy!) but I would switch over to frozen food, or buy seafood from your grocery store, blend it up and freeze it to make food. Flake food generally is not as of high of quality as the frozen version and even vitamin enriched brine shrimp is only as good as the vitamins on it, it has not nutritional value in and of itself.

 

[darthgoby]

I have six peppermint shrimp in my 55 and they are thriving. They eat the little bits of food that my fish don't eat and do a good job at keeping the tank clean.

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by BlennE
Hello. I have a 55 gallon, set up since SuperBowl Sunday this year. With CC, 40 lbs live rock, some tree corals, and all levels normal (no ammonia, ph 8.2, 78 degrees, 1.019-1.020 salinity).
Currently I have a black blennie, a maroon clown, a blue chromie, a green spot puffer, a blue/red clown goby, a brittle starfish, one decorator crab, 4 mini hermits, 3 turbo snails, and 5 peppermint shrimp.
I mix it up alternately feeding marine flakes, freeze dried krill, vitamin enriched frozen brine, and Emerald Entrée, blood worms, and nori seaweed. My question is: do I have too many pep shrimp (cleaner crew) and is there room for a few more fish? Any compatibility suggestions?
the puffer will eat them and your sg needs to be 1.025 for the inverts espesially that star

 

[darthgoby]

I have a blue spotted puffer who hasn't touched my shrimp. He leaves them alone and doesn't bother them.

 

[ironsnipes]

i would up you s.g to at least 1.023-1.024 unless you want it salty 1.025 and up, i heard pet stores keep there s/g at around 1.018 to avoid disease and parasite maybe even lower. i would bump it up a little

 

[lesleybird]

I would not mix cleaner shrimp with peppermint shrimp as I think when I did this the cleaners killed off my peppermint shrimps. Lesley