Missing peppermint shrimps

[eggy5404]

Hello,
About 2 wks ago I added my clean up crew to my 72 gallon tank. The crew consisted off 2 peppermint shrimps (one had eggs attached) 20 different snails, 1 emerald crab, 1 fighthing conch, and 7 red legged hermit crabs.
I saw the shrimps for the first 2 days and haven't seen them since. What gives? Are they dead or hiding? I've searched day and night and have not seen them. Everything else is alive except I saw one hermit claw in the sand.
I did see my emerald crab trying to eat a snail one day but he couldn't get into it and dropped it instead, could he have eaten the shrimp?
Thanks
Michelle

 

[cope787]

look behind rocks, under rocks. are you adding iodine? the hermit crabs molt as well as the shrimp and need proper iodine levels to molt. the crab leg was probably just a molting. do you have any fish in ur tank? how long has your tank be running?

 

[bdhough]

Peppermints are nocturnal so you won't see them about except at night. If you can find their hiding spot during the day.....

 

[eggy5404]

I don't have any fish in the tank, just the clean up crew. I've looked in the tank day and night and still nothing.
Could I possibly drop some food in the tank hoping they'll come out to eat it?? If yes, would type of food should I buy?

 

[offshore80]

I never see mine either. I went a whole month one time without seeing them. But the other day I say 1 twice. I got them for aptasia. They hide very good. IMO they are just hiding. One day you'll get lucky and see one. MIne are very timid and skittish. Unlike my cleaners & fire shrimp which are out all the time.

 

[bdhough]

Eggy don't pollute the water. Unless you have other things to eat that food it will just sit an rot and cause more harm than good. Just keep your eye out for them. Look for moltings. They go translucent at night so look hard or you might miss them. I don't feed mine and he's been in my tank for almost 2 months.

 

[eggy5404]

I saw one of the shrimps last night and I did eat up giving the crew a small amount of brine shrimp and krill. Everyone came over to eat last night and I checked again this morning and there was nothing left on the sand bed.
Guess I just have to get use to not seeing them. I hope when I get my cleaner shrimps, they'll be out more.
Thanks for all the help.

 

[vman181]

I have 3 peppermint shrimps and I see them all the time all day long. Once in awhile they will hide from me but normally they are out and about. I do have to say that in the last week is the first time I have notice they molted
V

 

[bdhough]

Once they start to associate you with food they will come out more.

 

[firedad720]

i have 2 peps. and a fire shrimp, i never would see my fire if i didn't know where he hides. but my peps. are out "most" of the time. i also have 2 sexy shrimp that are out a lot
rick