peppermint shirmp

[srt]

i have read on this board that peppermint shrimp will eat aptasia. i bought some green star polyps from my lfs and it looks like there are a couple aptasia on it and i want to keep it under control.
my concern is this, if peppermint shrimp will eat the aptasia what other soft coral/inverts will they eat? i have also read in another post that someone thinks their peppermint may have killed their sally lightfoot. if i add peppermints are my emerald crabs in danger? i also have 3-4 smaller, unidentified, crabs that hitchhiked in on my live rock that i dont want to lose.
thanks
steve

 

[ajroc31]

Peppermint shrimp are ususally the victims, so it sounds weird about the sally longfoot. They may or may not eat aptasia, it is really a 50/50 chance. Mine at one, but that's it. I have two of them, and they are very timid. I don't see them during the day. I have 5 cleaner shrimp, 2 bulls eye pistols, 2 skunk, and they all get along without major conflicts.

 

[ajroc31]

your emeralds can be a danger to the peppermint, but do not quote me on that, check with others. Personnally I stay away from any grab that reaches over an inch. Well neon blue leg or something like that is 100% reef safe.

 

[srt]

Originally posted by ajroc31
I have 5 cleaner shrimp, 2 bulls eye pistols, 2 skunk, and they all get along without major conflicts.
what are your cleaner shrimp? i thought peppermints were a type of cleaner?
i have 3 emeralds, one moderate sized male and two smaller females. none of them have given any indication that they are a danger to anything else in the tank. they just graze and graze and graze...
steve

 

[ajroc31]

They are the scarlet cleaner shrimp. They are probably the best know for cleaning. Peppermints,and blood or fire shrimp, will clean, but that's not what they really do. I am sorry if I freak you out about your emeralds, I am not sure about them, but once in a while I run into someone saying that they killed something. Same goes for the sally lightfoot.

 

[miraclemade]

I have 5 peppermint shrimp, one emerald, and one sallylightfoot crab. They all seem to get along fine. I guess because there are 5 of the peppermint shrimp they are more adventurous. They are out in the open most of the time... or hanging looking out from under the rocks. In the past I had only 2 peppermints at a time and they were very shy, I hardly ever saw them. Now if I stick my hand in the tank they jump on my arm! They are fun to watch.

 

[srt]

thanks for the replies, guys.
nobody has had any issues with peppermints eating anything you didnt want them to eat?
steve

 

[ajroc31]

No. They are as harmless as they come.

 

[mikeyfish]

I have two peppermint shrimp in my 55 gallon. They do attack some of my snails from time to time, especially when some of the turbo snails fall off the sides of the tank onto to the sand. Turbo snails can't flip themselves over so the peppermint shrimp sometimes eat them.

 

[ajroc31]

"They do attack some of my snails from time to time"
Wow! Never heard of that. Stuff like that really makes you appreciate this hobby. Just as you think you really know something; surprise!!! Ex.: Naso Tang eating a Hawaiian feather duster.