peppermint shrimp attacking everything?

[packrat05]

hi all first time posting so hope this is the right place for it.
i got two peppermint shrimp and i am a bit confused about them. every night i see them out but whats bothering me is i have seen them picking as a chunk of worm rock. not sure if they are picking at the coral or the worms. then i seen one picking at my diadema urchin a few nights back. now i just got a tube anemone and just seen it picking at it to the point the anemone withdrew back into its tube. are peppermint shrimp attacking there tank mates or cleaning them?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by packrat05 http:///forum/thread/385698/peppermint-shrimp-attacking-everything#post_3383626
hi all first time posting so hope this is the right place for it.
i got two peppermint shrimp and i am a bit confused about them. every night i see them out but whats bothering me is i have seen them picking as a chunk of worm rock. not sure if they are picking at the coral or the worms. then i seen one picking at my diadema urchin a few nights back. now i just got a tube anemone and just seen it picking at it to the point the anemone withdrew back into its tube. are peppermint shrimp attacking there tank mates or cleaning them?
Welcome to the site!
Thay are digging for food, but won't hurt your corals or the tube worms. Now tube anemones are a different thing. LOL...peppermints like to eat aptasia and might think it's found the mother load. The anemone however is capible of eating the shrimp...depending on the anemones size as to who will be food. The shrimp might get smart and leave it alone.

 

[monsinour]

I agree with Flower. I would imagine the pepps are looking for food.
I have one pepp in my sump and I feed it some pellets as there isnt anything else in the sump. Once he gets a tad larger he will make his way into the DT where everything else is and hopefully the skunk will leave him alone. Real cool thing is that the pepp comes up and practially into my hand to get his pellets now. Catching this guy will be a breeze.

 

[packrat05]

well glad to read they are not eating my christmas tree worms. i do know my peppermint shrimp love aptasia. use to have some till i added the shrimp now i dont see them any more. well thanks for the info and the tube anemone is twice the size of the peppermint shrimp just after watching the emerald crab try twice to eat it was worried the shrimp might.