Peppermint shrimp questions

[flower]

As with all critters we buy, it is hit or miss if they will eat aiptasia. My questions are:

• Do they get along with cleaner shrimps, sally light foot crabs and emerald crabs?
• Do they eat other corals?
  How many should I keep in a 90g to keep aiptasia down…(if it works)
  Are they hardy, or are they difficult to keep alive?

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3111186
As with all critters we buy, it is hit or miss if they will eat aiptasia. My questions are:

• Do they get along with cleaner shrimps, sally light foot crabs and emerald crabs?
• Do they eat other corals?
  How many should I keep in a 90g to keep aiptasia down…(if it works)
  Are they hardy, or are they difficult to keep alive?

Yes
Not that I know of or have experienced
You can go with four
They are hardy BUT must be acclimated very slowly

 

[fishtaco]

Mine have a taste for feather dusters.
Fishtaco

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3111190
Yes
Not that I know of or have experienced
You can go with four
They are hardy BUT must be acclimated very slowly
All my research turned up was that they get along with other shrimps..but which ones, the same so you can keep more than 1 or different species?
Then nothing on crabs and corals in the same tank.
Again nothing on health in an aquarium, or care.
So you were very helpful! Thank You.

 

[meowzer]

Flower in my 29G I have 1 coral banded shrimp, 1 peppermint, 1 emerald crab....hermits...everyone gets along
In the 225g, I have a cleaner shrimp, 1 peppermint, 8 emerald crabs, 2 sally's, no problems
In the 54g I have 3 LARGE peppermints, scarlet hermits, no problems
BTW did I mention I have no aptasia in any of the tanks..lol
And as Joe said....acclimate them slowly.....

 

[markw]

Aptasia kind of looks like a feather duster, maybe that has something to do with it?

Mark

 

[mr&mrs.o]

We have two cleaner shrimp and 2 peppermint shrimp in the same tank and they seem to be getting along just fine. We also used to have 3 emeralds which got along well also.

 

[usirchchris]

I got 5 to eat my aiptasia...no dice. But they got along fine with my cleaner, coral banded, sally lightfoot, arrow, urchins and star. They are quite hardy IMO. I don't have any corals, so I don't know about that...think I had some polyps for a bit when I had them, and they did not bother them. One of my cowfish got the polyps.

 

[aquaguy24]

I got three for my 90g and they took care of all the aiptasia in a couple days. I noticedbthey don't touch it if it to big. For some reason they start to die off one by one after they eat all the aiptasia. I guess cuz they end up starving. They got along with my inverts which is a fire shrimp, emarald crab and a couple turbo snails.

 

[rlablan]

I have two peppermints.
They live wit 1 fireshrimp, 4 emerald crabs, lots of snails, hermits, and all of my corals. I have a vast mix of shrooms, zoas, candy candy and even some stony thing I don't know what it is. They also live with a urchin and everyone is fine. They only thing is they try to compete with my emerald for for and he wins. haha He leaves them some. I just put pellets in two places and it's fine. I don't have aptasia, never have. Maybe the peppermints take care of it before I see it??

 

[jackri]

I've kept 4 peppermints with a coral banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, corals, etc, etc. If you have multiple peppermints they will spawn in your aquarium and provide some tasty food for your tank. If you're lucky you may catch the spawn happening (usually around midnight). I've seen it twice and zillions of little swimmers -- but really fragile and you have to be ready for them if you plan on trying to rear them.
Peppermints are easy to feed, hardy, pretty, etc --- I do find they have a shorter life span than other shrimp though. I have a coral banded shrimp going on 4 years and my peppermints are lucky to make 1-2 years. I've gotten them super tiny as well.. and no other shrimp bothered them.

 

[flower]

Wow, I thought Joe answered my question.. I look and here I have 3 pages! Seems the only problem is feather dusters…Meowzer..don’t you have lots of dusters? Does any one else think they pick at dusters?

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3111467
Wow, I thought Joe answered my question.. I look and here I have 3 pages! Seems the only problem is feather dusters…Meowzer..don’t you have lots of dusters? Does any one else think they pick at dusters?
I have 2 feather dusters in the 54g with 3 LARGE peppermints, they never touch it
I have 1 feather duster in the 225g, but only 1 peppermint....LOL...I rarely see that peppermint, and I can assure you...it is too scared to come out and mess with the featherduster

 

[fishtaco]

I think it is pretty interesting that these shrimp can behave so differently. Mine for sure killed a really nice big duster because I watched them mess with it for days. Like I have mentioned before they also took down a fairly large candy cane which is related to Aiptasia and I have read that they won't mess with larger Aiptasia, but mine had no problem with the large ones that came on my LR. I am actually happy that my second nano has been Aiptasia free and I have not had to put any peppermint shrimp in it because I have about 20 of the smaller feather dusters growing in it so far. It was also interesting to watch them around my condi before it got too large for my tank, they where experts at getting food and staying just out of reach.
Fishtaco

 

[rlablan]

I have two mini hitchhiker dusters that are at the entrance to where my little shrimps hang out, in this cave thing. they go by it all day and sit right next to it and both little dusters are fine. I have never seen mine mess with anything.

 

[flower]

Pepemintsrimp costs $9.99 here in town...aiptasia X costs $17.00 for a tiny bottle...I have to do something. I am not over run with aiptasia but, I keep getting new ones everyday…it is a losing battle.

 

[aquaguy24]

i've used both methods...i actually like the peppermints better cuz u just toss them in the tank and let them do their thing..aiptasia x has to be targeted one by one..and if not done correctly they can return..

 

[scsinet]

aitptasia are like roaches... if you see one, you've got a ton of others you don't see, which will keep reproducing new ones.
IMO peppermints are not hit or miss, they are almost a sure thing. You need to make sure you get peppermints and not something else. Camelback shrimp look nearly identical and can often fool store staff. Learn to spot the differences and buy locally so you know for sure what you are getting. That said, I've ordered peppermints on numerous occasions from swf.com and have never had a problem. Also, don't overfeed your tank. You need to keep them hungry so they'll "work" for their food rather than waiting for a handout.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/3111902
aitptasia are like roaches... if you see one, you've got a ton of others you don't see, which will keep reproducing new ones.
IMO peppermints are not hit or miss, they are almost a sure thing. You need to make sure you get peppermints and not something else. Camelback shrimp look nearly identical and can often fool store staff. Learn to spot the differences and buy locally so you know for sure what you are getting. That said, I've ordered peppermints on numerous occasions from swf.com and have never had a problem. Also, don't overfeed your tank. You need to keep them hungry so they'll "work" for their food rather than waiting for a handout.

Thanks for the heads up on camelbacks…I like ordering from SWF but I always have to wait to spend like $100.00…they are indeed like roaches, best description on how they populate I ever read. I am sure I am not seeing them all and they keep spawning. I spent yesterday zapping with aiptasia X and then last night under the moonlights I saw 2 little ones I missed, because until the corals closed up for the night I couldn’t even see them.

 

[florida joe]

Wow, I thought Joe answered my question..
Yea so did

I what a bunch of show offs. On the feather duster topic. I have three in my tank with two peppermints. I added one more duster a while ago and a peppermint went right at it and killed it but they leave the three others alone for some reason