Peppermint shrimp

[slk's reef]

I have a peppermint shrimp and today i came home and my feather duster was out of its protection surrounding.then i was watching the shrimp in my tank and then he picked up the duster and went to the back and started eating it <img src="graemlins//yell.gif" border="0" alt="[yell]" /> i think i am going to take the shrimp out what would be the easiest way to get it out

 

[ren]

Lotsa luck! lol j/k well i posted concerns over those buggers too and got an array of tactics. from fishing line to shrimp traps. If ya have little LR I'd say net em - move the rock nad get em. If tank is well established corals etc them maybe look into a trap?
Lemme know how ya fare cause my 2 are still in lol.

 

[adrian]

Most of the time if an invert, unless predatory, starts eating something in your tank its probably on its way out or dead. Most shrimp are scavengers and will comsume something if its rotting. Are you sure they are peppermint shrimp? HTH

 

[ren]

Adrian, I know mine are and the lil devels are preying on my scarlet hermits as the leave shells for larger homes. errrr!

 

[von_rahvin]

i too am having a peppermint shrimp problem , they have killed my gold maxima a duster and a flame scallop, they were great when i was having a problem with rock anonemies (sp) but now i can not get rid of the buggers, i just ordered a trap. hopefully i can get them out.

 

[slk's reef]

Im sure they are pepperments. and the duster was in perfect condition

 

[jakob4001]

sometimes feather dusters shed their crowns for various reasons; pep might have just been doing it's job: our peps have never damaged or harrassed anything ever in iether of our tanks so far; we tend to buy them when we getthe chance at a $1 a piece; $1.99 at worst; make for great scavengers, bioderversity, & best of all provide free renewable food source sometimes

 

[flydan]

Hey,
I've never had a problem with Peppermint shrimp or Cleaner shrimp going after anything in my tank. My Peppermint shrimp wiped out a couple pieces of aptasia for me, which is great, and they just scanvange the lr now. I have heard of Coral Banded shrimp being aggressive but I've never owned one.
Dan'l

 

[starfishjackedme]

I haven't had my peps long enough to find out, but my cleaner shrimps never hurt a thing.

 

[cyn]

The only problem I have had with peppermints is that they disapear quickly. I think my fish are eating them before they get to anything in the tank. I put 5 in just over a week ago and no sign of them at all now.
My coral banded has not caused me any problems at all.. guess I got lucky with him.
cyn

 

[jay1]

I agree with Adrian. The livestock that the shrimp is accused of attacking are species that have special requirements for their care. I would wonder if these are being met! In my experience these shrimps are scavangers, and I too have had them attack living creatures, BUT ONLY IF THEY WERE NOT WELL. Now, Some times this is not readily visible to us, but the shrimp can sense this, and will by their nature take advantage of the opportunity to have an easy meal. Address the problem not the symptom.
Jay1

 

[jedimaster]

I have 4 pepermint shrimps they have paired off at either end of the tankl under a pic outcropping, coincidentally, each pair is under a flame scallop, I have never seen them eat anything other than flake food and stuff off the bottom.

 

[karlas]

i had a peppermint shrimp also. put him in for aptasia and he didnt touch it. instead he went after my dusters also. i have a colony of the small feather dusters (which arent sick or dead) and he started mowing them down like crazy. he probably ate 10-15 of them right in front of me in just a couple of minutes. i caught him when i put the lights out he came out on top of the lr and netted him with 2 nets. i tried a trap but didnt work.

 

[mlm]

The only problems I have with my peppermint shrimp are they steal the krill faster than my open brains can eat it.

 

[car guy]

peppermint shrimp don't cause harm to anything besides aptaisa, they are reef safe unlike camels or sarons

 

[jakob4001]

as w/ the case w/ most inverts & LFS or even sometimes online retailers; inverts can get "mixed up" or "confused" w/ other differnt/similiar species by appearance or behavior or mostly by name...have often seen LFS claiming that they have cleaner shrimps, but are really camel backs or peppermints...NOT... although those species will sometimes act as cleaners...peppermints are renowned hide and seekers...course they do make yummie fish snacks too as we found out w/ 1st ones we got; if you are lucky you end up w/ some already large sized ones; best if you feed fish just before lights out, THEN release them after lights out; giving them fighting chance at least

 

[tykill]

I've had the same problem with the 5 Pepperment shrimp that are in my tank. I put a Long Anemone in my tank, and they attacked it before it hit the rock. This made me very mad at first, and I started rounding em up and making a oneway ticket to the porclen god with them. But, I started to read more about them and found out that The type of Anemone was one of there favorite meals. Its not there fault, it was my poor judgement, so I let them go, that and I could only catch one of em.
Really though, They are good for the fish and the reef. I watch my fish all the time going up the the shrimp and letting them clean the parasites off there gills and body, plus the really love to clean up what the fish don't eat, keeping your water levels low.
I've read that carpet Anemone's are the best to have around the shrimp and crabs.

 

[javajoe]

I just bought some corals, and one of my peppermints started eating the anchor and the elagant... he is a really agressive one though- he will nip at my finger if i put it in the tank. he is getting traded tomorrow for a smaller one.

 

[starfishjackedme]

No BS about them being hide and seekers. I haven't seen the two I put but 3times in 2weeks.

 

[jakob4001]

it all seems to depend on what you have in there & how many places they have to hide; seems when they get large enough & IF most of tank mates are non aggressive to them....they might become more social; we have 1 very large pep shrimp that has claimed PH portion of skimmer as it's area in the smaller tank..they almost all feast openly at feeding time rather then the grab & run method...