Peppermint Shrimps?

[cliffrouse11bas]

Are there any drawbacks to peppermint shrimps? I am thinking about getting a couple. I have one cleaner now.

 

[jagermeister]

I have three in my 55. They're great scavengers. The one drawback I've found is when I tried to add a bunch af small feather dusters, my peppermints ate them!

 

[nacl-h2o]

The main drawback to peppermints is they don't stop at just eating aiptasia. They are frequintly found eating yellow polyps, most feather dusters, sea mat, colored polyps, most types of zooanthids, and sometimes even xenia or anthelia. This makes a cleaner shrimp preferable, but they don't eat aiptasia.

 

[foulbrew]

IME Peppermint Shrimp are reef safe, I've never had any problems with them eating any of my corals. They will eat aiptasia and small feather dusters. They tend to be pretty good scavengers and will actively clean any new additions to your tank of unwanted stuff. All in all an inexpensive and safe insurance policy against an aiptasia (or feather duster) infestation.
I have had some conflicts between them and Cleaner Shrimp.
I have also had some issues between them and a Coral Banded Shrimp.

 

[newreefers]

I have 4 peps and they have never touched my corals.

 

[slothy]

hehe ill be the odd one here, i "HAD" one for awhile it was good, used to pick on my lil feather dusters here and there.. then it started to munch on my mushrooms.... well once it took one out, needless to say the shrimp became coral food..
i really think was was a odd one, because noone else seems to have had the same prob as i did with mine

 

[mlm]

Definitly eats small feather dusters. I did not realize it until this post though. I thought about it and went and looked at my new tank and all the dusters that were on the rock when I got it are gone since I added the peps.

 

[bdubbya]

My peppermints have eaten some of my mushrooms. I am also curious if they might have eaten my blastamussa frag. When I turned out the lights they looked good, one was even starting to split. When I awoke the next day all that was left was the skeleton.

 

[dreeves]

If nothing else...peppermint shrimp are entertaining to watch. Well I enjoy them anyways.

 

[jonthefb]

i have four of them in my 20 gal and it is overstocked with corals/inverts, adn the peps dont harm a thing! they ate all my aiptasia, but havent touched any featherdusters, mushrooms, zooanthids or other polyps. in fact i wish i had one that ate yellow polyps cause i have them growing like weeds over everythign!
good luck
jon

 

[wildmike]

I have never had a problem with mine. I have mushrooms and a few different corals. They did eat the small feather dusters but have not even looked at my large dusters. Just my .02