Experiences with Pepermint Shrimp eating Aiptasia?

[happyclam]

Well, I recieved my LR ruble from Premium Aquatics a few days ago, and guess what I found on the rock after it had settled in? A beautiful (just kidding) patch of 10 glass anemones in a 12"x 6" area in my newly set up refugium! Anyway, I was wondering if a Pepermint Shrimp would eat them, as I hear they have an uneven track record. Also, are they safe to be in my refugium/DSB? The reason I ask is because I heard hermits are bad for DSBs, just wanted to make sure shrimp OK.

 

[itZme]

They will be safe for the fuge but they are hit or miss if they will eat the aiptasia or not. Copperband butterflies have a pretty good track record but they may not eat anything else after the pests are gone. I think your best bet might be to set up a small tank with just the bad rock and throw in 5 or more peppermint shrimp so they have nothing else to eat for a week or more. They will soon realize they should eat aiptasia or they will go hungry. Once they are proven to eat them you can introduce them to the fuge and hopefully they keep the place clean.

HTH
-- Kevin

 

[snorvich]

That does sound like a good strategy. I have peppermint shrimp (the right kind) and they do seem to keep aiptasia at bay. But it is clearly not a guaranteed solution. But then again, neither are CBB.

 

[c.rob]

Why not just scape them off the rocks over the sink? Then wash off the rocks with tank water and return them to the fuge . Worked for me.

 

[flipcyd]

The trick that worked for me is to add a lot of peppermint shrimp. I ordered them from saltwaterfish.com and threw them all in. Some died, but I don't have any aptasia.

 

[Alphabet]

My tank was infested with aptasia, now there are only 1-2 here and there. What I did AFTER trying everything else was cut way back on my lighting and also cut down feedings somewhat seemed to help. Still have several peppermints in the tank, don't know if they are helping or not. With the last few I hit them with Joes Juice with the pumps off for awhile. Note: no ill effects noticed during the "Blackouts".

 

[zawp]

135g Reef with lots of aiptasia. I threw 3 peppermint shrimp in there and all the aiptasia were gone within a couple of weeks. Peppermint shrimp don't seem to like the big ones.

If you get a chance to watch a peppermint shrimp eat an aiptasia its amazing! They come across it and suddenly attack it, violently shredding it to pieces and eating it. My peppermint shrimp eat an aiptasia the size of the shrimp in about 1 second!

 

[snorvich]

I have very few left but they do not seem to like the big ones. I nuke the big ones with Joes Juice (which will not work long term) and when they come back, the shrimp seem to be ok eating them.

 

[SW_nOOb_SC]

I must of gotten lucky. Got 3 shrimp and they are munching away. Every morning i wake up to fewer and fewer aptasia. Still a few they havn't found but they seem to like them.

Even after feeding the tank with NLS Pellets, they still seem to eat the aptasia.

 

[phish guy]

i got one and he did a darn good job getting most, there are only a few left.

 

[Nitro350Z]

I bought a pepermint when I had an aiptasia problem, guess I got lucky because it ate all of them withing the week. (they weren't very big ones tho)

The pepermint usually keeps close to the rocks/caves during the day, doesn't disturb anything in the tank (does go crazy for food, so I always give it something first when feeding so it leaves other livestock alone)

Thats what I got from my experience.

HTH

 

[AwkwardParrot]

My buddy has a 29 gallon tank. He had a horrible aptasia break out and he added 3 peppermint shrimp and now he has absolutely nothing. I think they work wonders and would highly recommend them.

 

[DrBegalke]

The peppermint shrimp are hit or miss.

Since you have ~10 visible, I would kill those with some Joe's Juice and go from there.

Wouldn't hurt to add some peppermint's, but no guarantee they will hold the aiptasia in check.

Also, be sure not to overfeed and keep up with water changes, etc.

 

[snorvich]

As DrBegalke said, they are hit and miss. They seem to like little ones but don't address big ones (aiptasia). In my case it helped but did not completely rid the tank of them.

 

[JBrown]

my experience is that they are hit or miss. I recently had an aptasia problem and threw in 5 peppermint shrimp and I no longer have any problems, yet in another tank I put in 12 and still have aptasia.

 

[rickh]

My shrimp ate the Aptasia, but something always ate my shrimp.

 

[tmz]

I have had consistent good performance against aiptasia with peppermint shrimp(lystmata wundermanni). If yopu are going to isolate the a Racoon Butterfly will mow them down,but you'll nteed to find it a home when you're done since it will mow down corals too.

 

[snorvich]

Yes, the Racoon Butterfly will totally rid your tank of aiptasia and unfortunately most corals. At this point I am an advocate of Peppermint shrimp for this purpose.

 

[tmz]

To clarify. I would only use a Racoon butterfly in a rock only tank for a couple of weeks before putting the rock into a display, if my situation included a means to keep or trade the Racoon when the job was done.

 

[BadRoma1]

the first time i got lucky with peppermint and he only ate aiptasia that overtook my take. he got tangeled in my chaeto and died in the fuge that he got into by accident. the next time two peppermints died after killing one of my featherdusters. my copperband doesn't like aiptasia anymore and he ate all my feather dusters.