Peppermint shrimp eating anemone!

[QuagmireMan]

I was wondering why my anemones tips of his tenticles started to look broken then I saw my peppermint shrimp pinch one off and eat it!

Should I try putting more food in the tank, or is there any other suggestion to keep the peppermint to leave my anemone alone?

Thanks
~Qman

 

[MSU Fan]

Pep Shrimps are opportunistic feeders, just like lots of other creatures like hermit crabs and bristle worms. Your anemone is probably sick or something similar, and the pep is doing its job - clean up. The bigger question is what is going on with your anemone that it will not defend itself?

 

[QuagmireMan]

The anemone has retreated since the p.s. nipped at it. It was doing very well for so long, nice deep color and has growning about 6 times its original size in 3 monthes.

I am affraid to move it now because i think it might be too much shock for the anemone, but the p.s.'s hideout is right next to the anemone.

 

[AQUA DAVE]

People buy pep shrimp to eradicate aptasia anemones. So if there is not any aptasia or some other food source they will pick on the next best thing the big anemone. Its comparable to putting an angel fish in a small reef tank with a few corals and watching it kill the corals because it pics at them so much. When you put an angel in a mature fully stocked reef tank it promotes growth because there is many corals for it to graze on, meaning it wont graze on the same coral as often and stress it so much. Where ever it grazes the coral will heal and have more coralites, similar to us fragging our corals. In your case there is only one anemone which is why they are concentrating on it. I would get rid of the shrimp if you can. Give it to a friend with an aptasia problem.

 

[Tennyson]

Aptasia Anemonies are small, if your anemone is small, it might mistake it for Aptasia. I have never had a problem with peps and anemonies, if you feed them often, they might stop picking at it.