Peppermint Shrimp eating Hermit! ????

[Jeremy725]

I have two peppermint shrimp in my 12 gal nano. They are going after my reef hermits. Literally pulling them out of their shells and devouring them. I had 12 hermits in there...and am now down to 8. I have seen them also try to pull out snails from their shells...but the snails seems to get away. What is going on here? Why would they be doing that? They eat some of the mysis shrimp I use to feed my clown pair. Shouldn't that be enough? Help!

 

[manse]

Wow, my Pepermint stay away from everything that moves except my hand when I have food in it.

Mine are the most timid things in the tank.

Are you sure they are pepermints?

 

[Jeremy725]

Yeah they are definitely peppermints. They were shy for like the first few days. They have been in there a month and a half. They are often in plain view. And they definitely are responsible for cleaning out the shells of those hermits. I watched them do it.

 

[Agu]

They're obviously hungry.........

Try feeding them after lights out by rubberbanding a piece of meaty food to a rock and dropping it in the tank. The darker the better so other critters don't get it first. I feed my shrimp and starfish and see no aggression towards other possible meals.

 

[CaptNemo]

hahah. I told people that Peppermint shrimps are evil but no one believe me. I got two of them with my mated pair maroon clowns. A week later, they start nipping my clowns. they start to eat the clown's tail, then fins and then dorsal fin. Pretty soon, my beautiful clowns look like they just went to war and come back. i have enough with those evil shrimp, so i fed them to my oscar. they deserve it. get rid of them and buy a skunk cleaner shrimp.. they are nicer and safer.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

camel shrimp are sold as peppermints a lot..could it be that?

 

[MrMexReefer]

good to read... i was thinking of getting a couple of these guys because they eat Aiptasia, and i am getting an outbreak from a rock from the LFS (evil sob's). Anyway, i also heard that they can eat small, developing zoas. Has anyone experienced this??? I really wanna control that aiptasia now before they get out of hand and damage my frags.

 

[Kronk]

I added a peppermint shrimp to my 20g to control a serious aipstasia outbreak and he did his job!!! meds like joes juice and similar are ok for the large ones but you will never find all of those little glass anemone *$%#&'s

To avoid aggression i would only get one and make sure he is only 1" or less ... i still dont know what to attribute the death of a scarlet legged hermit too though...

 

[IPowderBlueTang]

I've had peppermint shrimp in my reefs for years and the were model citizens. One tank I had 4 peps in a 120 gal and they all behaved.
You must got some offsprings from evil pep parents.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

Anyway, i also heard that they can eat small, developing zoas

ya mine never touch corals. He actually is pretty much like...idk...a phantom lol. I never see him, so dont count on being able to view him like you would a cleaner/skunk shrimp.