Peppermint shrimp eating Stylophora coral??

[Tripspike]

Is it common for a peppermint shrimp to attack a Stylophora coral. The coral has been doing very well. I noticed a white spot on the base of the coral this morning. It had looked very healthy yesterday.

Tonight with a flashlight in hand I caught a peppermint shrimp on the coral pecking away at it. Is it just cleaning it or does it like the polyps for dinner.

Thanks for your input,

Trip

 

[twon8]

i dont' think it would, but stranger things have happened.

 

[Wiskey]

I have heard of this only once before, Roll221 had a pepermint go after his stylo, but he brought us pics.

Whiskey

 

[Sk8r]

They can take to picking at a coral, but in my own experience, only 1-2 polyps before they give it up. WHite on a stylophora is more likely contact with a sweeper tentacle or a shroom at night.

 

[Tripspike]

I pulled out one of my reef books after seeing not one but two peppermint shrimp. They pulled the polyps out of the base. The polyp 'nook' is empty.

The book "The Reef Aquarium" states that peppermint shrimp. It says they will feed on most corals in the aqaurium including stony corals, mushroom anemones and especially zoanthids.

So, afer witnessing the theft and destruction of these polyps, I have trapped and moved two of them to the refugium. I am tracking the other now.

It is amazing how good there smell/taste is. I put some mysid shrimp in a small caper jar and lowered it in. Within a couple minutes one shrimp snuck in unnoticed. I caught it scurrying out. Two shrimp ten came around the corner and one by one enteed. These I got.

Trip

 

[phocuz]

Hi!

I experienced the same thing a couple of months ago. I had a green stylo that got some spots on it. One night when I was looking with a flashlight I saw three peppermint shrimps eating on it. No doubt. I started target feeding the shrimps with artemia and the problem stopped.

 

[cmc0814]

Are you sure it is not a camelback shrimp? They look a lot like peppermint shrimp. But they are big coral eaters. I've never heard of peppermint shrimp doing that. Of course that doesn't mean they aren't...

 

[Tripspike]

I am sure it is a peppermint shrimp and two of them put hurting on my stylo.

They are voracious eaters. I guess they were a little hungry. Now they are banned to the refugium.


Trip

 

[twon8]

their are several species of peppermints, from atlantic and pacific areas, ive heard the atlantic are the ones that eat aiptasia.

 

[Tripspike]

Yes, these are Atlantic and they walloped the aptasia in my tank in a matter of days. Apparently they also eat the coral polyps.

Trip

 

[Serioussnaps]

They are eating what is considered food in the polyps...not to long ago I read an article about peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp eating at the polyps of a colt coral because they were searching for food that the coral held. I would feed the shrimp every other day via a turkey baster....like the previous poster said i think if you start getting food directly to the shrimp they will stop....or you could just give the peppermints away and not worry about it.

bottom line i think they are in search of food