Peppermint shrimp hiding.....is it just shy??

ken123

Premium Member
I bought one about a week ago to hopefully get rid of aiptasia. Have not seen it for like 5 days since I put it in the tank. Finally found it today hiding in a crevasse. It still does come out even at night, that I know of. Do they usually hide for this long?
 
This guy doesn't even come to out to eat. He must be finding something. I guess just like this hobby, be patient. Well, there is a big meal waiting when he does come out, plenty of aiptasia.
 
mine will hide out when she is getting ready to molt or her eggs are getting close to hatching. How many do you have? Mine will actually come to the front of the glass when I go look in the tank. she wants food lol. The male/smaller guy is a bit more shy but I think that is because the female has him on a tight leash.
 
Only one. Did not want to screw around trying all kinds of stuff to get rid of the aiptasia, so I bought one. Also have one skunk cleaner and another coming this week. I read they should be ok together. Seems like I'm getting more aiptasia so I'm crossing my fingers that he does the job.
 
I had no aptasia so I can't vouche for their eating habits. I have a 10 gallon i set up that has 1 or 2 aptasia so I may have to test them out.
 
One thing you have to take into consideration is that they are a really small shrimp... if I were stuck in an enviornment with a bunch of things 9 times my size, I would hide until night time too... that is probably the biggest things is that they are scared and come out only when the time is right for them
 
peppermint shrimp

peppermint shrimp

i've had mine for about a year now, just one. and he hides in the same hole in the rock every day, 2 months ago i upgraded to a bigger tank, and i arranged the rock in a very similar position, and guess what, the shrimp found that same hole in 5 minutes and he has been there ever since, i have seen him at feeding times, and he swims all night eating after lights out, but thats just normal for him. i guess thats just the way they are
 
My peppermint shrip did an excellent job of controlling the aptasia, once I had killed off the big stuff myself. I don't know if it was that fact that he was smaller or what, but he wouldn't touch the established ones, just eat the tiny new ones. So, you might have to get some Joe's Juice (what I used) or try one of the other methods to control them to start.
 
They're particularly good at getting young aiptasia. I haven't had any young ones since the peps started work, but they hide. On the other hand, the adult ones I have left are all stationary and doing no harm where they are, so long as reproduction doesn't get more of them. I think they're job security and the peps aren't about to eat the source. They stay hidden in the back (I have a corner tank so I know where they hang) and still seem to be on the job, maybe after hours.
 
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Hmm, have one aiptasia that is pretty big. It's on a frag. Also a bunch of smaller ones on the same frag. Your right, maybe I'll use something on the big one (aiptasia) and hope the others don't get too big until the pep does come out. Maybe I should turn the moonlights off also so he has plenty of darkness to move around.
 
GOOD PEPPERMINT SHRIMP

GOOD PEPPERMINT SHRIMP

My peppermint stay underneath the rocks and the only time they come out is when I give them a little food. But, I know they are working because I had a lot of aptasia and I would look every morning and more aptasia would be gone and eventually, NO MORE APTASIA!!!!!
 
Ah hah!!!!

Ah hah!!!!

Was feeding the fish just now, the pep decided to come out of it's hiding spot and picked up something from the sand in a cave!! :rollface: Guess he is getting hungry!
 
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