peppermint shrimp pair gone????

[Vince272992]

Hi i had a pair of peppermint shrimp in my reef tank and one night after feeding i looked in the tank and only saw one of them (thinking that the other one was hiding) they are usually both out trying to get scrape food when i feed, then the next day or so i looked agein and did not see any of them and started to get worried. Its been a week or so now and still no sign so i was wondering if any reefers had any ideas on wht happened. I have 2 firefish one clown for fish wise and no corals that would be able to get one. i also have a emerald crab
THANKS

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

They like to hide a lot in caves in the rockwork after they get established. The same with emerald crabs. While it is possible your emerald crab had peppermint for dessert one day, it is more likely the shrimp are hiding in the rock and only coming out at night.

I haven't seen much of my two emerald crabs or the three peppermint shrimp for a couple of months. Peppermint shrimp are nice, but cleaner shrimp make better additions to tanks because they are out in the open so much.

 

[Vince272992]

k then i was thinking of running to the LFS real quick and getting a cleaner shrimp. should i get one considering how many fish there r or not. Will it scavenge for food like peppermints or will it die without any parasites to feed on. the tank is 4 months old ????

 

[SushiGirl]

Cleaners will eat food, sometimes steal it from corals.

 

[Vince272992]

ok cool then do u have to feed him by hand at any time and should i get rid of my emerald just incase

 

[SushiGirl]

I always spot-fed mine & made sure they got food, but that didn't stop them from stealing from corals and eating my snails. I've had emeralds with no issues, never had one kill anything, so that's entirely up to you.

 

[CT Reefer]

Check your sump...I've found my peppermint shrimp in there before.

 

[Wolverine]

When we had peppermints in our tank, we'd sometimes go months without seeing them. If you watch the tank at night with a red light, you'll have a much better chance of spotting them.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I haven't had any problems with my emerald crabs that I know of. I would keep yours and get a cleaner shrimp. The cleaner shrimp will eat whatever food it can grab in the tank and will be fun to watch.

 

[Vince272992]

ok cool then ill grab one and there not in the sump i already checked everywhere haha ill just wait and hope for the best