peppermint shrimp spawning.

[viodea]

I think my peppermint shrimp is spawning. I have 2 of them and see one of them full of eggs.
I also notice there is a very tiny shrimp (1/8") inside a tiny rock cave. I was wondering where it came from. Maybe it's offspring of my peppermint.
I see a lot of small creatures at the corner where my peppermint shrimps hides when the light is out. I'm sure some are pods and something look like tiny shrimps. I don't have a good picture of them because they so tiny and lights are out.

Picture quality are not that good. I can only use small flash light. Don't want to use full power camera flash to scare fish & inverts.

The one without eggs

The one with eggs (you can clearly see eggs on it's legs)

Tiny creatures... very bad picture

 

[biger]

I had the same thing happen in a QT. I got 2 of them for aptasia. They took care of the aptasia then ate all the mushrooms in there and now I have more of these things that I don't know what to do with.

 

[viodea]

How many shrimps did you end up with? I don't mind having a few if they don't eat any of my corals. I only have a few mushrooms that I don't care too much from my live rocks.

 

[biger]

I am out of town right now but will try to count them when I get home. The only problem with them is when the aptasia are gone and then the shrooms are gone they might proceed to eat other corals. That's what another RC guy said happened to him. No way do I want these guys in my DT. He said if he sees an aptasia outbreak he puts them in and as soon as aptasia are gone he puts them back in the sump.

 

[viodea]

doesn't sound good. I like a pair in my tank. It's kinda fun to watch after dark. I just hope it's not going to be too many.

 

[blueshroom55]

yeah, it's spawning. Check out the book "How to Raise and Train your Peppermint Shrimp". Now that you have a breeding pair, they will almost always have eggs. They should hatch out at about two week intervals.

 

[Elysia]

Do you have any fish in your tank w/ your peppermints? I my experience, pepps are often filled with eggs. My pipes like to snick the eggs off their abdomens. And once the eggs hatch, it will be a fish-free-for-all. The larval shrimp are very cool, but be forewarned that most will be eaten by their tankmates or your filter and/or pump unless you dedicate a tank to trying to raise them. Oh, and for what it is worth, I've had pepps in all of my tanks w/ 'shrooms, and none have shown any interest in eating the 'shrooms. I wouldn't worry about having a rouge peppermint; although every shrimp is different, in general they are reef safe.

 

[viodea]

I've seen larval shrimp after dark. I just saw a bigger one swimming at the corner.

 

[greenbean36191]

The little specks you photographed in the dark are the eyes of adult mysid shrimp.

 

[biger]

All shrinp are different but b warned. Here is another example of coral eating peppermint shrimp.




ReefWreak
I've had peppermint shrimps who ate aiptasia, but when not fed, also were caught eating coral on a few occasions.

 

[biger]

And another example, now that I have seen it personally with the ones I have they will either go in my sump or back to the LFS but not in my DT.



Guygettnby
i have never heard of them eating mushrooms. i know they will eat aiptasia, frogspawn, hammer, torch's and numerous other corals as well as your anemone. i wouldnt keep pepermint shrimp in any of my tanks unless i had an aiptasia outbreak that i wanted them to take care of and as soon as the aiptasia is gone i banish them to my sump. they are nasty little things that can not be trusted in a reef tank.

 

[viodea]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14090264#post14090264 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
The little specks you photographed in the dark are the eyes of adult mysid shrimp.

That's interesting. I wonder how they got there in the first place.