Capt_Cully
Active member
are they safe?
what about skunk cleaners?
what about skunk cleaners?
peppermint shrimp w/ SH's?
- Thread starter Capt_Cully
- Start date
Capt_Cully
Active member
that's the line I'm taking. but I wanna be sure. I lost my pipes as they did poorly right from the start. I've now got to ORA Reidi's in my 70. Both doing well, eating frozen. I do have a few aiptaisia on some Zoo frags, I want to get something in the tank to help control them. Before someone gets stung.
pledosophy
Active member
No QT?
Easier to remove the aiptasia and treat it then to treat a stung seahorse.
Easier to remove the aiptasia and treat it then to treat a stung seahorse.
gtstylez87
New member
I know peppermint shrimp would be eaten my most sea horses. they are just like grass shimp to them but red. i know it the store that i work we don't keep them together because if the reason. And yes the would harass the sea horses ( if they didnt eat them) because they are the cleaner shimps of the atlantic. i don't care what any body else says because i have seen in with my eyes in the shop i work at and on the reefs over hear in FL.
pledosophy
Active member
I have kept peppermints with seahorses for 7 years. Never a loss. Have kept them with 4 different species of seahorse at that.
Yes, a small peppermint will be eaten by a seahorse but the larger pep's 2"+ or so will be fine.
Right now my seahorse is being kept with three peppermint shrimp. I do not worry,
As someone who has fed WC's ghosts for over 5 years at a stretch, there are many differences between ghosts and pepeprmints. IME seahorses will not eat a ghost shrimp over an inch and a half, even if it is a 10" WC who will eat small fish. 1" or so ghosts, and even some fairly robust ghosts can be prey to seahorses, somethimes they are even snicked into two and eaten in two bites, but a ghost of a certain size and a peppermint of a certain size will not become prey.
JME
Yes, a small peppermint will be eaten by a seahorse but the larger pep's 2"+ or so will be fine.
Right now my seahorse is being kept with three peppermint shrimp. I do not worry,
As someone who has fed WC's ghosts for over 5 years at a stretch, there are many differences between ghosts and pepeprmints. IME seahorses will not eat a ghost shrimp over an inch and a half, even if it is a 10" WC who will eat small fish. 1" or so ghosts, and even some fairly robust ghosts can be prey to seahorses, somethimes they are even snicked into two and eaten in two bites, but a ghost of a certain size and a peppermint of a certain size will not become prey.
JME
gtstylez87
New member
erectus and reidi will eat them. i have seen them suck them right out the shell. i have seen sea horses eat as long and even longer than their snout. tank raised sea horses mite not type to eat them because thay never have to kill larger praty than they could fit in their snout. guessing that WC stand for hippocampus whitei which sometimes is known as The Sydney Seahorse is mostly found in Sydney Harbour and the surrounding waters. which i cant say i have worked much could have different behavior than the erect, reidi, kuda, zosterae, ingens that I have worked with. Also there are lots of variable to work with in your case. How big and how much rock and plants you have in your tank, but in most cases most sea horses will try to eat what ever shrimp they could fit in their mouths. and the average peppermint shimp are about 1/4" to 1" in most stores.
pledosophy
Active member
WC stands for Wild Caught.
What do you mean suck them right out of the shell. Do you mean part of the shrimp shell was left?
What do you mean suck them right out of the shell. Do you mean part of the shrimp shell was left?
gtstylez87
New member
yea it sucked the shrimp meat from its shell, and yes sometime they may eat part of the shrimp. Not saying that they cant be kept together, but I wouldn’t recommend that you keep them together, because to in my experiences they put unneeded stress on horses. My opinion is not a the greatest idea, but if you want to be my guess. I would rather keep my customers and my personal sea horses HEALTHY and HAPPY than to add color and movement to the tank. now would i stop a custmer from getting them if they really wanted to, no i would just let them know what could happen.
pledosophy
Active member
That's not really possible homie. When a shell of a shrimp is left behind it's called a molt. It's a natural occurrence that healthy shrimp do every couple of weeks or so. The seahorse did not suck the shrimp out of it's caraspace.
I realize you have experience of your own, might be new to this site with only 8 posts, but i'll respect where your coming from. I have been working with seahorses for 7+ years. never once seen a seahorse of any species snick a shrimp of any species out of there carapace. talking over 30,000 feedings.
IME peppermints put no stress on seahorses but that's JME. Here is a nice article you might be interested in on the world's leading seahorse site.
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml
HTH
I realize you have experience of your own, might be new to this site with only 8 posts, but i'll respect where your coming from. I have been working with seahorses for 7+ years. never once seen a seahorse of any species snick a shrimp of any species out of there carapace. talking over 30,000 feedings.
IME peppermints put no stress on seahorses but that's JME. Here is a nice article you might be interested in on the world's leading seahorse site.
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml
HTH
JM68
New member
i never even c my two peppermints that r in with my horses, they hide in the back of the tank under rocks until lights out. i don't c how shrimp that hide all day stress the horses. skunks on the other hand harass non stop. like i said earlier in my experience peppermints r not cleaners, but scavengers and leave just about everything alone. of all the shrimp i would recommend peppermints.
JennyL
New member
Re: peppermint shrimp w/ SH's?
Hi Capt_Cully,
The true peppermint shrimp(Lysmata wurdemanni) are completely safe with your seahorses. Some people confuse the Camel shrimp with the peppermints.
Peppermints can and do grow to 2" in size and are good scavengers and very peaceful as tank mates for your adult horses.
I would not recommend keeping any of the cleaner shrimp with your seahorses because they will harass and stress the horses.
Hi Capt_Cully,
The true peppermint shrimp(Lysmata wurdemanni) are completely safe with your seahorses. Some people confuse the Camel shrimp with the peppermints.
Peppermints can and do grow to 2" in size and are good scavengers and very peaceful as tank mates for your adult horses.
I would not recommend keeping any of the cleaner shrimp with your seahorses because they will harass and stress the horses.
