Peppermint Shrimp Warning
- Thread starter rleechb
- Start date
rleechb
New member
It's definitely not my parameters (PO4/NO3 are both very close to undetectable). Plus, it's not like all my ricordia are going downhill. One small polyp was absolutely obliterated, while the other yuma polyps were just fine (floridas were unscathed as well).
Amazing how many people have had issues with these shrimp; I've done quite a bit of reading about peppermints here, and it's always the first recommendation people make (or a copperband) when it comes to aiptasia.
I can't believe they're even hungry... I feed up to 10 times a day, and they are ALWAYS eating when I feed.
Kigs
In Memoriam
once they get a taste of corals, they probably won't throw away the habit. regardless of how much you feed them daily. this is a very opinionated hobby and even though some general rules apply, there are different views on certain topics such as using peppermints and CBs as an effective agent against aiptasia.
corals b 4 bills
New member
All I have to say is "DEATH TO SHRIMP!" except for coral banded, now just like fish everyone has that trigger that "never bothered anyone" then there's other that put that Niger in and watched in horror as he ate till he was belly up, in my experience I've only had one cleaner shrimp in 11 years that was a model citizen, after trying again with others I had to dismantle two tanks to remove those varmints. I can already see that LFS all across the us and Canada are going to have crap load of shrimp on there hands because of the new shrimp scare of '07 but people also have to know that shrimps are not fuzzy little salt water kittens they are CARNIVORES. so buyer beware.
corals b 4 bills
New member
All I have to say is "DEATH TO SHRIMP!" except for coral banded, now just like fish everyone has that trigger that "never bothered anyone" then there's other that put that Niger in and watched in horror as he ate till he was belly up, in my experience I've only had one cleaner shrimp in 11 years that was a model citizen, after trying again with others I had to dismantle two tanks to remove those varmints. I can already see that LFS all across the us and Canada are going to have crap load of shrimp on there hands because of the new shrimp scare of '07 but people also have to know that shrimps are not fuzzy little salt water kittens they are OPPORTUNISTIC CARNIVORES. so buyer beware.
jimsta
Premium Member
I agree all the way with most of the stuff said here. I had a gang of 6 peppermint shrimp eat about 36 multicolored ricordia, and then move onto a plate coral. I have been telling people this for about 3 years now and everyone laughs in my face. I new sooner or later it would be realized that these must be treated just like a centropyge angels and/or triggers in a reef tank.
vessxpress1
Premium Member
I agree with everything here. I can't figure out what everybody's desire is to get them. If you have to get one, I would only keep one or two. I've got 4 in a 38 and I hate them. I thought they'd be great at first so I paid the 9 bucks a piece for them.
What's wrong with them? Well, as was said earlier, they are opportunistic scavengers. They are fast, mobile and strong. If you try to feed a coral, they will SMOTHER it immediately so the coral closes up, and rip away any food they can find. If you try to appease them with food to begin with, they finish it up and rob the coral anyway because some coral can't ingest food fast enough. Basically, if you get peppermints, you can forget about doing any successful target feeding.
I saw one of my serpent stars grab a piece of silverside one time and start eating it. A peppermint shrimp (that had already been fed mind you) flew over almost immediately to grab the food away. I thought, " No way. The serpent star is too heavy and too strong." Well, the shrimp started ripping and yanking on the silverside like a dog pulling on a rope and after about 5 minutes of this, ripped the silverside away and ran off with it.
I would not add them to a new tank unless I had a bad aiptasia problem and then no more than two.
Oh, BTW, I couldn't even add lettuce nudis to the tank. I dropped one in and the shrimp thought it was food. One grabbed it before it even hit a rock. The other 3 rushed over and immediately ripped it apart and ate it. The other 2 nudis dissappeared by the next day.
What's wrong with them? Well, as was said earlier, they are opportunistic scavengers. They are fast, mobile and strong. If you try to feed a coral, they will SMOTHER it immediately so the coral closes up, and rip away any food they can find. If you try to appease them with food to begin with, they finish it up and rob the coral anyway because some coral can't ingest food fast enough. Basically, if you get peppermints, you can forget about doing any successful target feeding.
I saw one of my serpent stars grab a piece of silverside one time and start eating it. A peppermint shrimp (that had already been fed mind you) flew over almost immediately to grab the food away. I thought, " No way. The serpent star is too heavy and too strong." Well, the shrimp started ripping and yanking on the silverside like a dog pulling on a rope and after about 5 minutes of this, ripped the silverside away and ran off with it.
I would not add them to a new tank unless I had a bad aiptasia problem and then no more than two.
Oh, BTW, I couldn't even add lettuce nudis to the tank. I dropped one in and the shrimp thought it was food. One grabbed it before it even hit a rock. The other 3 rushed over and immediately ripped it apart and ate it. The other 2 nudis dissappeared by the next day.
