Peppermint shrimp?

[cjj14u]

Added 2 Peppermints and an emerald crab to my tank yesterday.

Cant find they or the emerald anywhere....

Are they great at hiding?

They are about an inch long each and there just is not many places they could totally conceal themselves.

Tank contains 50 lbs live rock.

Other inhabitants are:
5 Nassarius
5 Cerinth
4 Red leg hermits
4 Blue leg hermits
1 Lawnmower Blenny (2")
1 Occ Clown
1 Firefish

When I first put them in they were climbing around the rocks actively....

Now...not a trace......

Appreciate any input......

 

[CRASHJT]

My emerald was hardly ever visible and it took the peppermints a bit to warm up to showing themselfs however would almost always come out for food

 

[joet3580]

give it acouple days

 

[jflick345]

You'd be surprised how many places there are for 1in shrimp and a crab to hide in 50 lbs. of LR

 

[insane]

Peppermint shrimp are nocturnal. They will usually always hide during daylight hours.

 

[Almondsaz]

The emerald crabs are great at hiding, but they typically can be seen after lights out. I have three in my tank and after several months they now come out during the day but never stray far from a hiding hole.

The PS are different, they are more nocturnal and very shy. When I see mine it is because I have moved the rock where they hide out. Others may a have different experiences, these are just mine. Considering your stock list I don't think they have fallen prey to anyone.

 

[bearpeidog]

Agreed with the nocturnal aspect. Wait a couple hour after lights off and search with a flash light. You'll find em!

 

[milkman55]

I have really had a time keeping peppermint shrimp. They would just disappear or I would find them dead in the powerhead. What I concluded was the red serpent star I have which is about 12" accross has been killing them.

I think your stock list is fine and they are just hiding.

 

[npsossi@msn.com]

Get your flashlight out after dark and drop some food into your tank. They will come out.

 

[DC_40gallon]

I'm lucky to see my emerald crab once a week.

My peppermint is very sociable (they can be trained well) so I see him with every feeding. But peppermints are notorious for nocturnal lifestyles. Wait a few hours after lights out and slide in with a flashlight, he will be floating through the tank I bet.

 

[sabien]

I'm getting some peppermints too. I hear they eat aiptasia

 

[DC_40gallon]

sabien - some do and some don't.

I was told and found to be true that some are finicky eaters and some will eat anything. There was even a guy on here a few days ago that woke up to his adult peppermint shrimp half in the mouth of an aiptasia! It was under the title thread, "aiptasia 1 peppermint shrimp 0".

The aiptasia actually fought and ate the peppermint shrimp!

 

[cjj14u]

Update...the mystery deepens...this does not look good....
Just found the front half of the largest peppermints shell floating in the tank...pulled it out...
This is (was?) a pretty large peppermint....actually about 1 1/2 inches...
Doubt if it would molt that quickly after being put in yesterday???

 

[jflick345]

It's possible that he did. A shrimp can't necessarily change when he's ready to molt just bc you bought him. Stress can do strange things too. Unless there's actual pieces of the shrimp (not just shell) I would assume he's still alive.

 

[Almondsaz]

And don't forget that right after a molt they hide even more as they are vulnerable with a new soft shell.

 

[DC_40gallon]

Mine molted the first night.

That sounds like a molt to me. Mine molts monthly like clockwork, just pulled out half of his front shell this morning on one of the live rocks.

 

[lordofthereef]

The shrimps are great at hiding. Emerald crabs IME hide in plain sight. I often would look to see where mine are and they are simply sitting latched on a rock completely still. I certainly wouldn't be shocked if it crawled between some rocks and you just can't see it though.

 

[Felix T Cat]

My peps will come out for mysis shrimp night or day. I can pretty much hand feed them with the baby dropper.

 

[cjj14u]

Update.....Well you all were right...The lights went off and out they both came!!!

 

[DC_40gallon]

WOO HOO!!

I'm so happy and glad for you!

It freaked me out the first time, I said, "damn, that was a great waste of money" then I seen him clatter out from under a rock and say, "hello!"

We bought a anemone crab and I woke up the next morning to his entire body ripped to hell and stuck all over my urchin. Again that was a "welp waste of money" and then I seen where he was stretching his legs about 6 inches away kicking around loving life.

I'm REALLY excited and starting a thread on my frogspawn problem. I bought a tiny frogspawn (8 tentacles) and I put it in my tank and it was loving life, I turned out the lights for the night later on, woke up the next morning to its skeleton shell on the frag peg. Tentacles were gone

Thanks to all my fellow RC'ers I took it off my egg crate frag tray and stuck it in the sand and forgot about it. I just glanced down at it and I'm not joking when I tell you that it is literally growing back, slowly but there are a few tiny growth bumps!!

It is going to be so amazing to watch this thing grow from nothing to a full prospering frogspawn!