Peppermints

[DZs]

Anyone else have trouble with Peppermint shrimps bothering their anemones? I caught my pair ganging up on one of my nems late last night. I feed the nems yesterday morning and by night the shrimps were trying to pull food out of them.

 

[rjinct]

This happened to me when I introduced a BTA into my tank. My two peppermints started to attack the BTA ripping a few of it's tentacles apart. I immediately banished the pep's to the sump.

Now that I have the BTA hosts two clowns...I think they might protect the BTA, but haven't been willing to find out yet. Is your BTA hosting any fish?

 

[DZs]

The peppermints have been in the tank for at least 3 mos after my RBTAs.

When I feed the nems, I first give the shrimps a bite, then feed the nems. It makes it easier for me rather then fighting to keep the shrimps away. I do have a bonded pair of percula clowns with 4 RBTA. Which they sleep in different nems all the time. I've never seen my red fire shrimp, nor the 2 red skunks bother them. Do I have a future potential problem with these guys as well?

I do not wish any harm to come to my nems, so I pulled the peppermints out as soon as I saw what they were doing. Anyone like to go shrimping at 2am? :hmm3:

What is your sump like?

 

[davocean]

I hate peppermints for so many reasons, and stealing food from nems or messing w/ them is just one.

 

[DZs]

I hate peppermints for so many reasons, and stealing food from nems or messing w/ them is just one.

Do you have any type of shrimps in your tank?

I bought the peppermints as an addition to the CUC. (Never ever had an Aiptasia's in my tank.) YOU pick on the nems out you go.


Reminds me of the darn Coral Beauty too. That was fun when my female clown and it just would not get along at all. Pick on my babies...OUT YOU GO!

 

[Toddrtrex]

The one thing I am confused about is that you stated you fed the anemones yesterday morning, and then at night the shrimps were trying to steal the food. Either the anemones are taking forever to pull the food in, or you are feeding too much, or using too big of pieces.

Would think that after that amount of time there wouldn't be anything for the shrimps to pull out.

 

[Mavrk]

The one thing I am confused about is that you stated you fed the anemones yesterday morning, and then at night the shrimps were trying to steal the food. Either the anemones are taking forever to pull the food in, or you are feeding too much, or using too big of pieces.

Would think that after that amount of time there wouldn't be anything for the shrimps to pull out.

Maybe it was discharging the waste. I'd be interested to know the answer to this as well.

 

[DZs]

The one thing I am confused about is that you stated you fed the anemones yesterday morning, and then at night the shrimps were trying to steal the food. Either the anemones are taking forever to pull the food in, or you are feeding too much, or using too big of pieces.

Would think that after that amount of time there wouldn't be anything for the shrimps to pull out.

Sorry for the confusion.

I feed 1/8 to 1/4 inch chopped up food and small amounts (like a pinch) and it's just about gone before I get to the last anemone. What the shrimps was doing... was they were digging into the nems month to pull food out. There was no expelling of food like it was overfed, nor was it pooing. (Which I took as them trying to get food out of the anemone.) I took my stick to move the shrimps away, as soon as I sit the stick down they both were back on the nem again. Enough that the nem fully enclosed itself with both shrimps again on it, digging into it for the third time.

 

[DZs]

Maybe it was discharging the waste. I'd be interested to know the answer to this as well.

I could understand that, but no it wasn't. Mouths on all the anemones, nice and tight with clowns sleeping in two out of the four anemones.

 

[DZs]

I spend a lot of time around my tank and at times I work late into the night with the moonlights on. This was the first time I've witness the way the peppermints were acting last night. I was worried, so I pulled shrimps out and put them into another tank. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this behavior with peppermint shrimps. My fire shrimp actually hangs out by and on the back side of one of my anemone rocks. I've never seen him bothering the BTAs.

 

[What The?]

I never had any problems with Pep's messing with the anemones, but at night when the pep's go surfing in the current my Rose would catch one and eat it so now i dont have Pep's anymore.

 

[davocean]

Do you have any type of shrimps in your tank?

I bought the peppermints as an addition to the CUC. (Never ever had an Aiptasia's in my tank.) YOU pick on the nems out you go.

I always have cleaner shrimp, and even they can be buttheads on stealing food from nems, but I just use a scraper or poker to prod them away when I spot feed.
And the benefits of them out weigh the neg.
I got peps a while back(against my better judgement, but had way too many aptasia and hit them w/ peps, CBB, and apt X)
The peps are just out right sneaky about stealing food from my nems, much harder to shoo away.
They also pick on my snails, roll them over, eat enough to kill them, and leave them to waste, and go to others.
My snail population has really declined due to them, and I'm sure what is left of them just rots in tank.
The bummer is they are hard to catch, once they see one get trapped, they shy from trap, or I'd have all of them out.