Pics of damage to SPS from peppermint shrimp

Peppermint shrimp...
JKC-Peppermint.jpg

Notice - no pronounced hump on the dorsal side of the abdomen. Also, quite transparent.

NOT peppermint shrimp...
AARV01P05_16B.jpg

Pronounced dorsal abdominal hump, hence the 'camel' name. Pattern of stripes different, and nowhere near as transparent. Also, the rostrum (part that extends forward of teh head) is much more robust in camels.
 
I too witnessed a peppermint shrimp rip a couple polyps out of a birdsnest colony--like remove a polyp in-claw, and eat. Leaving a hole. So yes, I agree.

Never have a problem with cleaner shrimp though

Fortunately the pepps mysteriously vanished and my aiptasia did not come back. But I think behavior like this is linked to not having the right food for them.
 
I can almost guarantee that these are true peppermints. They do not look like the camel shrimp posted above.

The culprits have been caught and I now just hope the pocilipora will recover. It was even more devastated when I got home from work last night.

They DID eat the one aptasia that I couldn't reach. I just hope no more of those things pop up. I'm really trying to stay on top of them.
 
You don't think they started eating the coral when they ran out of Aips to eat?

I have 3 peps in my tank with many sps/lps and they havent ever touched them.

Just a thought.
 
So once again, the shrimp are now officially out of the tank. Some have posted I should've fed them, or that they got more hungry, or whatnot. However, as stated ( I think), I only had these guys for a total of just less than 2 days until I was able to remove them.
 
I know this is an old thread but i was directed to think link when searching for coral eating peppermint shrimps. I had the exact same issue and witnessed it first hand. I couldnt figure out why my green birdsnest and the bird of paradise started losing tissue randomly in random spots. Not losing tips, not from base, just random bald spots. One day i noticed a shrimp perched on the underside of my green birdsnest, and i didnt think anything of it, until i saw it picking at the actual polyps. the polyps would retract and he would move to a different section of the coral with open polyps and again, plucking out polyps. Well i was able to catch 4 of the 5 i had in the tank and not even 12 hrs later the polyps on both the bird of paradise and green birds nest were almost double in size and length. 2 days later i can almost for sure see the tissue regenerating. So i to am 100% that peps sometimes go after coral. I have other sps and montis but they only went after the really bushy corlas like birdsnest and poccilipora. It didnt even go after my ponape or pink birdsnest and i believe thats because the polyps on those are smaller and harder to remove.

PS. It was definately a peppermint and not a camel.
 
i forgot what shrimp looks close to a peppermint shrimp but actuallly is not i think its a camel for that is not reef safe
 
Yes those are camel shrimp. However in my situation i was definitely dealing with pepper mint shrimp. I havd since removed 4 of the 5 and both my bird of paradise and my green birdsnest have since been opening up thier polyps fully and have already started regeneration on the bald spot.
 
i've had actual peppermint shrimp eat my corals, attack my fish, kill my snails, kill clams, basically kill everything while refusing to eat actual food.
 
Added an ORA green birds nest. Peppermint Shrimp attacked it and almost ate it bare. I left it in the tank and it started growing little polyps again, just now saw my peppermint shrimp pluck the new polyps. About to give him away to a friend. Crazy shrimp
 
I had one that ate my orange cap. It started to develops patches shortly after adding the peppermint. One night I saw it on top of it and looks to be eating it. Next day got rid of shrimp and cap made full recovery. It was a true peppermint and was no coincidence.
 
So...peppermint shrimp is a common name that applies to several species of shrimp. Anyone have any idea what species of peppermint they have, so we can learn something here? :)
 
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