ricordea fl. and peppermint shrimp

yeldarbj

Active member
I just added a ricordea fl. and my 2 peppermint shrimp started picking it apart. It looked like they were trying to pick off each tiny polyp and eat them. They finally left it alone.

Has anyone else had this problem? I've got other mushrooms, zoas, LPS, and SPS that they don't touch.
 
That's what I would like to think too. The pepps. are very good at checking out any new additions. They especially love it if they find some aiptasia. This time it really looked like they were plucking pieces of the ric. At least they have left it alone since then.
 
My pep attacks every new peice of rock, coral or hand when it enters the tank. I have yet to see him damage any coral.
 
Recently I added a nice size peppermint shrimp, he went into a cave and I didnt
see him for a few days. He would slightly peak his head out at feeding time. But
that was it. Then I added a disc coral and the min it was in the tank, the pepp
came out and got on it. Then he back away back into his cave. Then a day later I
started to noticed my disc coral looked like it had part of it missing? Then last night
when the moonlights were on, I seen the Pepp out attacking one of my
mushrooms. The mushroom was curled inward with the center out and waving in
the water. Im new with mushrooms and this is the first time Ive seen this. The
shrimp backed off and went back into his cave. The mushroom retracted back to
normal and looked very stressed.

I then starting thinking he was not a peppermint but a Dancing Shrimp, known to
eat soft corals. Then this evening a nass snail came out of the sand and was going
by his cave..The shrimp came out and attacked the snail. He tried to pull it into the
cave..but the snail got away. Ive never seen this before! Im thinking thats one
P***off shrimp.

I finally caught him and removed him from the tank. I was able to get a good look
at him. Robert Fenners book has a pic of both side by side. The dancing shrimp has
white lines along his body and a defined beak. But still looks very much like a
Peppermint. Im still convinced this is a Peppermint. Robert Fenners website
wetwebmedia.com says that rarely a peppermint will come along that will also
feed on soft corals.

Im not sure what to do with him.. I have him in a holding container for the
moment.
 
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I had a peppermint attack a new, healthy torch coral. I even waited for him to do it a second time because I couldn't believe how ferocious the attack was. He wasen't looking for anything out of curiosity; he was mowing it down.

My peppermint is now in Heaven.
 
I had a peppermint attack a new hammer coral. It was ripping it to pieces :( I feed a few more pellets now, and things seem to be fine.
 
My coworker added had a pep and he added a decent sized Ricordea florida. It looked healthy for a week or so and then disappeared with out a trace and we never saw it again. I think the pep got it.
 
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