Whaddaya do once a critter has served its purpose?

[elefink]

I got some live rock from the Gulf in December, so of course its having a huge outbreak of aiptasia. There seem to be new ones every day. Last week, once the chemistry seemed under control from the cycle, I put in a couple of peppermint shrimp.

I'm not sure I want peppermint shrimp forever. I'm not cool with the idea that they could eat the nicer critters later. But this anemone problem is getting to be a problem, so there they are. A few of the offenders have gone missing, mostly ones deep in the rockwork where the shrimps live.

Presuming that catching them later is even possible, what do you do when an animal like this has served its purpose and the anemones are gone? Put them on Craigslist?

 

[FishTri]

Scampi

 

[Crooked Reef]

Sump them, trade them to local reefer, trade in to LFS. You may also have a fish that eats them by then like some wrasses.

 

[outssider]

I would leave them for as long as possible....just because you think it's... "all clear".....
Doesn't mean it is......

 

[Uncle99]

Mine cleared and keep clear all aptasia.
Been in my DT for two years now, no issues
They usually die within a few years so I just let him be.
Sump is fine, back to the LFS...

 

[mcgyvr]

Pep shrimp are often harmless in a tank...let them be...

 

[jacksonpt]

I don't buy animals I don't intend to keep long term.... to me, that's just part of being a responsible animal owner. But that's me.

If you're looking to get rid of them at some point, you can...
- squish them
- trade them in (most LFS will take trade-ins), just don't expect to get much for them
- trade/give to another local reefer
- move them to the sump, assuming you have a resaonable spot for them.

 

[ReefWreak]

Your aiptasia are still in your plumbing and equipment. If you get rid of the peppermint shrimp now, you'll just end up buying more once the aiptasia spread from the hidden areas back to the tank again.

I'd just leave them in the display and treat them as you would any shrimp. Just be glad they're eating your aiptasia!

 

[elefink]

Good point. I'm not even sure what if anything is growing in the back. I can't turn my head, so I can't look behind the tank and see in. Plus the whole system in only 2 months old.

 

[Sk8r]

THey don't hurt much. They'll sample say, a poci, and then decide it didn't taste good. Rarely will they bother a 'wrong' item twice. And they're insurance against aiptasia arriving on another specimen: happens a lot.

 

[elefink]

I don't buy animals I don't intend to keep long term.... to me, that's just part of being a responsible animal owner. But that's me.

If you're looking to get rid of them at some point, you can...
- squish them
- trade them in (most LFS will take trade-ins), just don't expect to get much for them
- trade/give to another local reefer
- move them to the sump, assuming you have a resaonable spot for them.

When I got them, I had thought they would be good long term addition. However, I read on ReefCleaners.org that they might eat certain types of coral, like zoanthids. I'd like to put zoanthids in later, and am now worried about that; hence the question about options.

 

[jacksonpt]

Gotcha. Live and learn, no biggie.

FWIW, I've never had a problem with them picking at anything they shouldn't be picking at. But I don't keep zoos, so take that for what it's worth.

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

I've also never had them pick at my coral, including alot of zoas. I don't have any now as I never seem to have much lick keeping shrimp for more than 6 months. They were always well behaved when I did have them though.

 

[ReeferSutherlnd]

You will never be rid of the aptasia. Like they said, it's all in the plumbing. You can only manage if now, so keep em!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[elefink]

Now the shrimp have been in the tank for a couple of weeks, we're starting to notice that the number of anemones is going down. Several of the larger ones are gone. It's a good thing, too. They were starting to reproduce at an alarming rate.

The shrimps come out predictably shortly after the sunset mode on the lights comes on. My husband has taken to going to watch the tank at this time because he likes to see if he can watch a shrimp taking out an anemone.