peppermint shrimp
 

i just got some corals yesterday ( frogspowan and some mushrooms) and when i put them in the tank my peppermint shrimp went strate for both of them and started ripping them apart. :eek:
i had too move both to my fuge. i also got some green star polyps and the shrimp seem to be leaveing those alone. :confused:
i was just wondering if this behavior was just curiosity or will they eat my whole collony.

Hey Manny,

Sorry to hear that your peppermint attacked your corals :eek:

I have peppermints in my tank and they never have attacked any of my corals. Do a great job ridding my tank of Aiptasia though :cool:

I always read that peppermints were reef safe, are you sure you did not get a camel shrimp instead? They look very similar to the peppermints but tend to be alot more aggressive and destructive and are, unfortunately, often sold by LFS's as peppermint shrimp.

I have had 2 Peppermints for a few months. Doesn't touch any of my corals.

i had originally got the peppermints to eat the aptasia growing my tank. they did a great job with the aptasia. do camel shrimp eat aptasia as well?
i got the shrimp from J&L, i did not think that they would sell me the wrong shrimp, i am under the impresion that the guys at J&L are experienced and know what they are doing.
i may have to take my tank apart to get these little buggers out of there. :mad:

shrimp trap
 

manny
don't rip your tank apart yet. get a yogourt container and put a tie a string to it. then put it to the bottom of the tank or close to your shrimps favourite hangout spot with some fish food pellets at the bottom of the container. your shrimp will "smell" the food and it will go in. pull the string, boil some water and fresh shrimp for dinner... :mrgreen:

Ok here is the problem, there are 3 or 4 different shrimp being sold as "pepermint shrimp" can you find a pic to show us or a real good description. at anyrate try catch them if they are attacking your corals.

Steve

i have ID it with the Baensch Marine Atlas, and what i have are, according to the book, peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni). i have tried to trap them using the "yogurt container" technique. the little bastards seem to be to smart. the only one that fell for my trick is the cleaner shrimp which i have no problem with.
i might try and put the corals in agian and see what happens. hopefully they were just curious the first time.

Hi Manny, the peppermint shrimp you described as Lysmata Wurdemanni is the true peppermint shrimp, a more brighter orange color shrimp compare to it's lookalike, the Catalina shrimp aka lysmata californica. Wurdemanni will eat LPS corals and corallimorpharians. If you want your corals, get them shrimp out. Best of luck. Regards Ken

where did you find the info that they will eat LPS corals?? they are the ones that will eat aptasia, but I have never seen one eat a coral and I have had upto about 7 of them in my tank at once.

Steve

Try putting the coral into the yogurt container, then see how smart the little bastards really are :lol:

Just kiddin, hopefully it was just a curiosity thing.

Hi Steve, lysmata Wurdenmanni will eat Aiptasia. I found the info in one of my library of books, Reef Invertebrates by Anthony Calfo & Robert Fenner. Page 267 quote " The peppermint shrimp L. wurdemanni is one of the riskier species with corals, and has been known to eat large polyped fleshy corals LPS, and corallimorphs as readily as it eats nuisance anemones". This is a very good informative book I like included in my library, anyone out there whose got a favorite book? Regards Ken

Weird, i have read that book 4 times and missed that ever time. ( I was lucky enough to get an autographed copy at the meeting in the US I went to, and even to pull Anthony's ear for about 4 hours after at a pub.. very knowledgeable and entertaining person.) there is no mention of them eating anything but problematic anemone in my other book on invertebrate by Julian Sprung, or in any reading I have done on line.

I will have to go by personal experience on this one as I have always had polyps, and LPS in my tank and I have never seen one touched, but it is interesting to see and goes to show nothing is cut and dry in this hobby.

Steve

Hi Steve, books are great for references, but sometimes it all depends on personal experiences like you had. You're right,nothing is cut and dry in this hobby. For example is it safe to put a flame angel in a reef? Some would say no, some will say no problem. It all depends on personal experience. If you had read the book 4 times, then you must enjoy the book as much as I do. Oh by the way, how is your aquarium doing now with the new Bali acro? Best of luck. Regards Ken