Local Peppermint Shrimp?

[Psyire]

Has anyone had any success with peppermint shrimp, purchased in Edmonton, eating Aptasia?

(I've just read that there are 2 kinds of peppermint shrimp and one will eat aptasia and one will not. Which prompted me to wonder if anyone in Edmonton has bought the kind that will.)

[saltaddict]

I bought mine from Brian at Little Oceans. That was a couple months ago though. And the ones I got definately eat aptasia.

[Psyire]

Good News.. Anybody else?

[midgetwaiter]

It can be REALLY hard to tell the different species of shrimp sold as Peppermint apart. I think I have a picture of the tail markig for the wurdemani somewhere, if I find it I will post it.

[bubblepuffer]

There is only 1 type of Peppermint Shrimp.. mostly LFS will mistaken the Camel as Peppermint which will not it Aiptisia at all but eating the corals.. When it come to Peppermint Shrimp eating Aiptisia or not.. it's all depend on luck. Some people will train the Shrimp to eat Aiptisia by using a separate tank which got nothing to eat by LR with Aiptisia... Most of the time, when you got established tank with many thing in the tank for foods, then the luck will be very low for Aiptisia cleaning... the best method still Do your own Cleaning.

[midgetwaiter]

Originally Posted by bubblepuffer

There is only 1 type of Peppermint Shrimp.. mostly LFS will mistaken the Camel as Peppermint which will not it Aiptisia at all but eating the corals.. When it come to Peppermint Shrimp eating Aiptisia or not.. it's all depend on luck. Some people will train the Shrimp to eat Aiptisia by using a separate tank which got nothing to eat by LR with Aiptisia... Most of the time, when you got established tank with many thing in the tank for foods, then the luck will be very low for Aiptisia cleaning... the best method still Do your own Cleaning.

No this is incorrect.

Lysmata wurdemanni is found in the Golf of Mexico and Caribbean, this is the shrimp that eats aptasia.

Lysmata rathbunae is found off of eastern Florida and does not eat aptasia. You can distinguish them by the lack of striping and opaque colour on the tail of Lysmata rathbunae but it is sort of difficult to explain what it should look like. This is the only way to tell between the two.

Lysmata californica also looks sort of similar.

The camel shrimp belongs to a different family, Rhynchocinetes and is distingushed by the large camelish hump on it's back. They will eat almost any sessile invert.

[bubblepuffer]

How do you tell the different between Lysmata californica and
Lysmata wurdemanni. They both look almost identical. I am not sure which one I got.