Peppermint shrimps eating Xenia!

[cephas]

I recently moved over some Xenia from my 15 Gallon to my AP12. I never had peppermint shrimp before, but I purchased three to kill of some aiptasia in my 15 gallon. I moved a few pieces of LR with mushrooms into my Ap12 and thought I would move over the shrimp as a preventive in case any aiptasia were left on that rock.

 

They have been fairly agressive eaters, coming out of the rocks when ever I feed the tank, and they go nuts over pellets, and mysis. I noticed the other day that a piece of xenia was getting thinned out.

 

I've never head problems with Xenia before, in fact, I would frag it out and just give it to my LFS for replacement rockls. All of my water levels are perfect, so i was scratching my head.

 

Well I go to feed last night...and BAM! I see the shrimp come out and go after the Xenia for any food it has...and then continues to attck the Xenia even after it got the mysis from it!!

 

At this point, I'm think Gumbo, or Scampi out of these guys!

 

Anybody else ever have peppermints go after any corals?

[Weetabix7]

Yep,I just had one go after my favorite green hammer coral. Caught him in the act, the little bugger.

I vote for scampi.

No more Peps for me!

[Dr.Fumanchu]

My two peppermints ate all of the tentacles off of my ricordia. They didnt touch anything else. Lately they have been stealing food out of the polyps and corals at feeding time. I am about ready to evict these two Reef Hooligans out of my tank.

[scarf_ace1981]

peppermints will harass some corals but keep in mind it may have been eating the xenia because the xenia was dying. pepps tend to scavange on dying corals. hope he doesn't get a taste for anything else. if he does siphon that sucker out, quick

[FloorLord]

Make sure they are not Camel Shrimp. I have nevr seen a Pep. eat coral unless they are starving to death.

D

[scarf_ace1981]

Make sure they are not Camel Shrimp. I have nevr seen a Pep. eat coral unless they are starving to death.

 

 

good point

[cephas]

Make sure they are not Camel Shrimp. I have nevr seen a Pep. eat coral unless they are starving to death.

D

 

They are definetly not Camels. The Xenia is healthy, but everytime I feed the tank and the polyps grab some food, the shrimp go crazy, pulling the food from the polyps, and then continue to go after them. I would say that I've lost 40% of the Xenia in the last week. What remains is extended, very full with all tops pulsating. I'm gonna give them a few days, but if I see anymore crazy behaviour...BAM back to the LFS or Scampi for them!

[rics4me]

Try feeding your peps before you feed anything else in the tank. Give them a piece of shrimp,crab,squid etc. They'll be busy devouring their own food and most likely will not scavenge elsewhere.

[Fishfreak218]

"peppermint shrimps eating Xenia!"

 

consider yourself lucky...

i wish mine did

[mattyice]

ship the peps of to me, my mantis will teach them whos boss

[cephas]

Argh! Yesterday I'm watching my tank, and one of the Peps that lives mostly on the left side of my tank, goes up to a small cluster of cup corals that came on the live rock and attacks it for no reason! Little pieces are flying all over the tank!!

After mass today I will be going to my LFS and see if he will take these guys back...I'm SO done with Peps!

[clifford513]

I hate peppermint shrimp, unless they are in a fine pate

[mikej]

Anybody else ever have peppermints go after any corals?

 

Absolutely. I had two peps that took out a frogspawn, a field of shrooms, and a ric before I took them back. I figured at first that they were just cleaning out dead or dying polyps, but that turned out not to be the case. It may have been that they were just very hungry, I suppose, but I couldn't feed any more than I was in the 12G that I have, so I took them out. Never doing peps again.

[Dr.Fumanchu]

Mine are on borrowed time. The bastids may end up exiled.

[mattyice]

if you guys dont want them ship them here to me