Keeping a peppermint and cleaner shrimp in smaller tank

[milk]

I would like to know if it would be possible to keep a cleaner and a peppermint shrimp in a 10g. I have a small aiptasia problem, so I wanted the peppermint to potentially help out with those. I wanted a cleaner because they are my favorite shrimp and think they are great for a reef. I only have a small naked clownfish in the tank.

 

thanks

[snostorm]

I would like to know if it would be possible to keep a cleaner and a peppermint shrimp in a 10g. I have a small aiptasia problem, so I wanted the peppermint to potentially help out with those. I wanted a cleaner because they are my favorite shrimp and think they are great for a reef. I only have a small naked clownfish in the tank.

 

thanks

 

...supposedly they can be kept together if im not mistaken. My personal experience was the sight one morning of the three peppermints goin to town on my cleaner. Now its possible that the cleaner kicked and then the peppermints where doing their job I just dont know. They did cure my aiptasia problem tho.

[Fluffeh]

i would keep the cleaner and NOT put in peppermint. i had 2 of them and they harassed my corals to death, and ive seen other members that have lost some of their coral to peppermints eating them

 

if you want to deal with the aiptasia, the best thing i've ever bought was AIPTASIA-X. you just squirt a lil bit at the aiptasia and it explodes itself.

[milk]

OK - I'll give aiptasia - x a shot - I haven't had any luck with cleaners in the past though - I think they are really susceptible to changes in salinity and ph which happen in my small tank (i've had two of them die in the past, and I think this is the case) Do shrimp do better in the higher or lower salinity levels? I already bought the peppermint though (maybe I'll have to get rid of him however, we'll see how it goes, only cost $7) - so far he hasn't done anything to disappoint me - but I heard they were nocturnal eaters - we'll see.

 

Any advice on keeping skunk cleaners alive??

[aldawg973]

OK - I'll give aiptasia - x a shot - I haven't had any luck with cleaners in the past though - I think they are really susceptible to changes in salinity and ph which happen in my small tank (i've had two of them die in the past, and I think this is the case) Do shrimp do better in the higher or lower salinity levels? I already bought the peppermint though (maybe I'll have to get rid of him however, we'll see how it goes, only cost $7) - so far he hasn't done anything to disappoint me - but I heard they were nocturnal eaters - we'll see.

 

Any advice on keeping skunk cleaners alive??

 

 

go the natural route and get the peppermints. I've never had any issues housing the 2 types of shrimps together nor did the peppermints destroy any corals.

[Wizzy]

Aiptasia-X is amazing...

 

I got some and it seemed to kill my Aiptasia instantly.

 

Hope This Helps- Wizzy

[shaqdan]

Aiptasia-X is amazing...

 

I got some and it seemed to kill my Aiptasia instantly.

 

Hope This Helps- Wizzy

Ditto

[joy13]

Aiptasia-X is amazing...

 

I got some and it seemed to kill my Aiptasia instantly.

 

Hope This Helps- Wizzy

 

My aiptasia appeared to die instantly but came back and now I have even more. I have a CBS and I haven't gotten any peppermint shrimp for that tank. Other tank same thing and then I got 2 peppermints now no more aiptasia in that tank. Make sure if you go the peppermint shrimp route is to watch the shrimp and see if they sway, then look at the eyes you don't want green eyed shrimp. If I was a 100% sure my CBS wouldn't bother peppermint shrimp I would get 2 for in my tank.

 

When I feed my tank I give the shrimp a silverside head and while they are chowing down on that the corals such as the duncans can eat without a problem.

[milk]

this surely helps - so far it appears to be 50/50 on the shrimp vs. aiptasia x , the lil guy seems healthy enough, very much bothered by the light, but I guess they are nocturnal feeders. Do they have any problems with urchins? my tuxedo seems to be acting weird this morning, and I put the pep in last night.

[Nasty Canasta]

I have both pepp's and cleaner in my tank no problems at all, the cleaner is bigger and chases the pepps away if they get too close but that's it.

The pepps munched every small aip i had too, I tried one pepp and it did nothing, added two more and they cleared them up in no time and never touched a single coral.

They didn't like a couple of big aip's though had to use aip-x on those and if you use aip-x as per instructions it destroys aips in seconds, brilliant stuff.

[colormyheart]

I thought pepps had to be wild caught in order to eat aiptasia..? Atleast that's what I've been told.

[nathanq.inc]

I have both pepp's and cleaner in my tank no problems at all, the cleaner is bigger and chases the pepps away if they get too close but that's it.

The pepps munched every small aip i had too, I tried one pepp and it did nothing, added two more and they cleared them up in no time and never touched a single coral.

They didn't like a couple of big aip's though had to use aip-x on those and if you use aip-x as per instructions it destroys aips in seconds, brilliant stuff.

 

+1

[burtbollinger]

peps will limit your coral selection IMO...acans are out, for example. Just something to consider...

[Zoafreak]

ive used aiptasia X of some of my large aiptasia and it made them shrink for a month then they came back... also i think it killed some of my leather corals cause they were doing just fine before i used the medication. it is safe for most other corals though

[21093r53]

peps will limit your coral selection IMO...acans are out, for example. Just something to consider...

 

 

they like pulling food from corals...ive watched this happen in my own tank...kinda sucks

[Bill Nye]

Peppermint shrimp are the devil. Just squirt the pest anemones with lemon juice and save yourself the headache.

[Nasty Canasta]

I keep reading accounts of poor outcomes with Aip-X & every single one, without fail, is not using it as per instructions. If used correctly they aip will implode in seconds.

 

First you turn off piumps and powerheads 15 mins before you start zapping them.

Then suck up a little of the liquid in the syringe, the stuff is totally natural and harmelss to everything else by the way.

Next you sneak up on the unsuspecting aip, when you get really close you start to very gently squirt some gunge out of the syringe, let some touch the aip, the aip sees the stuff as food and should grab onto the end of the syringe, then give it another squirt to totally cover the oral disc in the center, that part is very important, if you don't totally cover it, it will release its spore (planelets) & you'll have hundreds of the darn things!

The aip will almost immediately shrink, wither & implode.

 

I've zapped dozens with the stuff, keep a steady hand and do it right & they will be gone for good.

 

Never heard that about wild caught pepps being the ones to get, and to be honest i've no idea if mine are wild of captive bred, but they love aip's...just not big ones.

 

Hope that helps

[milk]

Its been about 3 days, and so far the pep hasn't touched an aiptasia in the tank, big or small. He hides during the day, and at night I see him slide out, but he doesn't seem to do much. I'm going to give the aiptasia x a shot and if it does the job, well, the pep had its chance; they are not eye sores, but they're not as entertaining as the skunk's IMO.

 

I keep reading accounts of poor outcomes with Aip-X & every single one, without fail, is not using it as per instructions. If used correctly they aip will implode in seconds.

 

First you turn off piumps and powerheads 15 mins before you start zapping them.

Then suck up a little of the liquid in the syringe, the stuff is totally natural and harmelss to everything else by the way.

Next you sneak up on the unsuspecting aip, when you get really close you start to very gently squirt some gunge out of the syringe, let some touch the aip, the aip sees the stuff as food and should grab onto the end of the syringe, then give it another squirt to totally cover the oral disc in the center, that part is very important, if you don't totally cover it, it will release its spore (planelets) & you'll have hundreds of the darn things!

The aip will almost immediately shrink, wither & implode.

 

I've zapped dozens with the stuff, keep a steady hand and do it right & they will be gone for good.

 

Never heard that about wild caught pepps being the ones to get, and to be honest i've no idea if mine are wild of captive bred, but they love aip's...just not big ones.

 

Hope that helps

 

Helps a lot! Never had to deal with any of this stuff before - I only had one aip, and after one failed assassination attempt, I somehow had 10 more overnight!

[Nasty Canasta]

Glad to help, i don't know what spurs pepps on to attacking aip's, as I said i had one and like yours it just hid all the time, added two more and still saw very little of them and for two to three weeks saw no reduction in numbers of small aips....then one morning the lights came on and no more aips, all of them had been munched over night, no idea why it took them so long but they got the job done eventually.

 

Very rarely one appears since but is usually gone within a day or two, i've never seen the pepps touch any of my corals, although most of mine are softies, zoa's etc i do have some monitpora, gsp, hammer, torch and all have been fine, they do love to steal food though, i try to feed mu mini maxi's once a week and they love trying to steal the food before the nems get it.

 

My cleaner died the other day, he was very old for a cleaner though and its last moults seemed a struggle so he was on borrowed time, but since he went the pepps have been out & about much more, i think he ruled the roost in there due to his huge size, but i like the pepps, & wouldn't be without them now.