Peppermint Shrimp (not) reef safe - beware

[CarolinaShoreReef]

I know some of you have seen what this guy has done already, but I figured I'd share this for everyone who hasn't seen it. (It's a new edit that's not unlisted) 

 

Has anybody seen or heard of similar behavior from a blood/fire shrimp? I was almost tempted today.. haha

 

 

[TechLobster]

That was unexpected, what a POS shrimp. Can you eat peppermint shrimp?

 

Excellent edit btw.

[Clown79]

Can't stand them. Will never own one again with corals.

 

Tore apart 3 brain corals in the span of 24hrs.

 

They have been known to go after fleshy corals. If the eat aiptasia, why stop there?

There is a caution with peppermints for going after fleshy corals.

 

I have not heard of skunk cleaners going after coral or blood shrimp. They will steal food from them but I have never seen a cleaner tear apart a coral (I've not owned a blood shrimp - too expensive and less social)

[CarolinaShoreReef]

4 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Can't stand them. Will never own one again with corals.

 

Tore apart 3 brain corals in the span of 24hrs.

 

They have been known to go after fleshy corals. If the eat aiptasia, why stop there?

There is a caution with peppermints for going after fleshy corals.

 

I have not heard of skunk cleaners going after coral or blood shrimp. They will steal food from them but I have never seen a cleaner tear apart a coral (I've not owned a blood shrimp - too expensive and less social)

Man what an expensive shrimp lol. Mine took down my small snails too when they would flip onto their shell. Okay well that's great and it's what my lfs told me about shrimp in general to just make sure they're being fed. I might get a blood shrimp soon my lfs doesn't mark them up and sells them around $15-25 depending on how much they get them for. 

[CarolinaShoreReef]

8 hours ago, TechLobster said:

That was unexpected, what a POS shrimp. Can you eat peppermint shrimp?

 

Excellent edit btw.

Haha everyone is asking that in that comments or to use him as bait lol 

[jesseatam]

My fire shrimp was an excellent inhabitant, not as bold as skunks though. They generally will stick to a secluded overhang and come out at feeding.

[CarolinaShoreReef]

6 minutes ago, jesseatam said:

My fire shrimp was an excellent inhabitant, not as bold as skunks though. They generally will stick to a secluded overhang and come out at feeding.

Yeah I’ll get a fire as soon as I see them on sale (~$20). Ive got another peppermint that came with my lagoon and I volunteered to feed it to the cobia at my lfs but unfortunately he had just eaten lol. 

[mndfreeze]

Peppermints are notoriously iffy.  It seems to really matter what region they were caught in, similiar to how some eat aptasia and others won't touch it.

 

FWIW, if you think about it, any shrimp that eats aptasia probably doesn't view the tentacles of a larger coral much different.  They are pretty similar animals.  

 

Fire and skunk cleaners just piss corals off by stealing the food out of their mouths.  I always fed mine seperately first with something large it couldn't nom down fast enough while I target fed my lps.

 

 

[Martin Riggs]

My peppermints don’t bother my corals and took care of my aipstaia problem.  Not sure what region but got them from LA. 

[CeresReef]

I have heard of a few reefers bringing out the peppermint to deal with Aipstaia then banishing them to the sump the rest of the time. 

[KNelson]

6 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

My peppermints don’t bother my corals and took care of my aipstaia problem.  Not sure what region but got them from LA. 

I got mine in SD and I've had the same fortune.  I keep mine stuffed with brine, cannibal....

[Oldsalt01]

6 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

My peppermints don’t bother my corals and took care of my aipstaia problem.  Not sure what region but got them from LA. 

Give 'em time. Mine were model citizens for a year, but the night I put two multi-head Acans in, they became monsters. Took the shrimp back and lost the Acans.

[Martin Riggs]

13 hours ago, KNelson said:

I got mine in SD and I've had the same fortune.  I keep mine stuffed with brine, cannibal....

 

I didn’t know whether to mention company’s. LA is live aquaria. Last year a lot of places didn’t have them or was told there was a national shortage. Lol. So a local got them from said company and they have been great. I don’t know if they are tank raised on eating aipstaia.