Aptasia and peppermint shrimp question

[Azsrael]

Hi, I got an aptasia problem. I read peppermint are the way to go. Just wanted to check and see if adding them to my tank will create some unforeseen issues. Please let me know your tips, tricks, and advice before I do it. Thanks!

100g tank
Softies and LPS tank
2 skunk cleaners
1 Blue regal tang
1 yellow tang
2 clowns
1 harlequin
5 snails

 

[HockeyRooster]

I don’t see any issues adding them to that list. Make sure you don’t over feed the tank as my peps got complacent about eating aptasia once they got fed a lot.

 

[piranhaman00]

Peppermint will go after LPS first then the aiptasia.

 

[harley32907]

I have 3 peppermint shrimp and aptasia ,but that just me.

 

[Hugh Mann]

I haven't tried Peppermints myself for aiptasia, but when reading on the issue, it seems to be pretty hit or miss with them. Lots will also go after corals as well.

Apparently there's two different types of Peppermint shrimp or something like that.

 

[VJM 21]

Peppermint will go after LPS first then the aiptasia.

That is patently false if you get true peppermint shrimp. I have about 75 heads of euphyllia, a colony of trumpet coral, and a large chalice. The peppermints haven’t touched them, but they did take care of my aiptasia problem. I bought mine from Pacific East. I’d highly recommend them.

 

[harley32907]

File fish?

 

[sp1187]

I have many aps in my sump. I added 4 peppermints. I still have many aps in the sump.
I added a copperband to the DT for the aps that decide to leave the sump. it also eats all the little white feather dusters. it doesn't bother any of my corals, inverts or other fish.

 

[Volsman85]

Hi, I got an aptasia problem. I read peppermint are the way to go. Just wanted to check and see if adding them to my tank will create some unforeseen issues. Please let me know your tips, tricks, and advice before I do it. Thanks!

100g tank
Softies and LPS tank
2 skunk cleaners
1 Blue regal tang
1 yellow tang
2 clowns
1 harlequin
5 snails

I have 4 in a 36 gal BF. They wiped out my aptasia. I recommend getting them

 

[Murphsreef]

I have been successful with peppermints. They took care of the aptasia and leave the LPS alone. Now they are great scavengers and feed with the rest of the fish.

 

[Uncle99]

Berghia Nudibranch.
Eats ONLY Aptasia, is easy to deploy, will breed to levels of available food, then slowly die out.

Everything else can be hit or miss, even “true” peps and CBB may go rouge.....then you have an expensive mess...

I don’t play hit or miss game....way too much at stake.

 

[Bossman]

I tried the peppermint shrimp and unfortunately it did not work for me. Butterflyfish did work, but they ate my corals too. Joe's juice is what I'm using now for maintenance. It works, every couple of weeks I look through the tanks and treat the aiptasia.

 

[VJM 21]

Berghia Nudibranch.
Eats ONLY Aptasia, is easy to deploy, will breed to levels of available food, then slowly die out.

Everything else can be hit or miss, even “true” peps and CBB may go rouge.....then you have an expensive mess...

I don’t play hit or miss game....way too much at stake.

I looked into Berghia Nudibranchs. In addition to being rather expensive for tiny bugs, most sellers tell you that they need to propagate before becoming effective, which could take months. That’s if your wrasses don’t eat them.

How many people are really buying “true”peppermints? I wouldn’t trust that to an LFS, but I would trust Dr. Mac at Pacific East to know the difference. Six months in my tank and they haven’t touched any coral. Shrimp are also pretty easy to catch with the bottle trick. I’m not sure it’s such a life or death situation.

 

[Uncle99]

Expensive but quite effective IMO.
Ya get what you pay for maybe.
I wanted them out for good.
I’ve spent 5 times their price on several things.
You’ll find just as many people who have lost expensive corals to peps, most of us can tell a pep from a camel shrimp.

 

[VJM 21]

I have been successful with peppermints. They took care of the aptasia and leave the LPS alone. Now they are great scavengers and feed with the rest of the fish.

I’ve had the same experience. Mine have become more active during the day since I added cleaner shrimp. They’re not as entertaining as cleaners, but still pretty cool.

The problem, by the way (to address the precious post), isn’t confusing them with camel shrimp. That’s pretty obvious. The problem is that there are variances within the lysmata wurdemanni complex.

It’s also not about the money for me; it’s about finding a solution that works and about adding organisms that are going to hopefully become permanent inhabitants in my system.

 

[Duffer]

I think it is just like anything else in this hobby, hit or miss...I got and had a peppermint shrimp that never ever touched my aptasia but did go after some of my corals... let’s just say he no longer is in my tank

 

[EagleEye121]

Just added a pep to my Evo and overnight took out all my aiptasia. Hasn’t touched any of my LPS yet but now I’ll be watching closely

 

[mindme]

I put some peppermints in my 25g. They killed the aptasia pretty quickly. I think I saw one of them trying to munch on my Duncan.

Some of those shrimp ended up in my 29g anemone tank, but they will probably end up in my 180g sump because they would love to eat my BTA, but the clownfish seem to keep them at bay. When I'm feeding them with the pumps off, they often try to pick at it while the clownfish are distracted.

2 of them in my 180g and none of them have thus far munched on anything as far as I can tell. I wouldn't have put them in there, but my wife did as I was transfering some corals/fish from the 25g to the 180g.

 

[VJM 21]

I don’t keep nems anymore, but that’s certainly a good point. I’m sure they would, at minimum, irritate any spot-fed coral. Regardless, I’m definitely keeping an eye on them.