Help! Peppermint shrimp eating coral

[Mattg023]

I added 4 peppermint shrimp to my 75g to get aptasia. They ate all the aptasia and the past couple days I’ve noticed some of my corals shriveled up. Then I saw them attacking my dragon soul torch and an acan colony. I managed to get one out by putting pellets in a net but having trouble getting the others. Any recommendations?

 

[Poof No Eyebrows]

Remove them.

 

[Mattg023]

Remove them.

Yes That’s the point.... any recommendations on how to remove them efficiently?

 

[N3mo]

Remove them, once they start they don't stop.

I had to strip half my nano to catch one, but after that the corals were happy and grew back.

 

[Poof No Eyebrows]

Try to lure them out with food and use a net. You might have to end up moving some things. Mine seem more active at night as well.

 

[Biokabe]

Traps are generally more effective than directly netting them, especially in a reef tank. There are tons of traps out there that you can get, or you can make your own from an old plastic soda bottle (thoroughly rinsed, of course). Cut off the top, flip it over and insert it into the bottom (so that the top forms a funnel). Throw in whatever the shrimp find irresistible and wait for it to work its magic. Don't glue it closed - you need to be able to slide the top out to remove whatever you've captured. It might take a few tries to get the shrimp, but eventually you should be able to get them without breaking down your tank.

 

[TxReefer21]

Man I dealt with the same issue !!! Put a cube of Mysis shrimp or whatever in the net and let them all come to it and swoop them up fast as you can. I’ll never buy peppermint shrimp. I’ll find other ways to get rid of my aptasia

 

[Mattg023]

Traps are generally more effective than directly netting them, especially in a reef tank. There are tons of traps out there that you can get, or you can make your own from an old plastic soda bottle (thoroughly rinsed, of course). Cut off the top, flip it over and insert it into the bottom (so that the top forms a funnel). Throw in whatever the shrimp find irresistible and wait for it to work its magic. Don't glue it closed - you need to be able to slide the top out to remove whatever you've captured. It might take a few tries to get the shrimp, but eventually you should be able to get them without breaking down your tank.

Thank you! This is what I was looking for. Sounds good

 

[Mattg023]

Man I dealt with the same issue !!! Put a cube of Mysis shrimp or whatever in the net and let them all come to it and swoop them up fast as you can. I’ll never buy peppermint shrimp. I’ll find other ways to get rid of my aptasia

Yea I will never buy them again. My heart sank when I saw one tearing into my dragon soul torch

 

[TxReefer21]

Yea I will never buy them again. My heart sank when I saw one tearing into my dragon soul torch

I bet. I had a couple eating away on my branchhammer and zoas I was ticked. ! Best of luck

 

[Biokabe]

Yea I will never buy them again. My heart sank when I saw one tearing into my dragon soul torch

It's a lottery with peppermints. Personally I've never had them eat any corals, but I've also never had them eat any aiptasia. Part of the problem, I think, is that what we call "peppermint shrimp" is really about a dozen different species, each of which has different dietary habits. I think the type that my LFS carries is the type that only eats detritus and doesn't touch cnidarians.

 

[Zer0]

After trying to get rid of the peppermint shrimp that was picking at my goniopora using the inverted bottle trick with zero success, I finally was able to catch it manually with a small net. I don’t know if they all behave the same way, but this peppermint shrimp would come out at night to explore the tank and walk all over my zoas. So basically I just stood there with the net in my hand, waiting for the shrimp to come out further from the rocks, then I placed the net between it and the safety of the aquascape, blocking off its escape routes. It definitely took a few tries, but it eventually became belligerent and I took advantage of that lol.

The inverted bottle thing never worked for me. The shrimp would walk around the edges of the bottle but would never actually go inside.

Someone mentioned on here a while back that they would never trust another invert with claws and I would have to agree. I mean I still have hermit crabs, but they’re dumb and easy to catch so it’s not as big a deal. I’ve decided not to put anything in my tank that can’t be easily removed. I don’t need the extra headaches lol

Hang around the tank after lights go out and you’ll most likely see the shrimps coming out to explore, which might make it easier to catch them.

 

[nitro500]

Traps are generally more effective than directly netting them, especially in a reef tank. There are tons of traps out there that you can get, or you can make your own from an old plastic soda bottle (thoroughly rinsed, of course). Cut off the top, flip it over and insert it into the bottom (so that the top forms a funnel). Throw in whatever the shrimp find irresistible and wait for it to work its magic. Don't glue it closed - you need to be able to slide the top out to remove whatever you've captured. It might take a few tries to get the shrimp, but eventually you should be able to get them without breaking down your tank.

I had to do the same to get the little coral eating jerks out. YouTube has lots of videos on making the plastic bottle trap.