Peppermint shrimp eating my frogspawn

[Brad Coughlan]

I have had this peppermint for a year with no issues.

Recently I reduced feeding to reduce nitrates, and now I just saw him pull a tenticle off my frogspawn...

What can I do to stop this?

 

[musel101]

Are you feeding him enough?

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Are you feeding him enough?

I reduced the amount and frequency I feed a few days ago, I am hoping that this is the reason why

I don't mind feeding a bit more since I just got my skimmer working again

I also just target fed him and he got a fair amount

If for whatever reason this happens again, what do you think I should do with him?

Thanks

 

[Matt Bravo]

Dealed with the same thing here, my peppermints were fine, after about 5 months I realized that they started pecking at one of my acans. Try target feeding them some mysis or brine. (I had reef roids so I dumped some in there too)

To be honest I never fully found a solution to this problem. Since they ate almost all the heads off my 4 head candy cane frag I decided to move the rest of my coral to my other tank.

I think the best advice I can give here is to try feeding them directly. If you have algae wafers that could help too. Mine really went for those

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Dealed with the same thing here, my peppermints were fine, after about 5 months I realized that they started pecking at one of my acans. Try target feeding them some mysis or brine. (I had reef roids so I dumped some in there too)

To be honest I never fully found a solution to this problem. Since they ate almost all the heads off my 4 head candy cane frag I decided to move the rest of my coral to my other tank.

I think the best advice I can give here is to try feeding them directly. If you have algae wafers that could help too. Mine really went for those

Thanks

I just read a few posts and some people suggested that it might not be eating the coral itself, but eating any dying tissue or food on the coral. Just strange how it took off an entire tenticle, I think it just spat it out as I saw the green tenticle floating around the tank. I believe this happened overnight yesterday or earlier today too, before this just happened, earlier I saw an annoyed head of frogspawn and a peice lf tenticle on the rock next to it, and just happened again, hence the forum post

Hopefully its my decreased, now increased feeding, or its going after food on the coral

Some also suggested that peppermints are fully reef safe, and that it's camel shrimps that aren't, mine looks like a peppermint over camel, so I'll just have to see...

If this carries on, what would you suggest I do with him? I have an all in one nano, so no external sump, just filtration section

 

[The_Paradox]

Mature peppermints eat the coral like groceries.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Mature peppermints eat the coral like groceries.

Should I remove it? Or is there a way to stop it

 

[The_Paradox]

Should I remove it? Or is there a way to stop it

I have never found a way. Had several varieties of them and they all ate coral when they got bigger. Mine usually went for favia and acans. Once they learn it’s food there is no stopping them in my opinion.

 

[Matt Bravo]

Thanks

I just read a few posts and some people suggested that it might not be eating the coral itself, but eating any dying tissue or food on the coral. Just strange how it took off an entire tenticle, I think it just spat it out as I saw the green tenticle floating around the tank. I believe this happened overnight yesterday or earlier today too, before this just happened, earlier I saw an annoyed head of frogspawn and a peice lf tenticle on the rock next to it, and just happened again, hence the forum post

Hopefully its my decreased, now increased feeding, or its going after food on the coral

Some also suggested that peppermints are fully reef safe, and that it's camel shrimps that aren't, mine looks like a peppermint over camel, so I'll just have to see...

If this carries on, what would you suggest I do with him? I have an all in one nano, so no external sump, just filtration section

None of my corals were unhealthy or had any dying tissue. It’s survival of the fittest in the ocean, therefore they eat to live. Once their main food supply runs out they try new things, only to find out they are completely surrounded by food.

 

[Matt Bravo]

Is there a chance you could return it to your lfs?

 

[UMALUM]

If it's not providing a service put it in the toilet.

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Is there a chance you could return it to your lfs?

I could give it a go, although I bought him over a year ago
I might seem silly saying this but it wouldn't be the same without him since he was my first livestock and he's a real character in the tank

 

[Brad Coughlan]

None of my corals were unhealthy or had any dying tissue. It’s survival of the fittest in the ocean, therefore they eat to live. Once their main food supply runs out they try new things, only to find out they are completely surrounded by food.

Yeah, good point.

I am unsure if corals have some dying tenticles, but I might know why this is happening

A few days ago I dropped a pair of stainless steel tweasers into the tank, it landed on the frogspawn and knocked a tenticle off, perhaps it damaged a few other tenticles and they are dying off? Might seem irrational, not sure but I hope this is the case. I mean, whenever I add a new coral, my peppermint alwags checks it out and gives it a good clean, at least the skeleton of it

Time will tell I suppose, I'll just have to monitor it. Luckily, I only have 1 peppermint in the tank

 

[The_Paradox]

I could give it a go, although I bought him over a year ago
I might seem silly saying this but it wouldn't be the same without him since he was my first livestock and he's a real character in the tank

And that’s how you get a sump monster. I have a completely out of control Sally Lightfoot in mine.

 

[Minifoot77]

Hawkfish should keep your peppermints from eating anything...

 

[Brad Coughlan]

And that’s how you get a sump monster. I have a completely out of control Sally Lightfoot in mine.

Haha,

It's typical that my peppermint goes for my favourite, most expensive coral

Trouble is, since I have an all in one I dont have an external sump, just filtration chambers

 

[Matt Bravo]

I could give it a go, although I bought him over a year ago
I might seem silly saying this but it wouldn't be the same without him since he was my first livestock and he's a real character in the tank

Honestly I’m the same, there’s a year old tank with just peppermints in there, I feel bad taking them back since it’s not like they eat corals to frustrate us, they just want to live

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Honestly I’m the same, there’s a year old tank with just peppermints in there, I feel bad taking them back since it’s not like they eat corals to frustrate us, they just want to live

Knowing me I'll end up setting up a seperate tank for it haha

 

[TattooedReef27]

Yes we had 4 of them in our tanks they loved our Zoas and our hammers they found there self in the nem tank for a short period. We tried feeding them more but they kept munching

 

[The_Paradox]

Trouble is, since I have an all in one I dont have an external sump, just filtration chambers

Sounds like someone’s getting a new tank… and so it begins.