Peppermint shrimp.

[Notsolostfish]

I had a tiny ricordia mushroom like very tiny one. I wooe up to it completely gone and lines are coming out of it. And peppermint shrimp near it. Did he eat it! I got peppermint shrimp from reeftopia to clean aiptasia and they did. But like they eat corals?

 

[JGT]

How is it completely gone yet you see lines coming out of it?

 

[CrayHawk]

I’ve had peppermint shrimp destroy some of my hammers before.

 

[Notsolostfish]

How is it completely gone yet you see lines coming out of it?

Like i see tiny left over

 

[JGT]

Ah, OK. Pic would help.

 

[exnisstech]

There are several types of shrimp sold as peppermint that are not. I have true peppermints in two tank and have no problems with them. The tank that has lps those peppermint never come out with lights on so they aren't food thieves. Can't say the same for my cleaner shrimp.

 

[Fritz05]

There are indeed many sold as “Peppermint shrimp”. I found out I had L. Bogessii when they started eating the SPS corals I added. Allegedly L. Wurdemanni is reef-safe, but I cannot attest to that.

Below are photos of live specimens of five species of peppermint shrimp from a paper on the redescription of L. Wurdemanni:

(A) Lysmata wurdemanni
(B) Lysmata rathbunae
(C) Lysmata ankeri
(D) Lysmata boggessi
(E) Lysmata pederseni
(F) Lysmata bahia

 

[UMALUM]

If you got them from reeftopia then you got the real deal Florida keys peppermints that consume aiptasia. If left with no other option then death they will absolutely consume coral. Best option is to get rid of it if it's not being used for nem control and you keep a clean system. I had a pair start breeding which I thought was cool till zoanthids stated disappearing. Gave me a reason to buy a clown trigger.

 

[dmh41532]

Peppermint shrimp are opportunistic…if they’re hungry, they’ll eat what they can. I had one eat a hammer coral. I make sure to keep them fed, no more issues.

 

[Brazilian Reefer]

I had one. It not only didn't eat any aiptasia, but also feast on my bubbletip anemone, frammer, wagon wheel plate and trumpet corals... and I fed my fishes mysis and other foods, and always checked it getting food... lived the rest of its life in the sump...
Now there is a lonely aiptasia where I can't reach to kill with epoxy, kalkwasser or whatever... But I'm not going to risk again, as my Blastomussa merletti and Salomon Hammer are too beautiful...