So... Peppermint Shrimp Ate My Brittle Star

[The Flying Turkey]

I got a brittle star and some snails from reef cleaners. The moment the brittle star hit the sand two of my peppermint shrimp attacked, ripped his skin off and began to eat the flesh in the center of the star.

I hate peppermint shrimp.

Is this normal? Did I screw up?

 

[Small triggers]

Sounds like they need fed a bit more...but yeah they can be little thieves and grab thing to eat that fall into the tank...

 

[Naiad]

Nope nothing wrong just hungry shrimp and a disoriented starfish. I am not very fond of peppermint shrimp myself.

 

[mrcoffee2]

bigger peppermints tend to go rogue. I had to toss mine. Generally I try to buy tiny ones then get rid of them when they get to big.

 

[The Flying Turkey]

I guess they've already eaten any Aiptasia left on my rock. They must be starving. They come out and practically swim to the surface when I feed my fish.

 

[WhoKnew]

I just bought one. I'll let him munch on my aphasia then he will need to go. Thanks

 

[mbd521]

Sure its not a camel shrimp? I've never had any issues with mine...I love my peppermint shrimp!!!

 

[gpdno]

I hand feed my peppermint shrimp otherwise they tend to eat anything they can find. Well fed = well behaved.

 

[greg1786]

Yea I had peppermint shrimp that ate all my aptasia and were model citizens for about 6 months. Once they got a little bigger, the turned rogue. Started by eating a hole right through the center of my sand sifting star and continued on to my plate coral, BTA, frogspawn, wellso, and even my yellow sea cucumbers. They were the best remedy for aptasia by far but I would never put another one in my reef tank !

 

[WhoKnew]

Yickesssss

 

[jservedio]

Yeah they will eat starfish. Mine at my Linckia. I came back after a weekend away and the star was upside down with the pep eating the tube feet. Before this happened I thought it was "cleaning" the star:

 

[Doglips56]

I guess they've already eaten any Aiptasia left on my rock. They must be starving. They come out and practically swim to the surface when I feed my fish.

I just added a rather large brittle star (red) that cost a whopping $60. After a week it disappeared and so did our one peppermint shrimp. BTW we got the shrimp to eat the aiptasia and it completely ignores it - very annoying! Anyway the peppermint shrimp just emerged from under a shelf rock that I have resting on the bottom of the tank. I’m wondering if he’s been feasting on the star all this time? If so I’ll be really po’d!
This shrimp normally hangs out in a cave but we hadn’t seen it for so long we thought it was dead and here it is crawling out from under a rock after more than a week out of sight