This lil shrimp!!!! I need advice quick please!!!

Tammi · Oct 9, 2014

I purchased this peppermint shrimp from my local fish store. I was told that he will keep the test and then to me under control and he is reef safe. This evening I was eyeballing my tank and I see him picking at one of my corals. For the past four days or so some of mine my corals look like they were bleaching and I was wondering why, lighting hasn't changed and I've been moving around I've been moving them around like crazy thinking it was lighting placement or water flow. Look at this video and please advise.
Sorry I cannot load the video up. My phone only let me do pedal options unfortunately

Cajunmillerboy · Oct 9, 2014

I have had plenty peppermint shrimp and never had that problem. Did you dump any of the lfs water in your tank to contaminate your system?

Rob&Gab · Oct 9, 2014

They will sometimes tend to eat sps polyps.

They will nip at certain things

Tammi · Oct 9, 2014

No made sure none of that water got into my tank... So sorry so the discombobulated original thread. Apes to txt can't stand it lol... Yes seems like he's going after my Merulina sps and my open brain

bugby220 · Oct 11, 2014

It might be a camelback/humpback they look very similar to peppermint shrimp and they have been known to http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+525+690&pcatid=690

bugby220 · Oct 11, 2014

They have been known to eat coral*

polancoeddie · Oct 11, 2014

I was going to get a peppermint shrimp but after doing research. Alot of people had mix feeling s about them. They will sometimes pick at corals

Orbela · Oct 12, 2014

Peppermint shrimp don't eat corals. It's probably a species that looks similar.

icereefer · Oct 12, 2014

yeah I've had my shrimp tug on my corals but never ripped flesh off?

Sully · Oct 12, 2014

Are you sure it's not just stealing food from the corals? I had one that would take food out of Zoas, LPS and a Yuma at feeding time.

lionfish5740 · Oct 26, 2014

I had one that went after a zoa right when I placed the colony in the tank. Chased it off and later found it tugging the skirt off the same polyp. That polyp has never looked right since but the rest of them are spreading. Darn thing had an insatiable appetite so it had to go! Bought a skunk cleaner shrimp now

robandoban · Oct 27, 2014

I've never seen either of mine pick at corals, unless they are eating food off of them. From my experience they are reef safe and very social. I have a few different softies and mostly lps with some sps.

SuperDave531 · Oct 27, 2014

Got a swarm of peppermints to take care of an impending aiptasia problem. They ate those. Then they ate my acans. Then they in turn got eaten by my coral-banded shrimp

schneid0c · Oct 27, 2014

i had one that started snacking on my acans but i have had others that never touched corals.

SamsReef · Oct 27, 2014

i have used peppermint shrimp before to control aiptasia. only once i had problem where it started eating one of my plate corals. the good news is that they are extremely dumb and can be caught easily, if you detect they have gone rogue...

Now, I am just extra careful to QT everything that goes in my tank so do not need one. The latest scare was a small aiptasia on side of a gorgeous clam from a very very reputed aquaculture farm. Nothing that my eyes could not detect

and eradicate...the other rule is if you see one, take out the rock and just cut a small portion around it out. do not try to kill inside the tank, because it will get only worse or wait forever for it to go away because it will not. sorry off topic....

Sam.

WindeyD · Oct 28, 2014

I had a pair of peppermint shrimp (and yes I am quite certain it was a pep) going to town on my frogspawn, no question it was eating it. Thankfully I was there to witness it and proceeded to spend the next hour ripping my rockwork apart trying to get the bugger out. No more peps for me!

N1Husker · Oct 28, 2014

I got some to eat aiptasia, they never bothered my corals. They never ate any aiptasia either.

thatfishnerd · Oct 28, 2014

I've had three of them, all of which did within a week and had a taste for coral.

reggaedrummin · Oct 28, 2014

I've had countless peppermints over the years and never had trouble with them beyond their thieving ways. They have no shame in taking food right from the corals mouths so I had to implement feeding cones. Beyond that they have always been model citizens. I believe there are two varieties of peppermint looking very similar but originating from different locations. One eats aptasia and the other not so much... if I'm correct on that, then perhaps the latter is a coral eater? (My lfs has only provided me the aptasia chowing variety) camel shrimp could be confused for peppermints and they have been observed to have an appetite for polyps

gidenski · Oct 28, 2014

bugby220 said:
It might be a camelback/humpback they look very similar to peppermint shrimp and they have been known to [url]http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+525+690&pcatid=690 [/URL]

Probably a camel shrimp +1 and get that lil booger out if it is. I had one having made the purchase thinking it was peppermint and it being in a reef tank at the LFS. Camel shrimps for sure is not reef safe.