Peppermint shirmp eatiny my acans?

[GeoHawk]

I just got 3 peppermint shrimp from live aquaria on Wednesday to control aiptaisia. Today when I came home I saw one of my acan colonies was very retracted. I started to wonder if something was up with my water, but everything else looked great. About an hour ago i saw my peppermint shrimp digging vigorously at them even though they have not been fed today. I have never had problems with them before, but I have never had acans with them before.

Do they eat acans?

How do I get him out with out tearing up the rock?, or what should I do?

 

[KLR]

Many cleaner shrimps have been reported for eating various lps. They do this bc they smell the food in the stomachs of the lps and they take their claws on shove them in the corals mouths,taking the food,and fataly damaging the coral,over time the coral starts to die so the cleaners also eat the coral. Acans are the most common victim for this.

It will be tough to get them out but im sure someone will chime in and help!

 

[GeoHawk]

After reading on a few other forums, I noticed that some people have problems with them eating them. I have moved them to a new spot that is more difficult for the shrimp to get to just to be safe, but I am not sure what to do next.

 

[GeoHawk]

This is a very healthy coral so I am 99% positive it was not eating dead tissue.

 

[el richie]

Peppermints are known to do that

 

[red02]

yes they will eat the acans the best way to get the shrimp out is to put food in a water bottle. cut the end with the cap off;and put some small holes in it with a small piece of rock for weight pull the bottle out when they walk in.

 

[CJO]

I'm not sure why, but I've never had an issue with my Peppermint Shrimp. He seems really afraid and usually just hangs out in a corner by the overflow until night time. I wonder if it's because I have a Neon Dottyback in the tank and he scares him away whenever he tries to come out during the day?

CJ

 

[GeoHawk]

It will really make me mad if he starts to go after my chalice. Does anyone have success with Peppermints and acans? Any ideas would be great.

Would it help if I put food in that sinks to the bottom so that the peppermints aren't hungry?, or maybe I should get a dotty back or a hawk fish to keep them hiding.

If none of this helps I will go with the bottle method of removing them, great idea by the way.
I don't have anything today so I am going to monitor the acans and shrimp and see what happens.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

No, I have had peppermints reproduce for me in my 75g tank many times, and inevitably when they run out of aptasia, they move onto the acans.

I didnt believe it either till my acan seemed to be wasting away more and more...one night I caught them by flipping on the night lights. Boom. Eating my acan. Dang things are so hardy that they kept growing back from the skeleton every 3-4 months...eventually I just got frustrated and chucked it.

 

[nixer]

its pretty well known that peppermints will eat acans.
ive had it happen. they will also eat the tenticles off the acans.
its also pretty well said that peppermint shrimp dont normally eat aptasia unless they are really hard up for food.
ill never put one in a reef tank again.

 

[CJO]

Just wondering if everyone who has had problems is sure that they actually had a true Peppermint Shrimp and not it's close cousin, Rhynchocinetes durbanensis? They are very hard to tell apart and they are both commonly sold as Peppermint Shrimp.

CJ

 

[GeoHawk]

Well sounds like my refugium is about to get 3 peppermint shrimp. What kind of food is used to catch them with the bottle technique? How hard is it to keep them in the bottle while pulling it out?

 

[GeoHawk]

Just wondering if everyone who has had problems is sure that they actually had a true Peppermint Shrimp and not it's close cousin, Rhynchocinetes durbanensis? They are very hard to tell apart and they are both commonly sold as Peppermint Shrimp.

CJ

Liveaquaria claims that these are from the Lysmata wurdemanni complex

 

[CJO]

Liveaquaria claims that these are from the Lysmata wurdemanni complex

Thanks. I was wondering if there was a difference in nature between the two, but it sounds like you can't blame it on that.

CJ

 

[nixer]

camel shrimp and peppermint shrimp are hardly identical!

 

[Aquaph8]

Ive kept around 10 peps at all times for years and Ive never had any problem with them eating any of my corals, Acans included. All I can think is mine are well fed.

 

[Tabasco1]

My .02

I was seriously considering adding some because of how easy they are to spawn and add another food source

 

[Tabasco1]

Oops premature send.

But I was considering them and read many posts from people w true peps that they have a tendancy to snack on lps. I'd say from what I read it was about 50/50 chance which was too high for me.

I'd get them out and put them in sump or trade to lfs.

 

[butts182]

these peppermint shrimps dothat...maybe look into getting an aptaiser or some other remedy

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Shrimp eggs are definitely a great source of food for corals. Good luck, it often happens at night. I think they get pulled by filtration and corals if you are lucky...