Aggressive Peppermint Shrimp

[Drock169]

Does anyone else have a problem with their peppermint shrimp?
Mine was attacking a Xenia, killed a hermit crab that molted and killed one that was pulled out of its shell. Not really concerned about the Hermit crabs, more about it nipping at the Xenia. Is there anything I can do, I increased the Flow rate near the Xenia and the Shrimp dont seem to like it in the area now, but I'm worried if I put other coral in the tank they will nip at it.
Am I not feeding them enough? I feed once daily with frozen brine shrimp.

Thanks for input

[JetCat USA]

yeah the frozen brine might be a bit difficult for any fair sized pep to catch and eat, give him a bit of flake or larger meaty foods. all of mine will gladly come up to the tip of a turkey baster and take mysis out of the tip, i have to do that before target feeding my LPS or they'll rob the food from the corals.

[Drock169]

mine dont seem to have any trouble getting the brine shrimp they do better than the blood shrimp when it comes to catching stuff, but they are still nipping at my xenia and i'm more worried about over feeding in a 14g

[JetCat USA]

monitoring your NO3 levels is always a good indication of if you're overfeeding or not.

[Drock169]

my nitrates are low at 2.5ppm, I'm still in the process of adding stuff to the aquarium though, so I'm just wary of causing an ammonia spike when new stuff is added or does that only apply to when you add fish?

[Grins]

Are you certain they are peppermints and not camelbacks?

[Drock169]

I bought them from my LFS and the tank said pep, they look like pep to me, I'll post a pic when i get the chance

[J. Montgomery]

My peppermint shrimp wiped out my population of stomatella snails.

[iamwhatiam52]

Get it out of the tank.
The variation between individuals of the same species is huge. You have an agressive one.

[Drock169]

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb230/drock169/P1010246.jpg

This is the one. The problem is I have no where to put him, so I dont know what to do with him. he also ate the two stomatella snails I had as well.

[JetCat USA]

a little boiling water and some cocktail sauce.......

[Grins]

That is a camelback not a peppermint. They are often mislabeled.

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10543734#post10543734 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grins
That is a camelback not a peppermint. They are often mislabeled.


No it's a peppermint, not a camelback.

[Drock169]

I was pretty sure it was a peppermint too. I've increased feeding and so far it doesnt seem to be bothering the Xenia, but who knows whats happening when I'm at work

[Grins]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10543795#post10543795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JetCat USA
No it's a peppermint, not a camelback.

OK if you say so. But with the pointy front and the humped back it looks like a camelback to me.

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10558513#post10558513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grins
OK if you say so. But with the pointy front and the humped back it looks like a camelback to me.

all shrimp have a humped back, it's their body design, they bend at that hump more so then at other lengths of the body and it's used to quickly escape danger by swimming backward. the color pattern clearly identifies it as a Lysmata wurdemanni, more commonly called a Peppermint shrimp. Camelback are Rhynchocinetas durbanensis

[Bri Guy]

I know this post is past, but Ive been going through the same...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1196951

[Devin Frazee]

That is a camel back and it will eat anything when the opportunity arises.

[Tayler]

thats a peppermint i believe camels have a bit bolder color

[sheepdog43]

That is a peppermint.

Camelbacks have a Hump, not just a bend... Very obvious when side by side.

The striping is also quite different. Peppermint run the length of the body in a pretty orderly fashion, Camel stripes go all over like splatter paint.

Peppermint
http://www.thatpetplace.com/images/presentation/P29773.jpg
The next 2 are Camel
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/marinedepotlive_1962_16198155
http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20020214193218/www.peteducation.com/images/articles/pw78335camel_shrimp.jpg

[Bri Guy]

How are the Skunk cleaner shrimp compared to a peppermint? I know there both cleaners, but are they more or less aggressive towards corals.

You never hear about getting a skunk cleaner to rid of aiptasia? they must be even more reef safe. Anybody with experience?

[650-IS350]

Peps are not cleaners but used by peopel in attempts to rid aptasia.. compared to Skunk cleaners which in the wild are NATURAL tic/pest cleaners on bigger fish.

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10731271#post10731271 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by delsol650
Peps are not cleaners.........

i wouldn't recommend buying them for the purpose of cleaning your fish, but they do in fact clean fish. they are nocturnal and i see mine regularly cleaning my Clarkii pair with the moonlights on.