Peppermint shrimp for aiptasia

[aristeia]

Hi all,

I just added my first corals to my 36 gal tank - green striped mushroom and ricordea. So far they are opening up beautifully. HOWEVER: I noticed that there is a tiny aiptasia on the rock with the green striped mushroom. I am nervous about trying to pull the mushrooms off the rock, having no experience with that. Instead, for aiptasia control, I'm very interested in acquiring peppermint shrimp. Does anyone have experience with the tank-bred aiptasia-eating peppermint shrimp from liveaquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+3190&pcatid=3190&emailconf=3190)? I do not trust my LFS to correctly differentiate between the similar aiptasia-eating and non-aiptasia-eating species (they are great guys there, but not always right on all the details).

Thanks!!

[MTF7]

Yes get some peppermint shrimp! With your size tank I would put 2-4 they are amazing at devowering aiptasia! They are peaceful and won't hurt anything! They are extramely fun to watch when they find a aiptasia

[bnumair]

in my experience of 18 yrs all remedies are hit and miss for aiptasia. the only remedy that has been 100% for me is take the rock out and torch infected area with a lighter rinse in salt water before returning.

[MTF7]

The shrimp work and they are cool The torch will work too I haven't tried it and I haven't tried this either if you get a needle and syringe and inject lemon juice in the base they will die

[Reefnation.Jon]

Peppermint shrimp will most likely eat your aptaisa. The can also start eating your corals once the aptasia is gone.

[NYCEnglish]

I've had Peppermints eat the aiptasia and I've had other not - it's hit and miss. Joe's Juice worked well for me.

[faithenfire]

aptasia x works too

[divinmike]

Peppermint shrimp will most likely eat your aptaisa. The can also start eating your corals once the aptasia is gone.

definitely true i had peppermints clip and eat all of my pulsing xenia and clove polyps!!:furious:

[devimik]

My peps got rid of my Aiptasia quickly and keep my tank free of it, but they will also eat your Xenia or any coral that looks like Aiptasia, so keep that in mind. They don't mess with my Frogspawn, Zoas, Lobo, GSP, Mushrooms or Candy Canes though.

[CrpReefer]

I had aiptasia popping up and I successfully killed a couple by injecting with lemon juice
But as soon as another one I hadn't seen got pretty big I tried again with the lemon juice..i missed..and so it released several babies and within a week I had 5 new aiptasia(that I could see) So I decided to try the peppermint shrimp, I bought 2 and within one day 90% of all the aiptasia was gone, that was yesterday lol so I have yet to see any eating any corals..and if so then I guess I will just put them in my sump..

[Almondsaz]

I've had Peppermints eat the aiptasia and I've had other not - it's hit and miss. Joe's Juice worked well for me.
+1 - that is exactly my experience. I have two peppermints in my tank and they are just ornamental at this point....Joe's Juice is what I use.