Peppermint ate my aptasia!!!
- Thread starter Owen386
- Start date
GobyWanKenobie
Well-Known Member
They are great at their job! I always keep two in each of my tanks. They're also fun to feed with a long pair of tweezers. Unfortunately, they're a nice snack for some fish such as wrasses and neon dotty backs.
ReefAddict
Well-Known Member
I’m always shocked when people say they didn’t work.
I have used them many times and they have always taken care of aiptasia outbreaks.
I think typically people don’t addd enough of them.
I have used them many times and they have always taken care of aiptasia outbreaks.
I think typically people don’t addd enough of them.
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Owen386
Non-member
I have used them on 2 occasions in the past with no success..... that's why I was so happy about this, really trying to make my current tank much better then my previous.
Only problem now is I'm staring at now the last apstatia in my tank cursing the peppermint to get it. Lol
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Owen386
Non-member
Ok sooo all apstatia gone, along with my john deer lepto frag!!!
Been in this hobby for like 10 years now and through my extensive research/reading conversing with members etc.. never read they eat coral s.o.b
In hindsight should have researched a little more, but have always had peppermint shrimp... thing is they never ate apstatia... so they also never ate corals.
PEople are 50/50 on if peppermint eat apstatia or not people are also 50/50 on if they eat coral.
So my thought process is that if they don't eat apstatia they also don't eat corals, if they eat apstatia they also eat corals.
Gonna monitor the tank closely if they eat another coral sadly they gotta go, and I will have to manually remove apstatia. (I know i know poor me in a 20 gallon lol) I just like everything to take care of its self naturally.
Been in this hobby for like 10 years now and through my extensive research/reading conversing with members etc.. never read they eat coral s.o.b
In hindsight should have researched a little more, but have always had peppermint shrimp... thing is they never ate apstatia... so they also never ate corals.
PEople are 50/50 on if peppermint eat apstatia or not people are also 50/50 on if they eat coral.
So my thought process is that if they don't eat apstatia they also don't eat corals, if they eat apstatia they also eat corals.
Gonna monitor the tank closely if they eat another coral sadly they gotta go, and I will have to manually remove apstatia. (I know i know poor me in a 20 gallon lol) I just like everything to take care of its self naturally.
N_E_M_O
Non-member
Of course they eat Corals.
Plenty if info on it all over. I tell everyone that purchases them, that they can eat Coral if they dont find enough food to their liking. I also tell everyone to cut WAY back on what they feed to the tank until they see Aiptasia gone, then increase feeding. As I have found if they get plenty of other food, they won't go for the Aiptasia. Makes perfect sense...why work for a meal and get stung, when filet mingon is falling from the sky on a regular basis.
If I add them to a tank I make sure to remove them when the Aiptasia is gone.
They are good as long as they find Aiptasia or get fed enough food. If not, then like almost any animal they will go from being a scavenger to a predator. Now usually they go for meaty Corals that eat food first, like Acans, Lobo. And open Brains. But will easily bother zoas and chalice too. I rarely have them bother SPS, but he definitely seen them eat leptos and Psammacora.
I keep some with my Acropora, and never had any issues.
Other than that, they are in their own tank as cleaners. I drop a frag or rock in there and 10 minutes later perfectly clean, absolutely no Aiptasia.
I would also add, in your situation I might double check everything else, as if there is Aiptasia still in there and you are feeding, it is unlikely that the Pepps are the ones responsible for the Lepto.
Plenty if info on it all over. I tell everyone that purchases them, that they can eat Coral if they dont find enough food to their liking. I also tell everyone to cut WAY back on what they feed to the tank until they see Aiptasia gone, then increase feeding. As I have found if they get plenty of other food, they won't go for the Aiptasia. Makes perfect sense...why work for a meal and get stung, when filet mingon is falling from the sky on a regular basis.
If I add them to a tank I make sure to remove them when the Aiptasia is gone.
They are good as long as they find Aiptasia or get fed enough food. If not, then like almost any animal they will go from being a scavenger to a predator. Now usually they go for meaty Corals that eat food first, like Acans, Lobo. And open Brains. But will easily bother zoas and chalice too. I rarely have them bother SPS, but he definitely seen them eat leptos and Psammacora.
I keep some with my Acropora, and never had any issues.
Other than that, they are in their own tank as cleaners. I drop a frag or rock in there and 10 minutes later perfectly clean, absolutely no Aiptasia.
I would also add, in your situation I might double check everything else, as if there is Aiptasia still in there and you are feeding, it is unlikely that the Pepps are the ones responsible for the Lepto.
I have one large peppermint to get rid of a few aptasia, the only other thing in the tank besides fish is xenia and the other day I thought he was wrestling a nudibranc, when I realized it was a xenia stalk and he was spinning it around like and octopus does, eating it. It was pretty cool to watch.
this is me
I like turtles
IME, skunk cleaner shrimps will bully or even kill a peppermint shrimp. If I have to choose between the two, peppermints are much more useful than a skunk cleaner shrimp. My cleaner shrimp doesn't clean anything. They just hang upside down on the rock cave waiting for real food to drop in the tank.
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Owen386
Non-member
Funny you say this cause I absoulty love cleaner shrimp have always kept them. And I was planning on adding one in the near future.
Now I have kept cleaner and peppermint together before but in a way bigger tank, I was hesitant to do it in my small cube but was still gonna try it out.
Now that you say that I'm thinking I should add a cleaner sooner than later and leave the peppermint in hopes he will get bullied by the cleaner and keep him at bay from eating my corals. Hmmmm
this is me
I like turtles
Are you sure it’s eating your corals? Peppermints are often mistaken with camel shrimp(eat corals) but they’re quite easy to tell.
you sure your birdsnest is not just receding from lack of light and flow? Seems like it’s underneath everything else.
you sure your birdsnest is not just receding from lack of light and flow? Seems like it’s underneath everything else.
