Crab eating Coral

[tsunami]

I just caught my sally light foot eating a healthy colt coral frag. He was literally ripping live healthy pieces off and eating it. I had to remove him from the tank. I guess my question is I'm about to buy some peppermint shrimp to eat the aptasia in my tank. I was wondering, if it does eat aptiasia or only if there is nothing else to eat? Secondly, when they are done with the aptasia are they going to start going for my polyp corals (the little yellow ones that everyone has that kind of look like aptasia)? Thanks.
:yuk:

 

[wolfie]

I seen peperment shirmp eating Canndy cane and brain.

Once I saw then picking on my canndy cane and brain I remove all the shirmp. I was able to save my brain, but it still have 1/8 of it flesh missing still and I lost 1 head on the canndy cane.

I am not trying to scare you. I just post what I saw happen in my own tank.

 

[flipturn88]

Most shrimp are opportunistic feeders, and peppermints are of a considerable risk to other invertebrates based on their tendency to prey on coral. Although some people have no problem with them in reef tanks for years, others have soft and stony corals, feather dusters, and the like to these shrimp. In my experience, they quickly eliminated all my aiptasia (granted there were only a few and they were small), but then they moved on to my ricordea and other soft coral, so I do recommend them to be added with caution.

Even though we classify ,many critters as being reef safe, each animal has a different personality and will therefore not always "play by the rules." I hope this helps.

 

[kappaknight]

Hrmm, I totally came in here thinking there was a coral that eats crabs.

 

[tsunami]

Thanks for the advise! I will probably not buy the shrimp then. I think the only thing that seems to be really save is the snails because my hermit crabs eat them too.

 

[ms_ k]

Hey, Tsunami. I'll take that SLF crab off your hands if you need to get rid of it. Just let me know if you still have it and how much you want for it.

 

[tsunami]

I'm sorry Ms. K, but the crab did not make it through the capture process. I was moving really fast and grabed him with too firm of a grip, but my triggers did enjoy what was left. Sorry though.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Flipturn88 wrote: Most shrimp are opportunistic feeders, and peppermints are of a considerable risk to other invertebrates based on their tendency to prey on coral. Although some people have no problem with them in reef tanks for years, others have soft and stony corals, feather dusters, and the like to these shrimp. In my experience, they quickly eliminated all my aiptasia (granted there were only a few and they were small), but then they moved on to my ricordea and other soft coral, so I do recommend them to be added with caution.

Even though we classify ,many critters as being reef safe, each animal has a different personality and will therefore not always "play by the rules." I hope this helps.

Right on. To add to this a little- any grazing</em> animals are potential problems. I have heard many horror stories of fish like tangs and pygmy angels turning on inverts, urchins mowing soft corlas, and hermits eating everything in sight (including fish).

 

[sammy33]

I have 2 blue leg hermit crabs in one of my frag tanks and they have made a meal out of a recently acquired brain coral. My Cortez Red Hermits left it alone.

I am thinking of banishing the blue legs to my cryptic (no light) refugium. I just keep hearing the blue legs chanting..."brains-------------brains---------must eat-----brains".

 

[sammy33]

I have had good results with Joe's Juice. I have a few aiptasia popping up in my frag tanks that are going to get "juiced" this week.

I have tried peppermint shrimp and other natural predators on various pesty prey. My problem is I have a habit of feeding my tanks well. These natural predators seem to just wait for the meal as opposed to "working" for the meal so they end up just snacking on the pests. :doh: