Peppermint Shrimp feeding?

[reeferjw]

Hello all, new member here. Really enjoyed the meeting last week. I am considering picking up a peppermint shrimp for the aptasia outbreak that is beginning in my 3 gal Deco. The question is, once the aptasia is gone, what, if anything should I feed the shrimp?

I have 2 Blue leg Hermits, 2 Scarlets, an Astrea snail, some zoo's, a ricordia, a kenya tree from the meeting, and metallic green "star like" polyps. I feed the ric mysis once a week, occasionally losing one here or there and phytoplex for the kenay.

Thoughts?

JW

 

[xyzpdq0121]

No they will eat what they can find... Leftover food mainly. (Mine steal food from my BTA)

One word of warning, Not all peppermint eat aiptasia. Depends on what area of the world they came from. (The pacific ones do and the gulf ones do not I believe.) Also if your aiptasia is big, they will not eat it in my experience.

Just food for thought.

 

[reeferjw]

Thanks, I was not aware of that. These are very small, at least right now. I know that Optima has some, so I will ask if they know the origins when I stop by.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

If they are small aiptasia and there are not too many, just use "joe's juice" or something to kill them off. Unless you are like me and you love keeping shrimp as much as you love keeping fish or corals.

 

[vettesarebest]

I use Lemon Juice! works great and kills them almost instantly!

 

[reeferjw]

I tried Joe's Juice, but with a 3 Gal, I am concerned about the concentration of it. I was not very successful in limiting where it went (shaky hand! never dosed anything before lol), and as soon as the syringe hit the water, some leaked out.

I read some horror stories on Reef Central about the peppermint shrimp eating other things after the aptasia was gone too, like zoo's, and shrooms. That would definitely sway me against them.

 

[zman676]

I have a peppermint shrimp in my tank just as a pre-emptive move to prevent aptasia from ever becoming a problem. I have never seen or noticed him try to eat any corals. He seems to pick stuff out of the sand and off the rocks to eat and steers clear of the zoos and everything else.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Joe's is fairly safe, even in a 3 gal.. We all have a shakey hand the first time we try...

Your peppermint should be safe... My three do not bother my zoas or my softies. My camel on the other hand....