Peppermint Shrimp and Acans

[Eel Keeper]

I've been wanting to add 2 peppermint shrimp, and two fire shrimp to my tank. I was told by someone whom I trust that peppermint shrimp will munch on my acans. Does anyone know if this is true or if they will hurt any other corals? Also how about the fire shrimp. Are they completly reef safe? I was told that they are just expensive shrimp I will never see in my tank. Is this so?

[+etannert]

I have had bad luck with peps, I had one that tore into both my yellow colonial polyps and my frogspawn, and had a friend have the same bad luck. But I LOVE my fire shrimp!! He has tons of personality and comes out any time I come up to the tank. It may be because I have a small tank (BC14), but the one I had before this guy acted the same way.

[+Eckreef]

I have one of each of the ornamental shrimp (peppermint, cleaner, and fire) in my mixed 57G for over a year and have never had a problem. The cleaner is always out in the open and the fire and peppermint are a little reclusive at times with the fire being the hardest to find.

[+Melissa]

My peps have never touched my acans, let alone any other coral. I thinks it could be hit and miss, as some people have bad experience with them. They are usually upside down under the rocks or in the back picking at the rocks. They did a fantastic job ridding my tank of aptasia though lol.

[Eel Keeper]

Yea I have one cleaner shrimp in my 90gal, and for the first week I didn't even see him. I finaly found him when I was looking underneath the tank, and saw him where my 2' 6" snowflake eel has moved the sand. He has been cleaning my eel this whole time. I guess there is alot to clean. I plan on adding another cleaner shrimp, and two fire shrimp. I wanted to add six peppermint shrimp, but I plan to have a few acros, and a few frogspawn, torch coals, and hammer corals. I'd hate to have them eating on them.

[migs]

I had pep, cleaner, and fire in my 57G mix with several acans and have never had a problem... I think the pep gets enough food from my feedings not to be interested in them i guess...

[Derekreefer]

I have two peppermints, a fire shrimp and a marble shrimp. I have 5 ACANS and have not seen a shrimp mess with them. The peppermints seem to walk on everything though so maybe I have just not seen it.

[+Hydro]

If you get more than 1 of either the cleaner or the fire shrimp they will hang out in the open more.

[Eel Keeper]

If you get more than 1 of either the cleaner or the fire shrimp they will hang out in the open more.

Sweet thats what I'm looking for!

[jrsatx20]

ive got a 30 gallon cube and have acans with a peppermint that i got from the coast with no problems

[medi]

I have two cleaner shrimp, a coral banded shrimp, and I'm not sure how many pep' shrimp I have. My two cleaner shrimp are ALWAYS sitting near the front of the tank just waiting for food to pass by. If I stick my hand in the tank they will usually come up and get on my hand and start cleaning. I guess I have a lot of crud on my hand that I can't see. My coral banded shrimp hangs upside down in the same crevice underneath a rock and I rarely am able to see him. As far as the pep' shrimps I never see them unless the lights are off and I hit the tank with a red light. As far as I know I have never had a pep' shrimp touch any of my corals, and I have alot of acans, chalices, various other LPS, and a ton of SPS. Just a word of advice though. If you are getting the pep' shrimp to help control aiptasia you might consider going to the coast and netting them yourself. I have purchased several from the LFS and only one of them has ever touched aiptasia, but every one I have ever received from the coast eat aiptasia. Plus you can catch some other cool critters too while you're down there.

[Eel Keeper]

I have two cleaner shrimp, a coral banded shrimp, and I'm not sure how many pep' shrimp I have. My two cleaner shrimp are ALWAYS sitting near the front of the tank just waiting for food to pass by. If I stick my hand in the tank they will usually come up and get on my hand and start cleaning. I guess I have a lot of crud on my hand that I can't see. My coral banded shrimp hangs upside down in the same crevice underneath a rock and I rarely am able to see him. As far as the pep' shrimps I never see them unless the lights are off and I hit the tank with a red light. As far as I know I have never had a pep' shrimp touch any of my corals, and I have alot of acans, chalices, various other LPS, and a ton of SPS. Just a word of advice though. If you are getting the pep' shrimp to help control aiptasia you might consider going to the coast and netting them yourself. I have purchased several from the LFS and only one of them has ever touched aiptasia, but every one I have ever received from the coast eat aiptasia. Plus you can catch some other cool critters too while you're down there.

What part of the coast do you go to, and where would I look for them when I got there? I've always wanted to try to catch something that I could add to my tank.

[medi]

I actually have never gone. I have just reaped the benefits of other members trips. Though I know a lot of people go to the jettis at Port A. I believe you go at night and shine a flashlight along the rocks. You'll see their little eyes reflecting and you can just scoop them up with a net. Like I said though I've never been so I'm not 100% sure. You might start a new thread to get everyone's experience that have actually gone before.