Anyone with experience with coral hawkfish and peppermint shrimp kept together

[nano reef]

I have a coral hawkfish for about a year now. Great fish! Very personable! My dilemma is I want to add some peppermint shrimp (aptasia problem) and fear they maybe an expensive snack! The last month or so he has been alone with only a single clown and before that he was with another clown and a yellow tail damsel, they all got along fine. Last night I added a small clown and he chased him for just a minute but has been fine since. I also want to add a a few smaller fish as I have a 36 gallon but worry since he was only with a clown for a while that he may hurt or possibly kill them. Maybe the clown was spared since he is used to clowns!

Anyway, back to my post has anyone ever had these fish with shrimp especially small like a peppermint and also considering the circumstances is it wise to add peppermint? My plan to treat the outbreak of 30 plus aptasia in a 36 gallon was going to be a tag team approach! I was going to add a few nudi's and a few permint shrimp and heard good things about a mottled or matted file fish I believe it was called! Also maybe some stuff called franks x or franks aptaisia treament. I heard its a mix of glue and kalkwasser! Devin from reef dudes uses that with a copper butterfly fish to treat his aptaisia and he loves it!!

Another possibility is to move him to my 20 gallon but there is a coral banded shrimp in there. I doubt if he will go after him because he is pretty big but there is that possibility. I also think a 20 gallon is to small to keep him in but suppose I could move him back after the outbreak is over and maybe move the peppermint to 20 gallon later!

I would appreciate any suggestions also any advise on aptasia treatments! Thanks in advance

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I have a coral hawkfish for about a year now. Great fish! Very personable! My dilemma is I want to add some peppermint shrimp (aptasia problem) and fear they maybe an expensive snack! The last month or so he has been alone with only a single clown and before that he was with another clown and a yellow tail damsel, they all got along fine. Last night I added a small clown and he chased him for just a minute but has been fine since. I also want to add a a few smaller fish as I have a 36 gallon but worry since he was only with a clown for a while that he may hurt or possibly kill them. Maybe the clown was spared since he is used to clowns!

Anyway, back to my post has anyone ever had these fish with shrimp especially small like a peppermint and also considering the circumstances is it wise to add peppermint? My plan to treat the outbreak of 30 plus aptasia in a 36 gallon was going to be a tag team approach! I was going to add a few nudi's and a few permint shrimp and heard good things about a mottled or matted file fish I believe it was called! Also maybe some stuff called franks x or franks aptaisia treament. I heard its a mix of glue and kalkwasser! Devin from reef dudes uses that with a copper butterfly fish to treat his aptaisia and he loves it!!

Another possibility is to move him to my 20 gallon but there is a coral banded shrimp in there. I doubt if he will go after him because he is pretty big but there is that possibility. I also think a 20 gallon is to small to keep him in but suppose I could move him back after the outbreak is over and maybe move the peppermint to 20 gallon later!

I would appreciate any suggestions also any advise on aptasia treatments! Thanks in advance

+1 vote Frank's F-Aiptasia - have used it - BRS recently put out a review of it

peppermints come in different sizes, but get larger and do nighttime introduction so shrimp can find hiding place before hawkfish says YUM. Peppermint shrimp don't cost that much if it does get eaten (but it is sad ... will not share my initial add story, but 2nd batch of true peppermints went better... but 2nd batch true peppermints eventually ate my hammers so that was also sad

Copper Banded Butterfly (CBB) fish can be costly-to-maintain fish - currently mine is only eating live black worms, so at least he has been eating well and getting thicker these past couple months - but each month I'm spending as much on worms for fish as I paid for fish... (yes I saw it eat in LFS before I bought it... CBB may laugh that it tricked me - but I think it L.O.V.E.S. me for feeding it worms so I'm loving it back - and every day its given opportunity 2x day to eat spirulina mysis that I saw it eat at LFS because that would be so much easier for me to feed). ... and if I had aiptasia at the moment, doubt it would eat it because its seeming to thrive on pods I keep dosing weekly+ and live black worms

As I'm sure you've been hearing/reading - don't break aiptasia - break it in 3 - now you've got 3... scrub it and get a zillion... smothering with F-Aiptaisia is GREAT path. They say it chips off, but all our spots get covered with coralline so it blends in and we've just left all our coverage spots.

No experience with berghia nudies, but have heard good things.

Recommend you get busy with something so they stop multiplying in your tank! Good Luck!!

 

[nano reef]

Thanks for the one and only reply! lol Very good advise! I will look for the review by BRS! I just watched a newer one by them all about aptasia and they didn't mention it! Is this stuff new or something?

Do you think I can beat it with Franks alone? I really cant make up my mind which way to go but its gotten way out of hand and need to get to work asap!

Do you know if nudi's are good algae eaters? I am in bad need of a CUC. I watched a youtube that said peppermints were like #3 or something but rated high. I just keep going back and forth ..lol. With Franks alone or the other i mentioned! LOL Now that I know there are additional benefits from peppermints and am down to only a few snails and 1 hermit !

How can you tell which are the right pepermints? My LFS currently has some and the just look like all the pics I have seen of them and ones I have seen in person all look the same! I have also seen them in a package I was thinking of ordering. Tired of my lfs never having much!

The matted file fish is the ugliest fish I ever saw and hate to take up prime real estate in a 36 gallon but I saw a you tube and he said he had a few peppermints and didn't notice and difference until he added the file fish and it wiped it out in less than a week! I just wish the fish wasnt so ugly..haha Plus maybe hard to find! My lfs will be back from vacation on Sunday so I may see if she can order one!

To bad I dont have a big enough tank for a butterfly but after what you said and the high mortality rate I have read about I dont think I would want to go that route even if I had a big tank!!! They are absolutly gorgeous fish and used to be in my top 5 for when I upgrade!

Thanks again for the info, now off to search for BRS youtube and order some Franks

Oh, Do you think Hawks and clowns would go for pods? Particually the hawk. I am tired of food hitting the sand bed, the hawk is hard to feed as well since he cant swim well so I have to let the pellets fall down and he misses more than he gets! What kind of pods would you recommend? My other tank just had them appear naturally but so far nothing from this tank, but I know I would have to dose some anyway because it would never be enough. I just not sure what size to get since he is only about 2 1/2 inches big!