Are peppermint shrimp reef safe?

[Nathan Milender]

I have two peppermint shrimp. I tend to overfeed a little so the peppermint's and the cleaner get a chunk. Recently lost an entire head off a frogspawn that had no previous disease. It was not withered, discolored, just gone. Did not catch it in the act but I cannot think of anything else that could have done it other than the emerald crab. The largest fish I have is a links goby. The jury is still out but I have my suspicion. May have to trap them (need to look into how to do this) and get them to the sump.

 

[Duffybubbleboy]

Just because I see other sites saying peppermint shrimp are reef safe- no not really, they go after the skin on Sps, eat hammers, will try to eat snails that are flipped over, that’s all worth it if they eat the AP nems first. The people saying ohh it’s the wrong kind , nah,, I see conflicting sources on what’s the ”safe” ones ways too much, so in the end they are not reef safe, if anyone wants pics of the Sps they have demolished I have some . If you have AP nems nudis are the only truly reef safe option but if swamped in huge nems , these guys are the way to go, then sump, overflow or return them. I will say they find new sources of food when needed so if you never forget to fed then it might be a safer chance. Lost a $300 gold hammer gone I had for 4 years bro, my purple stylo one hammered on for weeks with me thinking , let me check my alk, my cal, my phos, my N, my lights , let me raise my N , my P, no that’s not working let’s lower them to nothing , ouch other corals are suffering now,one night I see one of the shrimp carving off skin on my sytlo. Ohh ok it’s the dang shrimp . When they decide something is food , kiss it good bye, now this was a 8 inch wide colony I have now had to cut up and it looks like trash. the shrimp would carve holes on the corals skin then Algae grew on those spots making it the ugliest coral of all time. For those who want to get rid of the peppermint shrimp they have , cut a 2 liter bottle in half and stick them back together bait the trap and they will be in there in a few tries, they are so fun to watch , I loved mine for the job they did killing my nem problem but from 9 I had to remove all but two, these two are on watch now.

 

[piranhaman00]

There is not a single shrimp that is reef safe.
Peppermint and the least reef safe shrimp. They eat Coral over aiptasia

 

[Icryhard]

I raise these little guys and I assure you that they don’t eat corals. They will eat aiptasia. They are cleaners so they will pick at things around the aquarium. Of course there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule. Just keep an eye on him. Any questions, send me a PM

What is your opinion on them using them for aptaisa?

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

Kindof. Peppermint shrimp are a little hit or miss. They're very much opportunistic feeders. With LPS especially. I have on that decimates aiptasia within hours. But after the aiptasia runs out and it gets hungry it'll go after scans. So it lives in my qt tank. So if some apps hitch I pop him in the tank and then catch him back out when they're gone. Ime they will also irritate LPS going after food they've captured.