Do peppermint shrimps really eat aiptasia?

[2Wheelsonly]

I had an outbreak of thousands in my large 300G. Bought 30 shrimp that seemed to actively eat them at the LFS and they didn’t touch them in mine. Nudibranchs couldn’t handle my flow (sps) so I bought a file fish and it cleaned them out within 3 weeks and never saw them again.

 

[DHill6]

Yes the shrimp took out all the baby astapia that were popping up. Reef cleaners purchase.

 

[Fishy888]

Last Tuesday I purchased 2 peppermint shrimp. Tonight for the first time one has come out of hiding. I was able to get a good picture. It is without a doubt L. Boggessi. So far it has been picking at the rock with my xenia colony but it hasn't picked at any polyps. Obviously I can't be there 24/7 to watch them however. Should I be worried that they will munch on my soft corals? I would think even among L. Boggessi there would be some individuals that pick at corals and some who don't. That said if L. Boggessi is the true aiptasia destroyer I am set if I ever get any lol.

 

[dennis romano]

I picked up three shrimp, but they were small, so I put them in a terrarium with a rock with aiptasia. The terrarium went into the display tank. They cleaned the rock, then I switched the clean rock with an infested one. They cleaned that too. After a while, I ran out of small, infested rock. The shrimp had grown, so I put them into the tank. A few more aiptasia disappeared, but then the shrimp stopped eating them. It seems that the shrimp preferred the food leftovers from the fish to the aiptasia.

 

[Rocketfish]

This is one of those delightful recurring threads!

I tried Aptaisia X/Kalk Paste and just made the problem worse for me.

Then tried Berghia Nudibranch and they did a great job but didn't get them all before my coris wrasse killed the adults and the random pods in the tank will eat the eggs I found out, so adults only for me in a mature tank with no coris wrasses!

Then I tried Peppermint shrimp for the second time. The first time I got one and it did nothing. He was killed by an arrow crab so I got rid of the arrow crab next. Then I bought 6 peppermint shrimp because they were on sale and they totally wiped out the aptaisia in about 2 weeks. Big ones in hard-to-reach places too. BUT, and it's a BIG BUT, I had heard they will hurt/prey upon LPS corals. I only had one Trachy in the tank so I pulled it up and put it on the frag rack to see how the shrimp did and if they tried to get up there. They never climbed up to the frag rack, so I put it back down on the sand bed. about 3 days later I woke up to a severely damaged trachy that had its insides pulled out while a peppermint shrimp was having a nice meal.

I have also tried Aptaisia eating File Fish, but they always seem to go for the LPS and Zoas as well.

I am 0 for 2 on file fish and they have cost me at least $100 in Acans and the Zoas survived once I pulled them out.

I am 1 for 2 on peppermint shrimp for eating aptaisia but 0 for 2 in getting some that won't eat expensive coral. I will probably have to buy a dwarf fuzzy lion or something to get rid of them. I suppose I could try and trap them first!

I am 1 for 1 on having Berghia Nudibranch, but the Coris Wrasse and pods in the tank caused their eventual demise.

The only 2 that didn't work on aptaisia for me were the file fish and the Aptaisia X. The Aptaisia X/Kalk paste will kill them, but it may also cause them to propagate worse, and it is impossible to reach some of the ones buried in the crevices of the rock.

So the 2 that did work were the Berghia and the Peppermint Shrimp.

The Peppermint shrimp is a great way to go but you will need to pull or relocate the nice LPS corals like Acans and Trachy's so they don't go after those for a convenient meal. Also someone above mentioned having one and it did nothing but when he added a second one they went to town and wiped them out. I think there is truth to that because that was essentially my experience as well.

If you don't have a coris wrasse or if you want to relocate yours while the berghia are doing their thing, that is probably the best way to completely clean the tank of Aptaisia. If you have pods, get the adults. if you don't have pods, they will reproduce and you can sell some to fellow reefers! I think Bristle worms might also cause problems with Berghia reproduction. They will probably eat the eggs like the pods do.

So, If anyone wants the 6 peppermint shrimp I have to clean your tank, I may be listing them for sale in the near future! If I get another scoly or trachy I will certainly pull them out and put them in the smaller nano tank...

 

[Rocketfish]

This is one of those delightful recurring threads!

I tried Aptaisia X/Kalk Paste and just made the problem worse for me.

Then tried Berghia Nudibranch and they did a great job but didn't get them all before my coris wrasse killed the adults and the random pods in the tank will eat the eggs I found out, so adults only for me in a mature tank with no coris wrasses!

Then I tried Peppermint shrimp for the second time. The first time I got one and it did nothing. He was killed by an arrow crab so I got rid of the arrow crab next. Then I bought 6 peppermint shrimp because they were on sale and they totally wiped out the aptaisia in about 2 weeks. Big ones in hard-to-reach places too. BUT, and it's a BIG BUT, I had heard they will hurt/prey upon LPS corals. I only had one Trachy in the tank so I pulled it up and put it on the frag rack to see how the shrimp did and if they tried to get up there. They never climbed up to the frag rack, so I put it back down on the sand bed. about 3 days later I woke up to a severely damaged trachy that had its insides pulled out while a peppermint shrimp was having a nice meal.

I have also tried Aptaisia eating File Fish, but they always seem to go for the LPS and Zoas as well.

I am 0 for 2 on file fish and they have cost me at least $100 in Acans and the Zoas survived once I pulled them out.

I am 1 for 2 on peppermint shrimp for eating aptaisia but 0 for 2 in getting some that won't eat expensive coral. I will probably have to buy a dwarf fuzzy lion or something to get rid of them. I suppose I could try and trap them first!

I am 1 for 1 on having Berghia Nudibranch, but the Coris Wrasse and pods in the tank caused their eventual demise.

The only 2 that didn't work on aptaisia for me were the file fish and the Aptaisia X. The Aptaisia X/Kalk paste will kill them, but it may also cause them to propagate worse, and it is impossible to reach some of the ones buried in the crevices of the rock.

So the 2 that did work were the Berghia and the Peppermint Shrimp.

The Peppermint shrimp is a great way to go but you will need to pull or relocate the nice LPS corals like Acans and Trachy's so they don't go after those for a convenient meal. Also someone above mentioned having one and it did nothing but when he added a second one they went to town and wiped them out. I think there is truth to that because that was essentially my experience as well.

If you don't have a coris wrasse or if you want to relocate yours while the berghia are doing their thing, that is probably the best way to completely clean the tank of Aptaisia. If you have pods, get the adults. if you don't have pods, they will reproduce and you can sell some to fellow reefers! I think Bristle worms might also cause problems with Berghia reproduction. They will probably eat the eggs like the pods do.

So, If anyone wants the 6 peppermint shrimp I have to clean your tank, I may be listing them for sale in the near future! If I get another scoly or trachy I will certainly pull them out and put them in the smaller nano tank...

 

[Rocketfish]

i'm having a minor outbreak right now probably around 7 of them right now but Im worried about more appearing.

right now i have a 46 gallon tank but im planning to upgrade to a 75 gallon this month.

The only problem i have with berghia nudibranchs is that I have a certain six line wrasse that will most likely eat those guys lol.

and thats the only that is scaring me about peps is that they might go for corals... i currently a ton of euphyllias, lobo, warpaint scolys, goniopora and a couple of sps. really dont want them to eat the euphyllias

Don't do Peppermint! Do the Berghia Nudibranch! They will eat the aptaisia, but then without warning, they will adjust their diet to the large donuts on the bottom.

The Peppermint Shrimp will kill the lower-lying LPS corals in my experience...

 

[54Dutchman]

peppermint shrimp and file fish will go after LPS and/or rock flower anemone after the aptaisia are gone!

 

[Double monti 61]

Hi I have one in my 15 gallon tank that does well and I believe has kept the aptasia at bay in the tank although some aptasia do live in the hang on back filters that I have but they do not seem to be doing that well and I do not worry about them as far as the shrimp eating the coral that has never happened in my tank I have a sexy shrimp that sometimes does crawl on some coral but the coral never show signs of stress.

 

[DHill6]

I have one peppermint shrimp in a 34 g with quite a few very expensive LPS. It hangs out under the mimosa clam and hadn’t bothered anything else. I’ve fed it fish food if I see it coming out at feeding time. It also goes after small pellets. I’ll have to watch closely.

 

[acabgd]

Filefish has been the most effective for me. Copperbands are 50/50. Red Sea Golden Butterfly is a fantastic aiptasia killer but they move on to corals the moment the aiptasia are gone.

Filefish does too. I've just had to sump a filefish due to it almost destroying my 3 acans, after successfully eating most of my aiptasia.
They are fun to watch and the ones that do eat aiptasia are really efficient, but same word can be used for their acan destruction.

 

[neonreef3d]

has anyone ever had success on dealing with an aiptasia problem using peppermint shrimp? I am on my last nerve right now and thinking about getting a couple to kill them. I know you have to get a specific kind of peppermint shrimp in order for it to work but even then, it is still a hit or miss.

I have been using aiptasia away for months now and it only slows them down and not kill them. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.

I had some aptasia in my refugium, and the pepermint shrimp went for them right away. I decided to put one of the pepermint shrimp in my nem tank, and one on RBTA got stuck in the powerhead. when I saw this in the morning, the pepermint shrimp was the only shrimp that was eating the dead peices of the RBTA, he eventually got toxic poisoning and died... too much sting for him. the other shrimp were fine though, the didnt eat any of the pieces.

 

[Royce White]

has anyone ever had success on dealing with an aiptasia problem using peppermint shrimp? I am on my last nerve right now and thinking about getting a couple to kill them. I know you have to get a specific kind of peppermint shrimp in order for it to work but even then, it is still a hit or miss.

I have been using aiptasia away for months now and it only slows them down and not kill them. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.

What worked for me was a file fish. It took about 3 to 4 weeks and now I can't find a aiptasia any where. I have always heard that if something sounds to good to be true it probably is. Not in this case. I tried the shrimp first and didn't see any improvement.

 

[reefandfish85]

Don't do peppermint shrimp. I thought it work for me but they first think they ate was my baby hammer coral then cats paw end eventually they ate aiptasia as well, but I had to throw them down into my sump where is theirs current residency.

 

[LPS Bum]

has anyone ever had success on dealing with an aiptasia problem using peppermint shrimp? I am on my last nerve right now and thinking about getting a couple to kill them. I know you have to get a specific kind of peppermint shrimp in order for it to work but even then, it is still a hit or miss.

I have been using aiptasia away for months now and it only slows them down and not kill them. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.

Mine never did. And I’ve seen them tear apart fleshy LPS corals to get a meal. Try the Berghias instead.

 

[Double monti 61]

Maybe they are starving and have no other choice, maybe the system is to clean or new and they cannot find enough small life to survive on so they attack the coral the one peppermint shrimp in my system has no interest in the coral although it may crawl over them occasionally.

 

[jtdesigner]

has anyone ever had success on dealing with an aiptasia problem using peppermint shrimp? I am on my last nerve right now and thinking about getting a couple to kill them. I know you have to get a specific kind of peppermint shrimp in order for it to work but even then, it is still a hit or miss.

I have been using aiptasia away for months now and it only slows them down and not kill them. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.

I got three from Algae Barn and they seriously wiped out the aipstasia. I used a couple bottles of Joe's juice, and like you said, it only slows them down, there are always more popping up, plus I really don't like putting chemicals in my tank.