Peppermint shrimp and aiptasia.

[Notsolostfish]

Anyone here had good luck ordering peppermint shrimp from algaebarn? https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/captive-bred/invertebrates/shrimp/peppermint-shrimp/ it says they are reef safe. Also would my red line wrasse eat them?

 

[SliceGolfer]

Never ordered from Algae Barn, but I have ordered from ReefCleaners and have had great success with the shrimp they collect. Peppermint Shrimp are generally considered reef safe, however I have had Peppermints who go after Acans when they clear the aiptasia. Good luck.

 

[WallyTime7]

Had good luck with them but not through that website.
Agree that they eliminated all my aptasia over two months. completely gone. however noticed acans and other corals start to get snipped away. To the sump they went.

 

[Notsolostfish]

Had good luck with them but not through that website.
Agree that they eliminated all my aptasia over two months. completely gone. however noticed acans and other corals start to get snipped away. To the sump they went.

They claim their specific species wont hurt corals

 

[WallyTime7]

They claim their specific species wont hurt corals

I wouldn't trust that. ANYTHING can get an appetite for coral especially if you remove the food source.

 

[Notsolostfish]

I wouldn't trust that. ANYTHING can get an appetite for coral especially if you remove the food source.

I mean once u have aiptasia u always have aiptasia they inside your pumps, pipes etc. no?

 

[Gman83]

I have three, but i didn't get them from Algae Barn. I've had no issues with them going after coral. Lysmata wurdemanni are the most coral safe. There are some older posts out there (sorry couldn't find them, I'm on my phone) on how to ID them by their markings.

 

[JonnyTorch]

Just my two cents. I read on here it's a risk with peppermint shrimp with them eating coral. Also that it can be 50/50 or worse with them actually eating aiptasia or not. My LFS has a tank he grows aiptasia out just to drop them into the peppermint shrimp tank. He showed me. He picked up an aiptasia, dropped it into his peppermint tank and the shrimp went straight for it. I had about 15-20 tiny little aiptasia in my tank. The live rock has been wet for YEARS before I even got it. I added a peppermint shrimp, I didn't add corals yet, and within 2 days all traces of aiptasia were gone. There was ONE bigger aiptasia polyp I had, that it didn't eat, and I injected it with lemon juice. It withered and died. All other traces are gone and when I broadcast fees the tank the shrimp eats what it catches.

If you can get a shrimp that you've actually seen eat aiptasia, then it'll eat them. As far as them eating your corals, not fully sure about that. But just keep them fed I suppose, but I've also read otherwise on here.

Just my experience.

 

[WallyTime7]

I mean once u have aiptasia u always have aiptasia they inside your pumps, pipes etc. no?

I can't disagree with that. But I've had a handful of them pop up the last six months. Before I had shrimp, handfulls on the weekly. They definitely helps on the propagation.