Peppermint Shrimp Potentially Damaging Corals

[Macsreefs]

Seeking advice:

Hello fellow reef enthusiasts,

I'm reaching out for some community wisdom regarding an issue I've been facing in my reef tank, which has been up and running for over two years. In the last six months, however, I've encountered a recurring problem where the tissue of some corals, particularly my torch corals, appears to be eaten away. This issue has led to the loss of three torch corals.

After conducting an ICP test, which showed no alarming results, I began to suspect my peppermint shrimp as the culprits. I've come across several accounts online where others have experienced similar issues with soft corals being picked at by shrimp. Currently, I have 3 or 4 peppermint shrimp in my tank, with one being notably larger than the others.

Given the circumstances, I'm contemplating whether it's time to remove the peppermint shrimp from my tank. I've attached some images and links to threads discussing similar issues for reference and further insight. And no they are not Camel shrimp either.

[Link to Peppermint Shrimp Thread 1](https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/pepermint-shrimp-good-or-bad-for-pur-reef-tank.846093/)
[Link to Peppermint Shrimp Thread 2](https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/peppermint-shrimp.1014331/)

The affected corals show clear signs of tissue damage, especially around the gold ends, which seem to be nibbled off. This has become a disturbingly common occurrence in recent months.

I'm relatively new to the reef-keeping hobby and would greatly appreciate any insights, experiences, or advice you might have. Do you think the peppermint shrimp are to blame, or could there be another cause I'm overlooking? Your input would be invaluable to me in making an informed decision about the next steps for my tank.

When I got home from work yesterday.

This morning looking better but he will come back for more. You can see the right sids tips are gone

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I’m not sure if the peppermint shrimp are eating the coral in your case, but yes, some species do. They are usually all lumped together and sold as “Aiptasia Eating Peppermint Shrimp”, but species may be mixed. I have had some eat my coral as well. They were promptly rehomed to a fellow Reefer’s sump full of aiptasia. Here is a link for more info.

Peppermint Shrimp Identification

Peppermint shrimp are widely suggested as a reef safe solution for ridding aptasia from a tank. While others say they are coral eating terrors best left to fish only systems. Why the discrepancy in people's experiences? Well, it could be that we're not talking about the same shrimp. There are...

humble.fish

 

[gbroadbridge]

Seeking advice:

Hello fellow reef enthusiasts,

I'm reaching out for some community wisdom regarding an issue I've been facing in my reef tank, which has been up and running for over two years. In the last six months, however, I've encountered a recurring problem where the tissue of some corals, particularly my torch corals, appears to be eaten away. This issue has led to the loss of three torch corals.

After conducting an ICP test, which showed no alarming results, I began to suspect my peppermint shrimp as the culprits. I've come across several accounts online where others have experienced similar issues with soft corals being picked at by shrimp. Currently, I have 3 or 4 peppermint shrimp in my tank, with one being notably larger than the others.

Given the circumstances, I'm contemplating whether it's time to remove the peppermint shrimp from my tank. I've attached some images and links to threads discussing similar issues for reference and further insight. And no they are not Camel shrimp either.

[Link to Peppermint Shrimp Thread 1](https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/pepermint-shrimp-good-or-bad-for-pur-reef-tank.846093/)
[Link to Peppermint Shrimp Thread 2](https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/peppermint-shrimp.1014331/)

The affected corals show clear signs of tissue damage, especially around the gold ends, which seem to be nibbled off. This has become a disturbingly common occurrence in recent months.

I'm relatively new to the reef-keeping hobby and would greatly appreciate any insights, experiences, or advice you might have. Do you think the peppermint shrimp are to blame, or could there be another cause I'm overlooking? Your input would be invaluable to me in making an informed decision about the next steps for my tank.

When I got home from work yesterday.

This morning looking better but he will come back for more. You can see the right sids tips are gone

Thank you all in advance.

Peppermint shrimp will eat coral if they're hungry.

If you can catch them, move them to the sump for a few weeks and see if the coral improve.

 

[Trent H]

I just had to remove my cleaner shrimp because it was pulling polyps off my torch corals… I’ll never get another shrimp

 

[Macsreefs]

Peppermint shrimp will eat coral if they're hungry.

If you can catch them, move them to the sump for a few weeks and see if the coral improve.

Ya I’ve been looking for stuff to help catch them, they are so hard to get lol….think im gonna do one of the water bottle traps.. cut of the top and glue it upside down so it’s a funnel going in and put some food in and wait for him to go in… any advice… I have three and they are impossible to get lol

 

[Trent H]

Ya I’ve been looking for stuff to help catch them, they are so hard to get lol….think im gonna do one of the water bottle traps.. cut of the top and glue it upside down so it’s a funnel going in and put some food in and wait for him to go in… any advice… I have three and they are impossible to get lol

I took me about 3 months to finally catch mine.... about 3 days ago I came home and found 3 of my torch polyps on the rock that was it for me.... so I started to try and catch him about 3 hours later I finally caught him it took myself and my wife to both have our hands in the tank at the same time... I used some rocks I had laying around to cover holes he was hiding in and I also used some from frag plugs to also cover some holes... my wife was on the net and I just basically forced him out using my hands and some tongs until he got in open water and my wife scooped him out... we both cheered very loudly completely exhausted and the tank and floor was covered in water. never again will get another shrimp... good luck! if your tank is small enough to take all the rocks out I would do that if not ive seen those traps work online but it did not work for my cleaner shrimp I tried