WARNING: Sexy Shrimp are bad! (pics included)

[ficklefins]

I was a big fan of sexy shrimp but recently there is one shrimp who has gotten a taste for zoanthids. He is picking at zoas and eating them from their tentacles inwards. Recently he/she struck my favorite colony.

I am so ticked :evil: :evil: so there will be a shrimp trap placed into the tank tonight and hopefully tomorrow there will be 4 sexy shrimp in a hang on breeder box. Wish me good luck.

 

[maroonytunes]

Thanks for the warning Fickle Fins, That sucks, those zoas are awesome.

 

[fishes2889]

Never new that. Thanks for the heads up ficklefins..........

Steve

 

[jessiesgrrl]

angry9: :mumum: :banghead:

You! Shrimp!! Outta the water NOW!! :director:

:iroc: I'd come help you catch em if I was closer...
uke:
Laurie

 

[ficklefins]

Never new that. Thanks for the heads up ficklefins..........

Steve

Neither did I. But I should have figured that when they are hungry enough they will try and eat anything.

I use to have peppermint shrimp but I had bad luck with them ripping tentacles off my anemone. I saw it happen on two occasions and they were quickly taken out and sold to the LFS, and no they weren't the look a like camel shrimp.

I may try a cleaner in my next tank, but I have crossed two off my list no more:

Peppermints or Sexy Shrimp.

PS. One shrimp caught 3 to go.

 

[fishes2889]

You have 3 in the tank!!! man.....and wouldnt it help if they were just feed more to feed thier appetite??

Steve

 

[jessiesgrrl]

I have a coral banded, he's hilarious. I named him Tyson cuz he is always throwing air punches. No problems at all with him and any corals and/or clams, etc...

Laurie

 

[revhtree]

Man I have noticed some of my zoas look like that recently, and I have pepp shrimp! Info on them please?

 

[fishes2889]

Well i have had problems with pepp shrimps in my old tanks, eatin my zoa's but never sexy shrimps............

Steve

 

[organism]

weird, the only time I've ever seen them go after corals is when they're starved and underfed, if you stick a couple of sinking food pellets in there I'm sure they'll stop picking at them

 

[ficklefins]

Do you guys think I should give the shrimp a chance and just start feeding the tank more? I saw one shrimp (which I believe is the evil one) eating polyps tentacles off another zoa colony. I'm not sure I want to risk it, but I do have some spirulina sinking pellets.

I don't think I'll risk it. Those shrimp weren't expensive but my colonies of zoas have been. Not a fair trade off IMO.

 

[rossco]

I wouldn't dump more food (which ends up being more waste) into my aquarium for a shrimp. Trade him for more zoas.

 

[kpax]

That's interesting. I never would have thought about them going after a coral.

I bet you can find them a new home!

 

[Shultz]

OK I'll be the one to disagree!!!

I have 5 sexy's, 2 Peppermints, 2 Cleaners & a Blood shrimp in my tank... NONE go after my Zoa's, but they do pick in & around them for food, the worst they do is stand on a polyp making it close....

IMHO I would say the polyp was already dying & the shrimp was picking the decaying matter off to eat....

Cheers Shelton.

 

[ficklefins]

OK I'll be the one to disagree!!!

I have 5 sexy's, 2 Peppermints, 2 Cleaners & a Blood shrimp in my tank... NONE go after my Zoa's, but they do pick in & around them for food, the worst they do is stand on a polyp making it close....

IMHO I would say the polyp was already dying & the shrimp was picking the decaying matter off to eat....

Cheers Shelton.

Shelton,

I had the same mindset as you when it came to this. No problems for almost a year now. But if I didn't see it with my own eyes I would not tell people about the risk. I also think I know what a dead or dying zoanthid looks like, especially this colony as it is my favorite.

I came home from work last week to see a sexy shrimp sitting on top of a polyp picking at the oral disc. I watched him for about a minute or two before I realized that he wasn't picking around the zoa but actually pulling and tearing the polyp flesh. Next day my "Blue Kisses" some of my blue kisses were missing the tentacles while the others were fine. Prior to that day, no issues with them. I had to flick at this shrimp to get him off the zoas as the turkey baster wasn't moving him.

Yesterday, I came home and while I was approaching the tank I see this little shrimp moving off my favorite colony. I look down at the colony and there was a hole in the side of the polyp like somone took a bit out of a cookie. I had never seen anything like it, and the pictures at the top may be a bit unclear, but you can actually see into the polyp. That was the last straw for me. After seeing sexy shrimps on them my blues go from "HEALTHY" colonies to half without skirts. Then my other colony goes from being totally healthy one day to one with a chunk bitten out of it.

So they went from looking like this (the same polyp as the one on top)

To this

I also never would have thought that a peppermint would feed off my BTAs tentacles, but I quickly found out that I wasn't alone. A lot of people mention that Peppermints will reach into an anemones mouth for food, but I experienced what these people went through.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=795087&highlight=peppermint

Originally posted by M. Python
Believe it or not, peppermint shrimp will actually take pieces of your anemone and eat it. They pick at larger anemones and some corals and they are not reef safe in my opinion.

Originally posted by r00onmac
mine eats everything... just ate a carnation my gf bought me... if my gf wasnt attached id toss him down the toilet... he picks at anything and everything that is new in the tank... any time i get new snails he eats 1 or 2 before he stops and at a zoo when i put the new branch in a few months back... always stealing flakes from my torch coral that my onyx takes careful time to feed to it... these buggers are annoying...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=142026&highlight=peppermint

Originally posted by 3Tripnip
Hey everyone!
I got a new BTA a few days ago and today I witnessed my large Peppermint shrimp attacking it. It picked off pieces of the anemone and ate it... at least that's what it looked like. The anemone stayed closed for along time but eventually expanded again. I took the shrimp out of the tank until I know for sure what's going on. Anyone had an experience like this? Is this normal? Please let me know. Thanks in advance!
-Trip

Don't forget, just because it doesn't happen to you doesn't mean you should dismiss it as not being true.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Next day my "Blue Kisses" some of my blue kisses were missing the tentacles while the others were fine. Prior to that day, no issues with them. I had to flick at this shrimp to get him off the zoas as the turkey baster wasn't moving him.

(Mr. T voice) Man, I pity the poor fool [shrimp] that I catch eating my Blue Kisses.....!


Laurie
:naka:

 

[ficklefins]

Laurie
:naka:

:shock: Laurie, put a shirt on this is a family friendly board. :shock:

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Laurie
:naka:

:shock: Laurie, put a shirt on this is a family friendly board. :shock:

ROTFLMAO, I love that guy!!! Been waiting to use him...
:hello1:
Laurie

 

[fishes2889]

Man ficklefins,
That was one sweet looking colony. Do you still have that one polyp left??? And did you cath all the shrimp??

Steve

 

[ficklefins]

Man ficklefins,
That was one sweet looking colony. Do you still have that one polyp left??? And did you cath all the shrimp??

Steve

Steve,

I have caught 3 of the 4 shrimp. That eaten polyp is actually showing good signs of repair so I am hopeful. This colony was one of my strongest zoas that I have ever had. I've actually never had a Paly or Zoa stay open and love their position like these. I'm sure that this one polyp will recover from it's injuries because it has stayed open despite the gapping wound.

I have a feeling that my blue kisses will still recoop from their injuries aswell. It is a shame that my attempts to reduce my feeding would lead to my shrimp attacking my zoas. I've learned a good leason from this and my tank upgrade will only have cleaner shirmp in it.