IOTM July '09-Lysmata Wurdemanni-Peppermint Shrimp

Up for this months IOTM I submit to you the humble peppermint shrimp

Pic by: proreefer


Common Name: peppermint shrimp
AKA: candy cane shrimp, caribbean cleaner shrimp
Latin: lysmata wurdemanni
Family: hippolytidae

Temp: 75*-82*
SG: 1.023-1.025
pH: 8.1-8.4
dKH: 8-11

Origin: Caribbean, East Atlantic, Florida
Max Size: 2" give or take
Minimum Aquarium Size: I would hesitate to keep them in anything smaller then 10 gallons.
Acclimation: Like all shrimp they are VERY sensitive to salinity and condition changes and should be drip acclimated over an hour or two.

Reef Safe: Yes, but observe. Some people report picking at soft corals. Should be noted the camel shrimp commonly sold as peppermints or as an alternative are not even close to being reef safe. Please pay attention and do not be mislead. Camel shrimp have the same color/markings but a very pronounced "hump" on the back.
Diet: Detrivore/Carnivore. Will eat detrius, meaty bits, flake and pellet. Pretty much anything offered should be taken. One of the few species that may eat Aiptasia.
Behavior: Often a shy species and should not be kept with agressive tankmates. Tends to stick to rockwork and dark corners. While classified as a cleaner, it may or may not clean fish and if looking for that behavior a skunk cleaner is a much better bet. Peaceful towards other reef inhabitants. Should be watched at feeding time to make sure they are not stealing food from LPS corals. Using for aiptasia control is a hit or miss thing, some will and others simply won't. Can safely be kept in groups but if overstocked WILL go canabalistic. If kept in a group, pregnant females are pretty common but raising fry to adulthood is unlikely without much preparation and a specialty setup.

Personal Observations: Often overlooked, I feel like these are a great and often overlooked addition to a CUC. I picked up a pair because of a duo of tiny Aiptasia growing between the shell and mantle on one of my clams. I figured they were inexpensive enough that even if they didn't it would still be a cool addition. Not only did they eradicate those two but I have yet to see another in my tank. They also are an excellent addition to my CUC eating tons that my fish miss and constantly on the hunt for a meal. I monitored them intensely for a couple weeks and have had no issues with them picking at any coral, but with any creature your mileage may vary. I have had a bit of an issue with them trying to steal food when spot feeding LPS, but usually squrting them some directly is enough to stop it.

 

Keep the write ups coming K+

 

Got pics up of the Hydno, but trying to get these guys has proven tough. They tend to be a little more active once the halides go off so hopefully tonight I should be able to get them.

 

Agreed. they are hard little buggers to snap a photo of. I have also had good success with them and aiptasia control, however none were very big.

 

I have heard success stories with the peppermint shrimp and aiptasia. But have been advised by numerous people a hit or miss deal.

In another tank of mine I have put 4 peppermint shrimp in. But NO success of peppermints eating aiptasia. Must have been a miss.

In the tank I currently have I am noticing a small aiptasia problem. They are tiny ones growing. maybe a dozen or so on some rocks growing as of now. Maybe this time peppermints might be a success. Otherwise joe's juice will have to be my solution.

Any one have any advise when introducing peppermint shrimp to the tank in hope of them eating aiptasia?

 

forgot to mention my first setup was a 90 gallon tank. This setup is also a 90 gallon tank.

 

Ty

Thank you for the write up.very useful info.

 

pics of pepps

here are some, not so good of pics, i can say so far all my pepps have been well behaved. James