Peppermint Shrimp Qs

Discussion in 'Inverts' started by kcbrad, Jan 20, 2012.

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  1. kcbrad

    kcbrad Giant Squid

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    Hey guys...

    I'm getting a peppermint shrimp. I don't like shrimp - they totally creep me out. I have an aiptasia problem that Joe's Juice did not solve, and I'm going to try this natural method before trying chemicals again.

    Any tips on keeping peppermints? And also, what goes on during this molting thing?! I am creeped out....what can I expect?

    Thanks! ;D
     
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  3. hasek1639

    hasek1639 Fire Shrimp

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    come on really creeped out. i love peppermint shrimp they are tiny and hungry. acclimate them though a drip method i found works best. i kept 4 in my last tank. they really like dark places mine always hung upside down. but they controlled my pest aiptasia problem easy. they will shed i always left the skins in the tank for the bugs. cause mine would shed over night i would see it in the morning and by noon time its pretty much gone. good luck and shrimp are super fun.
     
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  4. Zoanthids21

    Zoanthids21 McKoscker’s Flasher Wrasse

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    peppermints are pretty cheap and pretty easy to care for. When adding them to your tank, make sure you drip acclimate them since inverts are a little more sensitive to salinity and can die if it is too much of a shock. When your done acclimating, dont just plop the shrimp in like its food, or else your fish will think its food and take a nip at it. Either take your hand and scoop it up lightly and just place it by a rock, or take a net and do the same really.

    Make sure your salinity always stays the same or you will have a unhappy shrimp and he wont do his job. If your salnity goes from like 1.024 up to 1.025 or 26 its not gunna be a big job, but if it does that over a day, it definitly could stress him out. So keep your tank topped off with RO/DI and he should be fine.
     
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  5. pgoodsell

    pgoodsell Horrid Stonefish

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    If you are ordering them online the drip method is not advised. The ammonia build up in the bag will become more lethal as the new water being dripped in raises the PH. But if your buying from a LFS then it works great. Also as your shrimp molt they will eventually look like the alien babies from alien and will leave the tank searching for a human host. Lol JK. :p
     
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  6. Peredhil

    Peredhil Giant Squid

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    agreed. they are sensitive to SG and temp swings, but if you're stable (and I'm sure you are) shouldn't be an issue.
     
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  7. Peredhil

    Peredhil Giant Squid

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    I understand the concept you are talking about. I do have a hard time believing though a peppermint can make enough waste (ammonia build up) for this to be an issue... Full disclosure: I've only ever got shrimp from LFS so no experience on pg's comment.
     
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  9. reefmonkey

    reefmonkey Giant Squid

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    I don't care what everyone else says about boiling water, juices and peppermints. You'll never eradicate them completely until you get some Berghia. There are some you don't see and some you can't reach. The Nudi's hunt them down and there is no place for the evil to hide.

    Shrimp and Butterfly's are hit or miss to begin with but a total waste of time in your situation IMHO. Shrimp feed only on the small aip's and do better in packs versus singley.
    Especially since you are so on top of feeding your fish. The shrimp will have plenty of food and will not seek out Aiptasia to begin with.

    I fought them in my 46 and then again in the 90. Of course the 46 was taken down before they were gone but the 90 is aiptasia free and I was able to make a profit from the decendants of the original pairs of nudi's I added to it. I still have a small colony and have been breeding aip's to grow the colony out.
     
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  10. NU-2reef

    NU-2reef Montipora Digitata

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    Berghia will work but will starve when their is an insufficient amount of aiptasia.

    Kacy, pep shrimps have always worked for me but they only eat small ones. They will not touch the larger guys. People also tend to over feed the pep when feeding the tank. And in my experience the shrimp will only hunt for aiptasia when hungry. Another trick that has never failed is some lemon juice in a syringe. Creep up on it then stab and inject. They shrivel up and die. May need to do a few times for the real stubborn buggers.

    Another option is to get your hands on a aiptasia zapper and electrocute those nasty vermin. Gotta admit I would wanna try this sounds cool as hell.

    Let me know how things go
     
  11. NU-2reef

    NU-2reef Montipora Digitata

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    P what he is saying is true. Not regarding the waste but the Ph imbalance when receiving livestock online. Our tank water will increase ph as we drip acc. Due to the lowered ph from shipping. It's a lack of oxygen and in-bag bio load combined.

    On another note kacy, mine also cleared my tank of feather dusters small and large and steals food from target fed coral.

    So How much aiptasia are we talking about here?
     
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  12. ingtar_shinowa

    ingtar_shinowa Giant Squid

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    Peppermnt Shrimp eat LPS corals. Every one? No. But every Angel won't either. I wouldn't keep either with my LPS anymore.
     
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