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Aiptasia battle + Peppermint shrimp
1 1 16 Aiptasia 11/27/14 Peppermint Shrimps and Hydrozoans 10/13/12 Aiptasia and the Peppermint Shrimp --
12/30/11 Unusual Aiptasia Predator (Mithrax sp.)? --
06/18/11 Who Is Eating My Peppermint Shrimp? --
09/16/10 Peppermint Shrimp Attacking Small
Fish?/Attack Of The Steroid Killer Shrimp 3/25/10 Response to Aiptasia predator question. 9/18/09 Good morning to all, I do not have a question today but a response to the Aiptasia predator question from Mike Winson posted 09-18-08. I have had very good luck using Peppermint Shrimp to eliminate Aiptasia in my tank. I had 10-15 Aiptasia in my tank but since adding the Peppermint Shrimp I have not seen any. They seem to have done a great job, IMO. Hope this helps, Shawn <Thank you for sharing Shawn. Bob Fenner> Aiptasia... shrimp stkg. in small SW 08/12/2008 Hello, <<Good afternoon, Andrew today>> I have a 14 gallon marine tank with a skunk cleaner shrimp and a few small peaceful fish already occupying and I hope to be getting some corals soon. However, I have a few nuisance aiptasia I'd like to rid myself of and I've been looking into peppermint shrimp (a hit or miss, I know). <<Agreed>> Here're the questions now. Will the peppermint get along with the cleaner shrimp? Is the system too small to house two different shrimp species? <<From personal experience, they will get along fine>> I also am a bit worried about the corals. Is there a chance the peppermint will pick at them, or will it be fine as long as I keep it well-fed? <<Should all be fine, never had a problem with peppermints and corals>> Many thanks- Aubrey <<Thanks for the questions, hope this helps. A Nixon>> Aiptasia removal/shrimp comp. 08/14/2008 Hey Crew, <<Good afternoon, Andrew today>> I was just reading over your articles on ridding aiptasia. I have a few of these buggers in my tank, and I want to get rid of them ASAP. <<I agree, a true pain>> I would really like to avoid chemical treatment of any kind ( I like my corals better alive ). My first idea was to add a peppermint shrimp, but I already have a large skunk cleaner shrimp in the tank. <<Skunks and peppermints can live happily together>> It's only 55g and I have heard that sometimes these shrimp do not get along with one another. Do you think in a 55g they would have enough room to get along? <<They will be fine, by all means, add a pair of true peppermints to the tank>> I have also read that sometimes you can use elegance coral to sting to aiptasia into death. Will this work with frogspawn coral as well? <<Not an approach I would suggest or recomend>> Physical removal would be a tricky option in my case because I have a large Monti cap that is "gluing" several pieces of rock together. Also, I have about 3 red-legged hermits in the tank that have no interest in eating the aiptasia. Thanks for your time, <<Another method, if no coral is close by, is to get a syringe of boiling water, and squirt directly onto the aiptasia. Worked well for me and others in the past.>> Chris <<Good luck with the eradication, hope this helps. A Nixon>> Aiptasia 8/24/06 Good morning, <And to you> I'm starting to see a couple of Aiptasia in my main display ( I have 5-10 in refugium). I have a four line wrasse, a fridmani, flame angel, cinnamon clown, dragon goby, seven blue green Chromis, one fire shrimp, and four skunk shrimp in my 150 gal mainly SPS reef. I am by no means over run with the Aiptasias, but I would like to nip the problem early. <You are wise here> I've searched your site concerning the wurdemanni shrimp but I'm not sure what "all but the largest Aiptasia" means. <Mmm, ones that are much larger than the shrimp let's say> I have one that is about 1" in diameter, would that be considered large? <IMO, yes> How do you think this shrimp would fair with my current stock? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. <I would likely try "cutting this back" before hoping, adding the shrimp... with a strong vacuum and a sharp tool... Bob Fenner, who likes large pizzas, but not too large!>
Peppermint shrimp to rid Aiptasia ? Or feed a
wrasse? - 2/4/2006 Hello to the crew !
I
have a relatively simple 50 gallon reef, which has slowly been over run
with Aiptasia. I went to my LFS and was told peppermint shrimp should
do the trick, so I purchased three of them. The following day I looked
for them and they are no where to be found ? <Maybe> I'm
wondering what could have happened to them. I only have two fish, one
being a yellow tang and the other a six-line wrasse. <The last could
have consumed them> Do either of these fish have shrimp on the menu
? <Yep> I also lost a cleaner shrimp about two months ago, which
I had for approximately one year. One day he was there, the next gone.
Any clues ? What about the possibility of a bristle worm ? If one of
these guys is the culprit, what is the best way to deal with my quickly
spreading Aiptasia problem ? <See WWM re... Bob Fenner>
Thanks
for the input.
Trever
from Santa Barbara, Ca. Aiptasia Article - 01/10/2006 I am writing regarding your article on Aiptasia. First off thank you for writing on this topic, as there really isn't that much out there to read. <We're glad you enjoyed it.> I was wondering if it was at all possible to keep the larger anemones with out future outbreaks. <Not really. Any time there are available nutrients, they'll reproduce.> I was also wondering about what exactly they are doing to my fish. <Stinging the devil out of them.> My fish really don't seem to mind, but how do I know. <Hmm...Watch if they ever touch them directly. Notice how quickly your fish move away?> So are shrimp the best way to go? <Depends on what is in your tank really. Some risk to desired corals, but generally a good choice.> Thanks, Joseph <Gladly. - Josh> Aiptasia and Peppermint Shrimp 8/12/05 After reading your FAQ's on Aiptasia and how to get rid of it, I decided to add three Peppermint shrimp to my new 72 gallon tank. I had about 15 Aiptasia that I could see. Well after one night, the Aiptasia is gone except for one small critter that will probably get consumed tonight. My question is if I need to provide extra food for the new shrimp once the Aiptasia is gone. I have about 65 pounds of Live Rock and a few inverts (Green Open Brain, Xenia, Flower pot coral, some kind of Carpet type coral). The LFS said the shrimp will not harm my fish or other good stuff. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks Bill Tracy <Congrats on your success with the Peppermint shrimp! They don't always do such a good job. When the Aiptasia are gone, the shrimp will do fine foraging on whatever they find and are very rarely a threat to sessile invertebrates. Occasionally, they will steal food from corals but it is almost unheard of for them to actually do any damage. Best Regards. AdamC> Aiptasia, Peppermint Shrimp, and aggressive Damsels I have live rock with Aiptasia on it have found sites that say these are weeds and that peppermint shrimp and copper band butterflies get rid of them. << So far I agree. >> Problems are tank is too new (1 month) for a copperband and I have two damsels which I have been told are very aggressive (they do chase everything in the beginning) and will attack shrimp. << They are aggressive, but I don't believe they will attach shrimp. I have many damsels in my tank now, and I've never seen them pick on a peppermint. >> I have had ghost shrimp but they die very quickly (have had water problems i.e.. pH too low 7.5 and spec grav too high 1.029 which are both now resolved) and the damsels did go them a bit but the shrimp seemed to go them back. Should I be testing my water for anything other than nitrite and pH and spec grav? I use natural sea water from where my inhabitants are collected. << Peppermint shrimp are quite hardy. I wouldn't worry much about adding them, unless your specific gravity is still that high. Otherwise go ahead and add them. Be forewarned that after the peppermints eat all your Aiptasia they may eat everything else. So you may get stuck with them down the road, looking for a way to catch them. >> << Adam Blundell >> Aiptasia infestation 4/18/04 Dear Anthony, <cheers, Connie> I just discovered that I am getting a huge infestation of Aiptasia; there are little tiny ones growing all over my live rock. I had used Joes Juice on a couple that I had and now I wonder if somehow that spread the spores or whatever you call 'em. <hmmm... do be mindful to treat the problem (nutrients... particulate foods from overfeeding in this case likely) and not just the symptom. Aiptasia are merely a symptom of a problem/flaw> Question, if I put a couple of rocks at a time in my ten gallon tank and bought a couple of peppermint shrimp, would the shrimp leave the arthropods that I am breeding there alone???? <the peppermint shrimp are not even assured of eating the Aiptasia to exclusion if even at all... do read about these shrimps and many other treatments for Aiptasia in the archives. We really do have so much info on Aiptasia in the WWM archives> The last time I had peppermint shrimp they stopped eating the Aiptasia as soon as they saw flake food. <yes... true for most> I gave them all to Cheri as they were such pigs and she wants to breed them for something or other. Any suggestions would really help. This infestation which I just noticed tonight looks like fuzz it is so small now, but will ruin the tank. There must be at least 100of them. Woe is me. Main tank is fine except for this impending disaster. Do you have any ideas for me (that might work). If I do something stupid like boiling water I will kill all the live rock. <yikes... this will cause far greater damage. Because some of what is presently on/in the rock is competing against the Aiptasia. Boiling the rock would be a disaster> There will be so much there that I'm afraid for my fish - isn't it supposed to sting? How many shrimp do I need? I got six before and they pretty much dominated my tank. <I simply would not use the shrimp or an natural predator. The real problem here is particulate foods that are causing the anemones to bloom... the anemones are not growing from thin air ;)> Sorry if I sound freaked, but I just found them. It's nighttime and there's a light on behind the tank, which outlines every last one of them. <no worries, dear... they really are not that big of a deal. Easy to control. Starve them into submission!> As ever your fan, Connie <your friend, Anthony> Peppermint Shrimp by any other names 4/4/04 Hey there staff!!! You're the best, I appreciate all of your advice in the past and the advice that's to come in the future. <were looking forward to in in kind> We all know that there is always some confusion with the true peppermint shrimp......whether it be from the suppliers not ID'ing the specimens properly.....or the LFS's purchasing what they THINK are peppermint shrimp... and so on and so forth. I know there are mainly two species of shrimp which get tied up in a knot with each other, one being the true peppermint.....and the other being the false. <OK... I believe this to be true for your part of the world (varies elsewhere by region/merchant)> My question is this... I have both species, Lysmata wurdemanni and L. rathbunae> may I ask which is the "true" peppermint....as they are way too comfortably interchanged!!!!! <L. wurdemanni is the true Peppermint shrimp, essentially> and would it be the true of the false peppermints...........that bother worms and the likes??? Or am I wrong, as in both may do harm depending on the individual specimen??? <the entire genus Lysmata is categorically risky in reef aquaria and all have been known to nip corals and other desirable reef inverts at times> I appreciate your time.........thank you again. <best regards, Anthony> Peppermint shrimp, Aiptasia & fairy wrasses 11/17/03 Dear Anthony: <cheers, Connie> Maybe I missed something here, but my understanding is that the shrimp eat the Aiptasia. <you are correct. L. wurdemanni does eat anemones... but it is not exclusive and often nips corals and clams just the same. Not exactly reef-safe in the long run> We are getting a substantial amount of Aiptasia, really too much to inject it all (and it seems to spread like crazy). <its better to control the nutrients/problem (overfeeding, messy feeding/weak water flow, etc) than treat the symptom (the Aiptasia)> So we got several shrimp. I can only find one now and he is larger than the others. <hard to say... they are somewhat secretive... perhaps others are still alive?> Question: Are my wrasses shrimp-eaters??? <if large enough... most are> They are all small but hungry fish. I'm afraid I'll ruin my live rock with continuous injections of white vinegar (out of the tank, then rock scrubbed, have been using tap water for this) Another question: My husband ordered two Laboutei Fairy Wrasses for me as a gift. On the first shipment, female survived acclimation fine, male died. Second shipment, another male died. Before I order another male, is there something over and above the ordinary acclimation for these fish. <they are simply just very sensitive fishes to ship. I rarely recommend mail ordering fishes... and I would almost never do so for wrasses>> Now that I have the female I would really like the male. I had two gorgeous rosy finned fairy wrasse and the handsome male jumped out of the tank about a month ago. They are almost impossible to get. Marine Center tells me that the Laboutei doesn't travel too well. <correct indeed> Please help me Anthony. Ciao Connie <my advice is to pay the extra for a local retailer to order and acclimate one for a week... well worth it rather than killing cheaper mail order ones <G>.> PS: Can't seem to get in touch with person doing arrangements for your visit to Palo Alto in February. Do you have a phone number for her? <I do... but I should check with her before sharing it. In the meantime... I recently learned that the tentative schedule is for a trip to Monterey Friday, Meeting Saturday, and then social pot-luck meal/gathering at Cheri's house on Sunday. I'm hoping she'll have something posted on the Seabay website soon too. Do holler back at me if you don't hear something first :) kindly, Anthony> Lysmata shrimp reef safe... ahhh, no 10/17/03 Hello, <howdy> I have a 55 gallon aquarium with these things: blue regal tang (small-medium) yellow tang (small-medium) Naso tang (medium) cinnamon clown (small) neon goby (small, of course) 2 x scarlet cleaner shrimp peppermint shrimp (to eat the glass anemones) pom-pom xenia bubble-tip anemone red and blue legged hermits and one zebra hermit crab Everything was fine until I added the peppermint shrimp and the pom-pom. After I added them, I noticed that the flowery part of the pom-poms were getting eaten, and now they are deflated and flowerless in a breeder tank to isolate them. At the same time, the antennae of the cleaner shrimp are slowly getting eaten. Every day they get shorter. There is also a little disharmony in the tank now, whereas before I got the peppermint shrimp and the pom-pom, everybody was pretty happy and getting along. I've talked to several people about this and no answer seems to make any sense. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance, Chris <reef shrimps of the genus Lysmata have a long-standing and well-documented history of nipping, eating or harassing desirable reef invertebrates (corals and clams are favorite foods at times <G>). The peppermint shrimp has become popular recently as you have discovered for eating Aiptasia. The addition and practice is ill-advised in my opinion. We cannot expect these shrimp to eat one cnidarian (the Aiptasia) while leaving other cnidarians (corals like your Xeniid) alone. It just doesn't work that way. More importantly, we are not addressing the problem (inadequate water flow and/or excess nutrients) which are fueling the Aiptasia bloom. Instead... we are treating the symptom by sending in the borderline reef-safe Lysmata. There is much writ on this genus in popular hobby lit, including many wonderful breeding reports, a bok on how to breed them (by April Kirkendall) and we too (Fenner and Calfo) cover them well in our latest book, Reef Invertebrates. The shrimp is a hardy and wonderful organism to keep... just not in a traditional reef aquarium. My advice is to trap and remove the shrimp. Best regards, Anthony> Evil Peppermint Shrimp! >Just an FYI to all of you getting lured into buying 'reef safe' peppermint shrimp. Be cautious. So far $3 peppermint shrimp wiped out 2 of my plate corals. Now that they are gone, I can't wait to see what they move onto next. Any ideas on getting them out of the tank without having to rip a fully stocked tank apart would be greatly helpful. I doubt the jar trick would work since I have fish and hermits in there and they would probably go nuts trying to get at the bait. >>Wow, gotcha. This is the biggest problem we have with common names. I bet you *didn't* get Lysmata wurdemanni, which is the animal that we all love and often use to control Aiptasia. However, there is at least one other animal that goes by the "Peppermint" moniker, Rhynchocinetes spp., with large eyes and a beaklike "nose" (you'll also note that their color saturation is strikingly different and much stronger). Now, honestly, I would do the jar bit after dark. Persistence means that you'll eventually trap these things, unless you're very good with a net (this does take practice). I haven't got many other answers for you, other than to possibly isolate their hiding spots as one would a mantis, then yank that rock, dip in freshwater and they should exit quickly. I do hope this helps, and let this be a warning to others! Marina >Thanks, Andy The Good Ol' Boy - Aiptasia >Crewperson O' the Day: >>O! Be still my beating heart, he knows, he knows! Marina is the crewperson of the day for *you*. >Well, I finally noticed my first Aiptasia in my 9-month old, 55 gallon FOWLR w/inverts. >>You're funny. if it's w/inverts, then it's not exactly fish only, is it? Please accept my apology for being a smart-alec. Eck, Aiptasia. >I want to start with a Lysmata wurdemanni or two (or three?). The problem is the whole Quarantine procedure, to which I swear by, thanks to you guys. Now that I have caught this problem early, I don't want to wait 4 weeks in QT for the Aiptasia to get a stronger foothold in my system. >>Understood. Alright, I'll tell you, I am one of the diehards on the whole q/t thing, however, if you're *really*, *really* worried about it, then, with an invert such as the L. wurdemanni, I think little harm may come if you go ahead and acclimate and toss 'em in. This is not what I would recommend, mind you, but usually you can be fairly confident that the shrimps won't cause a problem. However, I don't see the Aiptasia gaining such a strong foothold in that four week time span as to be especially problematic, either. The "other" Aiptasia-eater, the Copperband butterfly, would definitely best be quarantined, though. >If the Peppermints don't work, I would have to wait another 4 weeks in QT for another Aiptasia predator. Do I really have to wait the agreed upon 4 weeks in QT for these possible "pest-munchers"? Regardless, can you suggest how many Peppermints I need for my size system at this early stage? >>I think two or three would be fair. >I would like to get a/some different species of shrimp(s) in the future. >>To the best of my knowledge, the Peppermints won't cause a problem with other peaceful crustaceans, such as cleaner shrimps, should you wish to get those. They're generally *very* peaceful animals (unless you're an Aiptasia anemone!). Best of luck, Rich! Marina Re: AIPTASIA Thanks Bob, You where right ,check my water quality and I think I was putting some silicate in the tank. I forgot to change the DI cartridge. But everything is under control I have been doing big water changes and adding phosphate/silicate removes to get rid of silicates. <Okay> Hopefully with the peppermint shrimp they will eat the Aiptasia, If not I will try a butterfly but will be ready to catch him with my trap. <Do make sure you're getting the real thing, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm as there are other similar-appearing Lysmata shrimp sold as Peppermints. Bob Fenner> Thanks for all your help AL <Welcome> - Shrimp with an Appetite! - Update: In less than 48 hours after adding the peppermint shrimp, there were only 6 visible Aiptasia left (6 out of original 100 or so), and by day 3 - NO visible Aiptasia :-))))) <Yes, big smiles indeed - thanks for letting us know.> Thanks again! Kristin <Cheers, J -- > Success Controlling Aiptasia - 2/17/03 Hello All! <cheers> I have had saltwater tanks off and on for 8 years, some FO, some reefs. I just wanted to thank you for the information on peppermint shrimp for Aiptasia removal. <Glad to hear it worked for you :) > Nudi berg. are not available in my area, injection methods have not worked, and my Copperband b.fly is not interested in Aiptasia. <The catch with Copperband's is getting an Indonesia specimen and/or training them in a proper QT first for one month to eat them> So, after reading all your website stuff, yesterday, I purchased 4 peppermint shrimp for my 30gal. I used the fish store's invert book to ensure I was buying the L. Wund. type peppermint shrimp. Today, half of the Aiptasia are gone! :-))) I am sure the other half will be gone soon! :-))) <Awesome> These shrimp are the first and ONLY success I have ever had getting rid of Aiptasia. Thank you so much for the information on your site. My tank is saved, and I am thrilled! Sincerely, Kristin <best regards... and thanks for sharing :) Anthony> Aiptasia in refugium I have a 65 gallon reef tank with a 20 gallon refugium that gravity feeds the main display tank. The refugium has become an Aiptasia breeding ground. Is it possible to add a few peppermint shrimp to the refugium to combat these pests? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you. <I have used peppermint shrimp to wipe out Aiptasia. Things I learned in the process: make sure to get Lysmata wurdemanni, the true peppermint shrimp, and not one of the Rhynchocinetes genus, or camel shrimp -- some retailers confuse the two! If you have any particularly large Aiptasia, you should remove them manually, as they may be too large for the peppermint shrimp. You might have more success using a third tank for Aiptasia removal. If the Aiptasia is on live rock or removable clumps of macro algae, I would suggest removing a piece or clump at a time to a dedicated peppermint shrimp tank -- a bare tank with minimal lighting and circulation would be fine. If you add the peppermint shrimp directly to the refugium, they may decide that some of the other refugium inhabitants are tastier than the Aiptasia! --Ananda> Re: Aiptasia, Shrimp, CBS meals Hello Bob, My 40g reef tank is about 6months old and just recently there has been an outbreak of Aiptasia anemones. I've tried adding a peppermint shrimp to the tank but after a few days I can't seem to find it anymore. In my tank, I have a Banggai cardinal, purple Firefish, and a coral banded shrimp. <whoa! Hello killer! Banded coral shrimps pull many/most/all other shrimps limb from limb!> Could the Coral Banded shrimp have eaten the peppermint shrimp? <does a bear bring a reader's digest into the woods?> I also have a bunch of emerald crabs that came with the LR. <sturdy and safe from the BC shrimp> thanks in advance. <best regards, Anthony> Jason AIPTASIA Hi Mr. Fenner, <Steven Pro this morning.> We have alit of the Aiptasia in our marine tank, we have tried a product called "Exit Aiptasia" but they still come back. I have your "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" book, and note the Peppermint shrimp eats these pests, but our problem is we are in New Zealand, I have sent an e-mail to the local marine importers Oceanic images, and asked if they can get these shrimps. I asked at our local retailers and they said Butterfly fish also clear these pests up, is this correct? <Yes, some Butterflyfish will eat Aiptasia.> In January our filter out let pipe emptied our tank during the night, and we lost all but 4 of our Fish. We now only have a cleaner wrasse, <Not a great aquarium choice. Most tend to slowly starve to death and should be left in the ocean.> black Damsel with 2 white spots, <Sounds like a Domino damsel (Dascyllus trimaculatus). These grow large and usually become quite a terror.> 2 torpedo gobies, and 2 Percula clowns. After such an expensive loss we are now been very careful with getting new fish etc. We should like to get some really nice looking small fish, but do not know which would be suitable for our tank. The tank is 30ins long, 24ins high and 18ins wide. We have rocks and dead coral, as we are not allowed live coral in this country. We have a nice anemone which the clowns adore. We lost our Long Horn Cow Fish when the tank emptied. Can we mix blennies Grammas etc with the fish we have? <I would remove the Domino and then yes.> Would we be able to have another cow fish with a butterfly fish? <I would not suggest adding a cowfish or butterflyfish to this size aquarium.> Do the shrimps you say about in your book (Peppermint ones) get on with cleaner shrimps, and fire shrimps? <Yes, usually peaceful.> Anything to do with Marine Tanks, Fish, etc. are very expensive here, so we don't want to have problems with fish that don't get on. The importers here told us to get your book, as they said it is the best one for people starting a Marine tank. Any assistance you could offer us would be most gratefully received. Thanking you, regards Peggy. <The Peppermint shrimp will be your best option for your Aiptasia problem. -Steven Pro> Aiptasia predator concerns I'm in the process of setting up my first attempt at a reef tank. I'm taking everything very slowly and am still building up the stock of live rock in my 120 gallon tank. I presently have about 15 red legged hermit crabs, a couple dozen snails and two cleaner shrimp, just to keep what little I have looking decent. Over the last month or so there has been an explosion of Aiptasia. I would like to rid the tank of these pests before I continue, preferably by introduction of a predator. I've read a number of FAQ's regarding Aiptasia and their removal (including yours, of course), and as much as I could find regarding the Peppermint Shrimp ( Lysmata wurdemanni ) and the Red Legged "Hairy", aka White Spotted, Hermit Crab ( Dardanus megistos ). I'm concerned that the Peppermint shrimp will harass the cleaner shrimp, or vice versa. Since my girlfriend has become very attached to them, this simply won't do! <I have seen several instances where Peppermint Shrimp and Cleaner Shrimp coexist peacefully. I would not worry with your large tank. They have plenty of room to get away from one another.> I'm also concerned that the Hermit's predacious tendencies could prove detrimental to the other tank inhabitants, especially as I begin to stock fish. I've considered removing the Dardanus Hermit when the tank is finally ready for fish, but it seems this might allow the Aiptasia to return. <I do not trust many hermit crabs for reef tank use.> I'd appreciate any advice you'd care to offer. Thanks ! -jl <Get the Peppermints. -Steven Pro> Protein Skimmer Bob, <Steven Pro here answering a few queries this morning.> I read a couple of article concerning the unwanted Aiptasia and purchased to Mexican peppermint shrimp. I never seen them eat the Aiptasia, but in a matter of eight days I only have (2) when before I had aprox. 20. Do the peppermint shrimp only eat at night? I hardly seem them during the day. <They do tend to hide a lot. Glad to see they are working for you.> I also have a question about green algae and protein skimming. I have a Red Sea Fish Pharm protein skimmer, it hangs inside of the tank using the wood block. If you know what I mean. <I know the type you are speaking of, but not the exact model (size).> I did as you said about leaving the lights on longer(12 hrs.) and a lot of my algae problem went away. I still get some algae on the substrate and I am thinking maybe my protein skimmer is inefficient. I could probably get a lawnmower blenny. Would a better protein skimmer take the rest of the algae? My LFS has a similar setup as I do however, they have a Godzilla looking protein skimmer and I don't. <Does you skimmer fill its collection cup several times weekly with skimmate the color of tea to coffee? If not, you may need to try a couple of things. Clean or replace your airstones more frequently, get a larger air pump, or replace the skimmer. I like counter-current, air-driven models. They can be run efficiently, but require more attention (daily). Getting your skimmer to perform better or getting a better performing skimmer will definitely help with nutrient export and should help reduce unwanted algae. -Steven Pro> Peppermint shrimp implicated The Pep Boys, my three peppermint shrimp, Lysmata wurdemanni, have recently been implicated in the near destruction of 2 inverts--one a small sand sifting star, Archaster typicus, who was losing his leg-points mysteriously (until I caught PepBoy Manny, braced against the work and the current, pulling a chunk of starfish meat off the poor creature. I rescued the star and put him in the sump to recover. The adventure goes on from there if anyone cares... I witnessed the second incident as I caught Moe (or was it Jack?! Hard to tell in the light...) red-handed performing midnight surgery on my Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, brain coral, laboring, snipping and pulling to get the bit of clam or bluefish or whatever the coral was trying to digest...The result is a brain with flesh pulled up revealing a raw-appearing skeleton. Otherwise still healthy but an obvious and defenseless target now. <Yikes... and to think I used to own their stock... are you feeding these Pep Boys?> The only thing these three peppermints fear is Coco, the sebae clown who pals with my long tentacle anemone. So I moved the coral below this couple--the Pep Boys will have to expose themselves to avenging Coco the clown to nip my brain. <Good move> I have to tell you about the star in the sump, as evidence for the defense of Manny Moe and Jack. 24 hours after its removal to the sump I checked white star and I found his legs a mess, rotten flesh, black rot and white nastiness. I excised 4 legs, a crunchy business, and put him in quarantine tank, where after 3 days he seemed well on the road to recovery with his one good leg--but that's beside the point. The salient fact is that the legs were rotten, and the "cleaner" shrimp were only doing what cleaners do and taking care of business. <Likely so> And maybe they were only "cleaning" some badness off the brain! You can't condemn them for that! Bob, be the jury and pronounce these 3 characters guilty or innocent-- <The pressure!> their lives and the welfare of their 10,000 monthly offspring are in your hands. Geoffroyi and Typicus are calling for shrimp on the barbie!! As you may discern, the shrimp trio are quite the favorites in my tank. No decoy seems to keep them from coming out to "sup" with (or on) the brain, no massive feeding prior kills their appetites--I just wonder if they are really bad, or just misunderstood. Mark <I opt for a stay of sentence (whew!)... There may be something else, more "afoot" (afeet?) here... I don't think the Peppermints really are/were the a priori (the ultimate) cause of the other invert.s troubles... I'd leave them as is. (Drops gavel), exeunt all. Bob Fenner> Camel shrimp, Angel Selection Howdy, <Hi there> First off really love the site, very informative. Three questions for you. First I tried ordering some inverts online as the selection in my area is horrible. I received camel shrimp instead of peppermint shrimp, will they eat/control the Aiptasia? <Not an uncommon mistake, and no. Please read here: http://WetWebMedia.com/aippepshrpfaqs.htm> Second question: Like stated above, the fish stores in town have pretty scary conditions, so I was wondering if you have any recommendations for a good online retailer (kind of leery ordering fish by mail though?) <A few of the prominent ones can be found on our links page: http://WetWebMedia.com/links.htm I would read through the various chatforums, ask there (Ours: http://talk.wetwebfotos.com/) for actual users input> Last question: I read on this site that the blue face angel is not very hardy but the queen is better. <Yes, "statistically"... historically this is so> I have been told by several people the opposite? Which would be better for my 100 gallon tank.(has appr. 80 lbs. live rock, 1 blue spot puffer, bicolor blenny, hermits, snails, serpent star) <Of the two, in 100 trials, ninety some times a Queen> Only want to add a large angel and maybe a Christmas or Coris wrasse to complete the tank. Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Gary Peterson <Keep gathering those data points, opinions till you feel confident you know your own. Bob Fenner> Peppermint shrimp quest. Dear Bob, I come again to your inexhaustible seeming <An apt gerundive participial...> fountain of knowledge for some answers. I used a peppermint shrimp to great success to remove some Aiptasia, but now I think he might be harassing some of my other corals. <This does happen.> I saw him picking at my Blastomussa today, not just picking off detritus and other material but really jerking at the coral. It (the Blastomussa) has shriveled up into it's skeleton and has not come out for a bit... should I try to remove the peppermint? <Yes> The Blastomussa was one of the corals that I picked up at Tropicorium and I would not want to have to venture back there to obtain another one just for it to become a peppermints shrimp meal. Thank you in advance, Ben <Good hunting my friend. Bob Fenner> Addendum to peppermint quest. just another question that I forgot... is there some way that I could possibly feed the peppermint something so that it can stay in my tank but not eat corals? <You can/could try meaty foods... ultimately as baits. Bob Fenner> Peppermint shrimp My question is about the amount of peppermint shrimp you can have in an 80 gal. reef. I have an Aiptasia problem that is growing by leaps and anemones. <Yikes, best to nip these in the proverbial buddage> I would really like to take care of this the natural way before they take over my little piece of serenity. How many of these little guys can one add to this size tank and what will happen when and if they get the job complete? <Very well put... in the wild and in the biz, Lysmata wurdemanni are often "really crowded"... but as you hint, this isn't a good situation to have permanently... I would try a "handful" (4,5) in an eighty... to guard against "other predation" that may well become a concern if/when the Peppermints are through with the Aiptasia... and not easily removed> I read where they usually will only eat the smaller ones, but at least it's a start! I'll go after the larger ones myself if I have to. I have a yellow tang, 6 line wrasse, Banggai cardinal, and a watchman goby plus two cleaner shrimp as inhabitants, plus a growing assortment of hard and soft corals. Is there anything incompatible here? <Some six-lines will eat the Peppermints... mainly on size differences. Bob Fenner, who asks, have you read through the Aiptasia materials on our site? http://WetWebMedia.com/aiptasia.htm for the start... Chatted with the Chatforum re this situation? http://talk.wetwebfotos.com/> Thanks always for your help and input, Charlie. <Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner> Peppermint Shrimp Bob--I finally decided to add a peppermint shrimp this weekend to hopefully knock out the one little undesirable anemone that I have in the tank. The problem is, it seems he didn't survive the first night. I posted this to the newsgroup, and one of the replies was that sally lightfoot crabs will eat peppermint shrimp. <Yes> That person claimed that her two peppermint shrimp disappeared when she added a lightfoot to her tank. I must admit, the first night the peppermint shrimp was in the tank, I was looking in after lights-out, and I thought I saw one of the Lightfoots chasing the peppermint shrimp around the side of a rock. If the Lightfoots are the culprits here, then I'll know better than to add another peppermint shrimp. Otherwise, I'd like to try to get one going to keep out the Aiptasia. My other thought was that perhaps the peppermint shrimp is still in there somewhere, but is hiding. However, I don't think that's the case, because I have seen hide nor hair of him all day yesterday, and he didn't come out with the cleaner shrimp when I fed the tank, either. <Maybe. Doubtful> Thanks for your thoughts. --James D, who reads a lot, and didn't think he would ever stock incompatible livestock. . . <Everyone can, does at one time. Bob Fenner> File Fish & Peppermint shrimp I recently wrote about rock anemone problem I had & bought a filefish & a peppermint shrimp neither seem to eating these little critters they have been in the aquarium for two weeks any suggestions ? Thanks, Kemper <All sorts... have you read the article on this group and others' experience posted at the www.wetwebmedia.com site? I would wait a good month... to see if the peppermint Shrimp will do you any good... and then we'll talk. Bob Fenner> Aiptasia I loved your book. Thanks for all your work. My name is Jake Pehrson. I run a web site called www.coralplanet.com. We are stilling getting it finished, but I do a lot of phone sales and local sales. Whenever I setup an aquarium for anyone I give them a copy of your book. Even if I am going to do the aquarium maintenance. Okay here is my question: <Outstanding. Thank you for your kind, encouraging words.> I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 100 pounds of Fiji live rock. The rock is covered with Aiptasia. I have 10 peppermints in the tank and at first they cleaned one rock completely off, but soon after it seemed that they stopped eating the Aiptasia. <Yes, this happens... as you know.> I have tried butterflies (raccoon and Copperband) but have never been able to get one that would eat them. I also killed some by using Kalkwasser and injecting it into them. The Kalkwasser worked good, but there have to be at least 1,500 Aiptasia in this tank. And it would take me a year to get them all without risking a large pH shift. I have removed all the corals from the aquarium and would like to know if there is anything I can do to get rid of them that I have not done. I am sure that you get a lot of these e-mails and I appreciate the help. <Have you tried the Nudibranch Berghia verrucornis? This is a real winner with these pests... you can mail-order them through contacts in hobby magazines and the internet generally... or maybe check to see if someone is producing them in your area...> Jake Pehrson www.coralplanet.com <Bob Fenner, who is putting Dendrophylliids on www.WetWebMedia.com today... I knew these thousands of unidentified stony corals would be my nemesis someday... yikes!> Well, I'm not sure that my little things are Aiptasia, but I think they probably are. I was planning on getting a cleaner shrimp anyway, which would be good for eating Aiptasia and for cleaning my fish? Also, I have a left-claw hermit crab, and a few small ones. Will they eat the little buggers? >> < If it were me, I'd try a couple of Peppermint Shrimp, Lysmata wurdemanni... you're Hermits' won't touch Glass Anemones. Bob Fenner> Peppermint shrimp I wanted to get some peppermint
shrimps to get rid of my Aiptasia problem, but I also have several
other type of polyps in my coral reef tank, would it be safe then to
get peppermint shrimp? Thank you, >> Most Peppermint
Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) leave most polypoid life alone in the
presence of Aiptasia... but once the Glass Anemones are gone... they
have been known to go after other stinging celled animals... so, I
would keep the Shrimp population to a minimum... and remove them
if/when they start to munch on your desired livestock. Bob Fenner |
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