Peppermint Shrimps

[Reefscape]

Hello all...

I brought a peppermint shrimp middle of last week, alimatized for 2 hours using the drip method.

Question i have is....Are they mainly a nocturnal invert or not? Since it has been in the tank, it spends all the day time ( lights on ) hidden in the top corner of my tank, at the side of a powerhead...Then, at night when the lights are off, he then ventures out...It seems to me that he is a little scared which is why he only comes out after lights out...

What are other people's experiences with these...???

Niko

[fsn77]

My experience has been similar. Ours spends the bulk of the daytime in the rockwork and only ventures out during feedings to grab some food. It is much more active outside the rockwork at night though.

[Reefscape]

cheers for the input mate...This is the thing, i have not seen him go anywhere near the rock work..Reason i brought him is for aptasia control....all he controling at the moment is his breathing.....

Niko

[Germanman]

they are mostly nocturnal and they will hid almost all the time unless they are in a group of 5 or more. they also wont always eat the aptasia either it depends on the shrimp. when i got mine i got 3 and they all hung out under the rock and only came out to eat at night it took them about a week before they ate any aptasia.

[Reefscape]

Cheers buddy, you have answered my question...Thanks to everyone else who has chimed in too..

Niko

[BadRoma1]

for aiptasia control it's better to get large peppermint shrimp. i didn't notice mine eating aiptasia untill few days later aiptasia was gone. one cleaned out huge areas overnight. once aiptasia is gone though, they start looking for trouble. i keep mine in refugium now. he is so used to me that takes food from my hands. he holds on to the point that i have to shake him off, that how comfortable they can get with time.

[Reefscape]

he he he...that is what my cleaners are like...Did not really have a choice on the size of him as it was the only one i could get...Pepe ( thank my daughter for the name ) will grow though and hopefully he will be fine...

Niko

[tabman2]

I had 2 peppermint shrimp bout a year back, they were not shy at all.
They swam around with the fish when I fed flake food skimming the surface of the tank.

They would even clean my hand if I put it in the tank, they latch on to a finger and start going nuts, only felt like a picking sensation, doesn't hurt at all. Great personality from those lil' dudes.

[b18sol6]

My peppermint shrimp Ive had for about 3 weeks I saw him for the first couple days,seen him once since. I saw him one time last week rocking back and forth under the rock work. These guys love to hide when the lights are on!

[cm6755]

I have five in my 30gal and they are ALWAYS out and about!!! Especially when I drop a few flakes in...once they hit the water the shrimp come flying out to nab them b4 the fish!!! They are constantly 'cleaning' the rock my Condy anemone is attached to and sometimes the Condy!!! Strange little guys! I have heard that they are picky with eating aptasia as well...guess some people get lucky though!!!

[Reefscape]

hmmmm...at face value, it appears like i have been unlucky mate...Never know, it might change...He's great little fella though...

Niko

[saltydunc]

my pair of peppermints stay hidden until it feeding time then their out like a shot to be hand fed.

[SHK_ATK]

:D keep diggin up the oldies :D

I havent seen mine since the day I bought him.:look:

[Reefscape]

lol...i still never see mine now SHK_ATK when its light..to check on it, i have to go hunting in the dark depths of the live rock to make sure he is still with us...he's like a ninja....dark and mysterious in his lair...

Niko

[SHK_ATK]

lol...i still never see mine now SHK_ATK when its light..to check on it, i have to go hunting in the dark depths of the live rock to make sure he is still with us...he's like a ninja....dark and mysterious in his lair...

Niko

But on a serious note. How do you know if the PS is even alive? will other inverts eat them like my cleaners or sally light foot? Will it make my AMO go up a lil? Now im all worried :rolleyes:

[Reefscape]

not really, there is not really much meat on them to decompose if it does die, hidden somewhere...

I always do still check on him, even its night dweller...if look through the rock, i can always spot it, eventually...you normally get to learn the areas in the rock that certain inverts live and hang out...

Niko

[Germanman]

lol ninja huh?

[jojo22]

The red teenage mutant ninja shrimp, didn't you get the memo man???

[Germanman]

The red teenage mutant ninja shrimp, didn't you get the memo man???
i did:devil: