FAQs about Peppermint Shrimp, Lysmata
wurdemanni
Related Articles: Hippolytid Cleaner Shrimp,
A Few Common Shrimps for the Marine Aquarium by James W.
Fatherree,
Related FAQs: Peppermint
Shrimp/Aiptasia Control, Hippolytids 1, Hippolytids 2, Hippolytid Identification, Hippolytid Behavior, Hippolytid Compatibility, Hippolytid Selection, Hippolytid Systems, Hippolytid Feeding, Hippolytid Disease, Hippolytid Reproduction, & FAQs on All
Cleaner
Shrimp 1, Cleaner
Shrimp 2, All Cleaner Shrimp
Identification, Cleaner Shrimp
Behavior, Cleaner Shrimp
Selection, Cleaner Shrimp
Compatibility, Cleaner Shrimp
Systems, Cleaner Shrimp
Feeding, Cleaner Shrimp
Disease, Cleaner Shrimp
Reproduction, & Coral Banded
Shrimp, Dancing Shrimp,
Harlequin Shrimp, Pistol Shrimp, Saron Shrimp, Shrimp Identification, Shrimp Selection, Shrimp Behavior, Shrimp Compatibility, Shrimp Systems, Shrimp Feeding, Shrimp Reproduction, Shrimp Disease, Crustacean Identification,
Crustacean Selection, Crustacean Behavior, Crustacean Compatibility, Crustacean Systems, Crustacean Feeding, Crustacean Disease, Crustacean Reproduction,
|
|
Peppermint Shrimps and Hydrozoans 10/13/12
Hey guys,
<Hello Chris>
A few weeks ago I bought 3 Peppermint shrimp, as I was killing off more
Aiptasia than I used to (I know there's mixed reviews on their
usefulness, but I thought I'd give them a go, as an added bonus, my 4
year old loves shrimp, though, of course, he rarely sees them as they
spend most of their time in the rock-work). About 6 days after
introducing them to my display tank the little Aiptasia "saplings" I'd
left for them had disappeared.
"Ah ha", thought I, "handy little guys".
<Handy and efficient as well although they tend to ignore the larger
Aiptasia.>
In the process of checking around for any Aiptasia they might have missed,
I noticed the 3 hydrozoans I had been procrastinating removing (as it
would involve removing rock-work) were missing in action, too.
Have you ever heard of Peppermint shrimp consuming them as well?
<Quite common but an often overlooked fact.>
No idea if this is common, but I thought I would share with the crew and
community at large.
Thanks, as always,
Chris
<Thanks for sharing>
<Jordan>
broken web link 6/19/12
Hi,
I was just checking around various sites that have a link to one of
our books and discovered that the link to "How To Raise & Train Your
Peppermint Shrimp" by April Kirkendoll (listed on your links page as
"Raising
Peppermint Shrimp") has a very old URL which is no longer working.
The updated URL for the newest edition of the book is _www.LysmataPublishing.com/shrimp.html_
(http://www.LysmataPublishing.com/shrimp.html)
Thank you,
Sydney Collier
Sales Manager, Lysmata Publishing
_www.LysmataPublishing.com_ (http://www.LysmataPublishing.com)
Re: broken web link 6/19/12
Hi,
The bad link is listed as "Raising Peppermint Shrimp" under
the "Publications" section of your helpful weblinks page. About 10 down
from the top of the list.
_http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/general_links_pg.htm_
(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/general_links_pg.htm )
The updated link would be for that listing is:
_www.LysmataPublishing.com/shrimp.html_
(http://www.LysmataPublishing.com/shrimp.html )
<Ahh, thank you. Will fix on the morrow. BobF>
Thanks again,
Sydney Collier
Lysmata wurdemanni ID 6/1/12
Can you please confirm or deny that this is indeed a Lysmata wurdemanni?
<Confirmed.>
Since I have gotten this shrimp I have lost six fish.
<The shrimp played no part in the deaths.>
Some of them I can not find in the tank at all and others I have found him
eating?
<Shrimp eat decaying material- it's what they do.>
I don't want an ammonia problem to start because of unfound decaying
fish and while moving rocks to find their bodies the shrimp will try to
attack our hands.
<More cleaning than attacking.>
The shrimp seems darker red than other I have seen or had. Also his
markings seem slightly different than other pictures I have looked up
for comparison. Your site is a wealth of knowledge I have found to
be vital and I thank you all for that.
<Always good to hear.>
Jenni
<Jordan>
|
|
Lysmata wurdemanni's killer/Shrimp Compatibility
1/24/12
Hi Crew!
I'm from Italy so pardon me for my English...
<Much better than from many English speaking queriors.>
I'm trying to win the war against the Aiptasia (Glass Anemones)
that infested my LR/LPS/SPS/Fish 60g tank.
I've tried different solutions (Red-Sea AiptasiaX, Salifert one,
vinegar, etc..) without success.
I've bought 4 Lysmata wurdemanni but after 3 weeks they suddenly
disappeared. One of them I saw in the claws of my Stenopus hispidus,
but I really don't know if the Stenopus killed the wurdemanni or
someone else in the tank did the job and the Stenopus simply had the
lunch.. :(
<The Coral Banded Shrimp is aggressive toward other shrimp including
it's own kind unless a mated pair.>
Before introducing other, and so expensive, wurdemanni I was wondering
which tank inhabitant(s) take out from the tank to avoid the wurdemanni
to be killed again.
The tank inhabitants are:
1 Halichoeres Hortulanus - Checkerboard Wrasse (15 cm)
<Larger specimens have been known to attack/eat shrimp.>
1 Lo Vulpinus (12 cm)
4 Amphiprion Ocellaris (from 3 to 7 cm)
3 Chromis Viridis (3/4 cm)
2 Pseudanthias squamipinnis (4/5 cm)
1 Zebrasoma flavescens (7 cm)
1 Paracanthurus Hepatus (6 cm)
1 Stenopus Hispidus (6 cm - only the body)
<I would remove the hispidus.>
1 Blennius Gattorugine (8 cm)
6 Enctmea <Entacmaea > quadricolor (red BTA)
<Another good possibility, especially with six BTAs present.
You did not state your nitrate level and Peppermint shrimp will not
tolerate high nitrate levels and do require an iodine/dide
supplement.>
I know that the wrasses have shrimps in their diet, but I'm very
afraid to take him out from the tank and not be able to see his amazing
livery anymore... :(
Could be the Stenopus the wurdemanni's killer instead? In this
case, say goodbye to a Stenopus will be not so painful to me.
<I would definitely start by removing this shrimp. The
Nudibranch, Berghia verrucornis, is also known
to eat Aiptasia as well as (depending on their eating
personalities)
Copperband and Raccoon Butterflyfish, but your tank is a bit small for
the later two. You may want to read here as well.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia
_impressions.htm>
Thanks in advance for any suggestion and for the great job all the Crew
do.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Leonardo (Italy)
Re Lysmata Wurdemanni's killer/Shrimp Compatibility
<<RMF>> 1/24/12
Thanks a lot for the prompt reply and for the precious suggestions.
<You're welcome.>
So I start with taken the hispidus out of the tank. I didn't
understand the relationship between BTA's and nitrates.. :0
<Was relating to the Peppermint Shrimp although BTAs appreciated
water low in nitrates.>
In my tank the nitrates are always not-detectable..and the BTA continue
splitting.
<Great.>
Do you think that I may leave the wrasse in the tank?
<It's your risk to take. At 15cm (6 inches) in length it
would be very well capable
of making a meal out of a Peppermint Shrimp if not well fed.
I'd try adding one Peppermint Shrimp and observe. Since
shrimp have a hard exoskeleton, I'm not so sure now that a
BTA's sting would be powerful enough to kill/stun a shrimp.
The shrimp are generally smart enough to avoid these creatures.
I will ask Bob for his valuable input on this.><<From
ayer's mail, I see this is a Halichoeres hortulanus... will get
bigger and VERY likely consume any shrimp in time. I would not place
these together. RMF>>
Regards,
<Ditto. James (Salty Dog)>
Leonardo
Re Lysmata wurdemanni's killer/Shrimp Compatibility
1/26/12
<Hello Leonardo>
This is what I suppose too.
I'll try to catch him and find him another home ;)..
<Good luck.>
Which is, in your experience, the best way to catch an
hortulanus?
<I've never tried catching one but using two nets is definitely
a plus.
Might want to read here for additional help/ideas.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/netfaqs.htm>
I know he used to sleep in the sand bed...May I try to catch him with a
net while he's sleeping?
<Yes, might want to cover the area it sleeps in with a suitable
glass/plastic container then hold a cover over the top once he is in
the container.>
Any input will be welcome.
Regards,
<Ditto. James (Salty Dog)>
Leonardo
Mail
not so sure now that a BTA's sting would be powerful enough to
kill/stun a shrimp. 1/26/12
<Indeed... the sticky, stinging cnidocysts... they are!>
The shrimp are generally smart enough to avoid these
creatures.
I will ask Bob for his valuable input on this.><<From
ayer's mail, I see this is a Halichoeres hortulanus... will get
bigger and VERY likely consume any shrimp in time. I would not place
these together. RMF>>
The above is what I was asking for input on. I believe I told the
querior about the wrasse eventually making a meal of the shrimp.
Cheers,
James
<And you, B>
Peppermint shrimp injury? 9/19/11
Hello!
<Hi>
My fiancĂ©© and I have been reading your forums on peppermint
shrimp and haven't found anything applicable, so we hope you
don't mind that we're asking our own question. Apologies if you
had the answer somewhere and we missed it.
<No problem.>
We recently received a hand-me-down 20 gallon tank, and decided to try
our hands at a saltwater aquarium (we're starting fish only for
now). Neither of us have any experience with fish at all, so we've
been trying to read as much as possible, and have been following plenty
of advice from our local fish store.
<Ok>
We have spent the last 3+ weeks cycling the water and trying to get all
the levels perfect (our tank has 21lbs of live rock to jump start
this). We initially dealt with high nitrate and nitrite levels, and a
minor Aiptasia issue, but everything cleared up after a 15% water
change. Four days ago we finally had everything ready and all of our
levels were great, and we added 6 tiny hermit crabs and 2 peppermint
shrimp (as we were told these might be a way to ward off possible
Aiptasia in the future). We're waiting another week or so before
getting our 2 Nano clowns, as we really want to be certain everything
is stable before adding more life to the tank.
<Sounds good.>
In the process of getting the shrimp into our tank, one of them decided
to jump and landed on the floor outside of the tank (we were not warned
they were jumpers!). We scooped him up and got him in the tank as
quickly as we could, and so far he's survived, but he doesn't
quite seem normal. He doesn't swim around like the other one and
most of the time stays in one of holes in the live rock, coming out
only to walk around that large piece of rock cleaning/looking for food.
We know they are nocturnal, so hiding during the day is to be expected,
but even when the lights are off we still haven't seem him venture
more than half an inch from his favored hole, while his counterpart
swims all over the place and has a blast exploring and bouncing from
rock to rock.
We are assuming that he was injured in the jump/fall, but seeing as he
hasn't died yet and it's been 4 days, is there anything we can
do to help him get better? Or are we really just waiting for him to
die?
<Sounds like pretty typical peppermint shrimp behavior to me, I
would not be too concerned about it.>
Thank you so much for all of your help!
- Natalie
<Welcome>
<Chris>
Who Is Eating My Peppermint Shrimp? -- 09/16/10
Good evening to all,
<<Afternoon Jeanne>>
I have a mystery that I hope you can solve.
<<I'll try!>>
This aquarium is a 65 gallon Red Sea with lots of corals (nothing
difficult: mushrooms, torch and frogspawn, brain corals, lots of
zoos)
<<Mmm, okay'¦>>
and I have been dealing with an outbreak of Aiptasia
<<I see>>
(It is particularly attacking the zoos.).
<<Just likely more 'susceptible' to the attack/stinging
of the Aiptasia versus being specifically 'targeted'
re>>
On several occasions, I have purchased peppermint shrimp,
<<More likely 'not' to help than otherwise, in my
opinion>>
carefully acclimated them,
<<What does this entail I wonder -- very susceptible to rapid
changes in salinity/specific gravity -- 'drip' acclimation is
best here>>
watched them ensconced in their cave, eating, etc.
<<Not necessarily an indicator that 'all is
well'>>
only to find that after a few days, they have completely vanished.
<<A common tale I think (have seen/heard of such more than a few
times)'¦ The possibility of predation aside, any mishandling
during collection/shipping/acclimation seems to result in the quick
'disappearance' of these shrimp in the hobbyist's
system>>
I do not think it is the purple Firefish, pearly Jawfish or the dispar
and tuka Anthias,
<<Agreed -- unless the shrimp were 'very
tiny'>>
so here is the list of suspects:
small flame-tipped Tomini tang
Swissguard Basslet
solar fairy wrasse
exquisite fairy wrasse
ornate leopard wrasse
<<I wouldn't 'expect' these to be a problem either,
again, as long as the shrimp were not really small>>
All are between 2 and 3 inches long and I have had them all at least a
year. I feed very well and a very varied diet (mostly frozen, some
gel).
<<Good to know'¦so many hobbyists 'starve' their
fishes in my estimation>>
However, there is no refugium on this tank. There is also a small
emerald (Mithrax) crab.
<<A possible culprit here'¦large/larger specimens have
been known to attack/eat small fishes>>
The most aggressive fish is the tang, but I am leaning toward the
(typically piggy) fairy wrasses.
<<Not out of the question>>
The leopard wrasse is also a dominant fish but has a very small
mouth,
<<But can bash about and break up the shrimp for eating if so
desired -- though I think it unlikely here (but still dependant on the
size of the shrimp)
and is buried at night when the shrimp would be more active.
<<Wouldn't stop it if it decided it wanted the shrimp (you
have likely notices the wrasse' 'search and destroy' method
of browsing for food during the day>>
I use Joe's Juice but would prefer a more natural solution,
<<Red Sea's Aiptasia-X works very well in my
experience>>
especially in the smaller tank.
<<Shouldn't be an issue>>
I don't think the tang would tolerate a copper-banded
butterfly.
<<And not a good solution considering your tank size/stocking
density>>
(Maybe you can tell me if Professor Plum used a candlestick in the
conservatory?)
<<Maybe the Mithrax'¦and not pointing fingers at you
(could have occurred anywhere along the 'chain'), but more
likely a handling/acclimation issue>>
Thanks for all your help as always,
Jeanne Brown
<<Happy to share'¦ Eric Russell>>
Re: Who Is Eating My Peppermint Shrimp? --
09/16/10
Thank you for the response.
<<Quite welcome>>
I do drip acclimate and I have other tanks with peppermint, anemone and
cleaner shrimp so I am familiar with their care.
<<Excellent>>
They were all about 1" long.
<<Mmm, small indeed'¦ This 'is' desirable
considering the short lifespan of these animals (one likes to
get'em young), but can be a double-edged sword when trying to
introduce them to systems with 'crustacean' predators, even
those that normally go for the really small stuff (Mysids, amphipods,
the larger copepods) like your fishes. Considering this, along with how
well/often you feed your fish and the fact the shrimp weren't
attacked/immediately perceived as food upon introduction, I still think
it likely the shrimp simply did simply did not survive the whole
shipping/handling/acclimation process. Of course, there's the
Mithrax to consider too>>
I was interested to learn you do not find them particularly effective
for Aiptasia,
<<Not at all, no. There are 'instances' where folks have
reported success re, but I find far more often than not they simply do
not live up to expectation -- and I find their own opportunistic
predatory nature to be of counter-benefit in a reef system>>
and I am encouraged that you don't discourage the use of products
rather than a biological solution.
<<Biological solutions are great -- where they work and/or are
'practical' to apply. But in some instances, commercially
prepared controls are indeed necessary -- as when attempting to control
an outbreak of Aiptasia. The Aiptasia-X works very well (better than
any other such product I've seen in more than three decades in the
hobby); though as I always state, is still not a panacea. It will need
to be applied 'as necessary' to control the nuisance anemones,
but it 'is' effective. It will take a little time to rid a
large infestation, and do also be aware that short of nuking
(bleaching) the tank and rockwork you will have Aiptasia pop up now and
again'¦forever -- but give them a shot of the Aiptasia-X when
you see them and you will find they 'can be' easily
controlled>>
Thanks again for your help.
<<Good Luck! EricR>>
Peppermint Shrimp/Health 2/15/10
Hi,
<Hello Mike>
I have a 150g marine tank, 30g sump, 40g holding tank in line for more
capacity, with 1 Yellow Tang, 2 damsels, 1 Chromis, 2 Percula Clowns, 4
Emerald Crabs, 1 sally crab <Sally Lightfoot>, many hermit crabs,
and 2 cleaner shrimp (the ones with long white antenna).
<Ah yes, the Longnostrus antenataelus :-)>
My question is every time I add some peppermint shrimp, they die over
night. Are the cleaner shrimp killing them?
<Likely the opportunistic feeding Emerald Crabs and/or improper
acclimation. Shrimp are very sensitive to abrupt changes in water
parameters, and
Emerald Crabs will pose a risk to all ornamental shrimp.>
Temp is 76F, PH 8.3, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0. Thanks for any
help.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Mike
Re Peppermint Shrimp/Health And James Who Doesn't Have The
Heart To Correct " Longnostrus antenataelus"
2/15/10
Subject: re: peppermint shrimp
How long would you suggest an acclimation period be? I did a drip
method for 2 hours.
<That should be fine.>
One of the Longnostrus antenataelus was also bought at the same time
and survived after acclimation.
<As mentioned earlier, could be a predatory problem re the Emerald
Crab(s), and quite often, shrimps will attempt to molt in a new system
and may have gone into hiding until it's new exoskeleton hardens.
There is also the likelihood the shrimp may have been in poor health to
begin with.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Mike
Peppermint shrimp vomited? -- 08/23/09
A couple days ago one of the peppermint shrimp spewed out of it's
mouth a cloud of white. Almost reminded me of when my margarita snail
released a sperm cloud but, the shrimp cloud though white, was not as
much nor as dense.
Yet I did see something. Anyone have knowledge on what it was. The
shrimp eat freeze dried Mysis, krill bits or anything else the fish
miss plus I give the carnivore invertebrates a silverside about once a
week. Karen Campbell
<Got me... perhaps regurgitation as you speculate; maybe even
parasitic.
Bob Fenner>
OH BTW I have 2 of the 3 peppermint shrimp carrying eggs. When will
these be shed?
<Could be anytime to weeks... See WWM re Lysmata spp. repro.>
Peppermint Shrimp
8/10/09
Hey there,
<Elliot>
Beginners panic, I'm sure, but a bit of reassurance from someone
who knows better is always good, right?
<Perhaps>
Just cycled my tank (350 litres, 45 kg of cured live rock), so I
assumed it was okay to start putting in my cleaner crew. Among these, I
decided to buy a couple of peppermint shrimp
<Mmm, not really "cleaners">
- I thought that some growths on the rock may be Aiptasia!
<Ok>
Now - I did a drip method to acclimatize the shrimp. I first left the
bag floating in the tank for the temperatures to equalize. Next, I
started some of my tank's water syphoning into the bag, using a
clamp to get roughly one drip a second. I left this for longer than is
needed, a whole four hours
(adverse effects?).
<Mmm, not necessarily>
After this, I netted the shrimp and put it into the tank. Obviously,
they disappeared quickly into my live rock, I assumed that this was
normal.
However, 2 minutes later, I sat down to have a look at the tank, and
saw a shrimp's skeleton floating past in the current. Obviously, I
wasn't too pleased, being a beginner I didn't really know what
to make of it. I know that shrimp do molt, and wondered if they were
perhaps stressed into doing this?
<Maybe a predator... in your live rock>
I also wondered whether (eek!) the shrimp may have died...
<That... or... could be a moult, brought on by stress>
It think it's worth noting that only one shrimp molted - I heard
that this was part of mating for peppermints. They had been the only
two in the shop's tank for some time, but I would of thought it
very unlikely for
mating to be the case, due to the stress of movement and whatnot.
<Doesn't necessarily imply reproduction or even growth>
As for my parameters - SG of 1.024, temp of 26 degrees C, no ammonia is
present - or at least not a traceable amount, nitrites and nitrates (I
keep getting confused between the two!) are both at what my Red Sea
Marine Lab kit says is normal, pH is 8.1 - 8.2 (is that a little on the
low side?).
For future reference, when posing questions, what other information is
needed?
<Please peruse WWM re... various shrimp group's needs... for
these sorts of animals, Ca, Mg, Alkalinity...>
I thought it is too much of a coincidence to be something not worth
mentioning, but I could be wrong!
Thanks so much for any help!
Elliot.
<Don't panic! (shades of Doug Adams)... But do keep reading,
enjoying. Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Rose Anemone Being Eaten. BT Anemone Compatibility
4/21/2009
<Hi Toby>
I have had a rose anemone for about six months.
<Bubble Tip Anemone: Entacmaea quadricolor>
I have had no problems with it until about a week ago.
<OK>
It looks like several tentacles have been bitten in half and some cut
down to the base. Is something eating it or are the tentacles
dying?
<Yes>
Here is a list of what is in my 55 gallon tan:.
2 clown fish,
1 flame angel,
1 skunk clown,
1 bi-color blenny,
1 sand sifting blenny,
1 yellow tang,
3 peppermint shrimp, <Ding... We have a winner>
turbo snails,
red and blue legged crabs.
I have never seen anything bother it.
<You won't, Peppermint shrimp generally will not come out unless
it is dark. Peppermint shrimp eat anemones.>
The clown and skunk both occupy it. I also had a sand sifting star fish
for months with no problems then almost in a weeks time something
nibbles away all its arms. I cant figure it out.
<Difficult to say definitively, but I would suspect the peppermint
shrimp here as well, as they are not "reef safe".>
Thanks, any info would be appreciated.
<My pleasure>
Toby
<Mike>
Peppermint Shrimp and Friend ID Question -
6/21/08 Hi Wet Web Media crew! <Hi there, Allison!>
I've searched the site and not come up with an ID for my shrimp
larvae. <Sorry about that!> I have Peppermint shrimp and have
been attempting to follow April Kirkendall book "How to raise
and train your Peppermint shrimp." <Neat! Are you going to
get a teeny little whip, like on the cover? Hehee!> So far I get
about two weeks and they die, I think I need to be more vigorous
with my water quality. <Here are a few links that may help:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=1275&sid=8c4815b2daa467d53cbb2d1dc1f476b0
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=85
http://w3.dsi.uanl.mx/publicaciones/maricultura/vi/pdf/A18.pdf >
Well, my question about shrimp ID.... Last night I watched my
shrimp scoot across the tank and shoot out her babies,
<Wheeeee!> ..there were multiple birthing mothers at the same
time, got to see one molt and breed, very cool. There were three
molts and literally thousands of shrimp, but there were two kinds!
<Surprise!> The following photos (I hope you can see them)
<I'm sorry to say that I can only see the difference in
size.> ..are 1st of the Peppermint shrimp by themselves, the
middle picture shows both kinds so you can see the size difference,
and the last picture shows my mystery shrimp by themselves. I have
7 Peppermint shrimp in my tank, I had 5 I ordered online and then
my husband went to our LFS for the others and they looked a little
different, but I can't really see remarkable differences to
tell them apart. <Indeed, the Lysmata species commonly called
Peppermint shrimp are very similar in appearance. The differences
can be small/not obvious at all.> Could some be Lysmata
wurdemanni and some L. rathbunae? <Could be, but apparently
Lysmata rathbunae tends to live in deeper waters, so what you have
is more likely one of several other very similar shallow water
species from the western Atlantic. For more information see the
following paper. There's an in depth discussion of new species
and detailed information/drawings of each:
http://decapoda.nhm.org/pdfs/27306/27306.pdf > How do we tell
these apart? <See above link.> Wouldn't the larvae look
more similar? <I would have thought so.> Could they be Mysis?
<They could be, but adult Mysids are much larger than hours old
Peppermint/Lysmata larvae and look like this:
http://limnology.wisc.edu/personnel/ojensen/mysis.jpeg > I saw
one website that had two pictures (of Lysmata rathbunae and L.
wurdemanni) and they looked identical, but one (L.R) had a yellow
mass toward its cephalothorax <I've seen that as well on the
French site. The apparent "mass" is located on top, in
the middle. I believe that it's the shrimp's stomach but
I'm not sure. It's important to note that the appearance is
completely different from the yellowish masses you occasionally see
on the *sides* of Lysmata shrimps. These are instead parasitic
isopods called Bophyrids and clearly stick out away from the side
of the body as a lump. See this link for more photos/info:
http://www.qualitymarineusa.com/article.asp?page=feature&id=968EF63B-2D1D-469A-847A-8E8541B12BE4
> (it was hard to read, it was in French and I'm really
rusty on that!). <I feel your pain. I've seen a couple of
those links and have had to seriously tax my brain to recall enough
French to get by!> I looked at your
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimpidfaqs.htm page and can't seem
to figure this out... Anyhow, any idea on the babies would be
helpful. <Here are a couple of links with different species of
Lysmata larvae shown:
http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/garnelen/lysmata_rathbunae_engl.htm
http://www.meerwasserlarven.de/garnelen/lysmata_bogessi_engl.htm
> Can I raise the two types together or should I remove the
USOs? <As long as they're not Mysids, and the shrimp are
closely related species, I'd think that it would be okay to
keep them together. It would make an interesting study. However, if
you find out that you do in fact have two different species, you
might want to keep them separate to prevent any interbreeding. Here
are some helpful links:
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=494
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=1275&sid=8c4815b2daa467d53cbb2d1dc1f476b0
> http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=85 >
Thanks so much for all you do to make this hobby easier! Allison
<It's a real pleasure. Take care and good luck with your
little shrimp babies! --Lynn> |
2002-2008, A Neo-con Odyssey... RMF
|
MY PEPPERMINT SHRIMP HAD BABIES
04/05/2008 Hello Crew <<Hello, Andrew today>> So
COOL!.... I like to turn on my blue light late at night to see what is
moving around after all the regulars are asleep. I saw what I took at
first to be snow but then when I looked closer they moved you can see
the tail and tiny legs moving around. they are about 1mil and hang tail
up in the water when they are not actively swimming. Looks like some
are tiny to small to see detail just moving purposefully and others big
enough to see they resemble my shrimp 2 of which had full bellies
prior. I have a 65 gal salt reef tank set up in Aug of 07 with 60lbs
live rock and 2inch of live sand. I have had very little problems with
my tank when I set up. I currently have 3 peppermint shrimp (had since
almost day 1) lots of hermit crabs (lost track) snails, med brittle
star, 2 emerald crabs, a few mushroom polyps, small frogspawn a few
zoos. 1 Goldstripe maroon clown, coral beauty, 6 line wrasse, 2 blue
Chromis, 2 small yellow damsels, and a mandarin goby. I partially just
wanted to say WOW so COOL. BUT I also wanted to know if there was
anyway I could keep some of these babies alive before they become food.
I was thinking of setting up a hasty baby tank if they can last until I
can pick up a tiny mesh net. But then what do I feed them is it
possible to keep some of them.. Whatya think?? <<There is the
possibility it could be baby shrimp, could also be pods too. Either
way, left in the tank with your stock, they will become food. To rear
shrimp, all moved to another tank would be needed and fed once per day
on very finely ground food, low flow>> Lisa <<Hope this
helps, thanks for the questions. A Nixon>>
Attacking peppermints? Aggression, a
symptom of overcrowding (marine Nano) 3-24-08 & to Sm. SW
stkg... Hello all! <<Hello.>> I've had my 20
gallon Nano for about 3 years. <<Not a bad run for a
Nano.>> All running great till now. <Uh-oh.>>
1.025, 4.5 Alk mEq, undetectable ammonia, nitrite, 5ppm nitrate.
<<Acceptable.>> Inhabitants are 3 peppermint shrimp,
4 hermits, and an emerald crab (picked up as a hitch hiker a year
ago), <<Just keep a close eye on the latter.>> tomato
clown, blue damsel, and scooter goby (I know small tank, but for
some reason I have a lot of tiny inverts growing the scooter
eats...I see them on the glass and sand. My tank never seems to
run out. <<Yes but how long have you had the dragonet? This
is still not an ideal environment for him, especially with the
two other tankmates which will compete for said microcrustaceans
as well.>> Which is another reason I'm scared to move
him into the 150gallon. <<Depending on the specifications
of the 150 gallon, it certainly sounds like a more desirable
niche for him based on size alone.>> Anyhow I've had
him for 2 years and he gets bigger and bigger...I'm sure
he'll be moved at some point). <<I just hope you
realize that you are an exception to the rule and that others
SHOULD NOT follow suit.>> Okay onto my point. Being a Nano
the tomato and damsel are now in the 150gallon as they are too
big for the little cube. <<Agreed good move.>> I
bought 2 ocellaris and one fire fish, about 2 inches or less each
for the Nano. <<Too many fish.>> The new fish were
great in quarantine. When I moved them into the Nano all appeared
easy breezy. 2 hours later one of the ocellaris fin was ragged.
So I'm thinking the 3 new comers are no longer friends. Next
morning the clown is dead and being devoured by all, hermits,
peppermints, green emerald. <<Normal behavior for said
detritivores.>> I've since replaced the clown but now
the fire fish looks stressed. So, Here's the deal. At night,
with lunar lights on, the fire fish wants to lay in its hole or
on the sand but the peppermints chase it. The emerald, with claws
up is trying to catch him as well. So I remove the emerald (his
old mates were too big to touch but it seems the new guys
aren't). <<Now you know what the phrase opportunistic
omnivore means.>> I'm thinking Friday night fights are
done...not soooo! All the peppermints are actively chasing this
poor fire fish! What's the deal? <<Shrimp can be
territorial as well, you have too many denizens vying for space
in this small tank.>> They are going at him like wolves,
following him and jumping on him. Fire fish has been moved back
to quarantine to recover. Have you seen or heard of such
behavior? <<Yes, though it is amplified in small closed
systems.>> Do you think the peppermint know if a fish is
stressed and go after it or they just really like him a lot and
want to give him a good cleaning? <<They don't want him
in their cave (space).>> oh yeah peppermints have been in
the Nano for 2 years. <<They are in effect
'rejecting' the newcomers. Time to evict some tank mates
my friend.>> Thanks a bunch! <<Anytime, - Adam
J.>>
Re: attacking peppermints? 3-24-08
Definitely agreed about being an exception to the rule.
<<Hey at least you know...all to often people encourage
their bad habits to be copied.>> I'm wondering if the
buried oyster shells is the source of the tiny delicious dragonet
buffet. <<That and porous live rock.....I'm only
assuming.>> He will be moved once the 150 matures a bit
more. <<Good to hear it.>> Anyone have an Aiptasia
problem...lol my guys devour'em! <<Yes unfortunately,
they also pick on other Cnidarian life as well. You may want to
consider this before moving them to the 150...that is if you plan
to.>> Now the hard part...catching them.
<<Shouldn't be to hard in a Nano, drain half of the
water...remove some of the rock.>> I will try the all
mentioned avenues, first attempt...bottle and food (for me and
the shrimp...;>). I figured my problem was aggression due to
overcrowding...just needed to hear from the guys and gals of a
very trusted site!!! <<Good luck, - AdamJ.>>
Re: question, Shrimp / goby / Fireworm
03/25/2008 Thank you for the advice. Sadly, the non-eater has
died. I found him yesterday morning. The other one seems OK for
now, but that's what the QT is for, isn't it?
<<Sorry to hear this...Yes, for sure, that's what its
there for...Good luck with the other>> Thanks again, Mandy
<<A Nixon>>
|
Peppermint Shrimp and Duncanopsamia axifuga compatibility.
Peppermint vs. LPS - 4/7/07 Hi Crew, <Hi Tim!> Thank you for
taking my e-mail.<Anytime!> I've read that peppermint shrimp
can and will pick on certain large polyp stony corals.<Along with
other things as well.> I just got a Duncanopsamia axifuga polyp
shipped to me today.<Neat - don't see those too often.> I
have acclimated it and put it in my refugium. Is it likely
that the shrimp will go after this coral in my 75 gallon display?
<It's possible, just depends on the shrimp. Some are well
behaved, some not.> If so, I will remove them.<I'd keep an
eye on both and remove if necessary.> Thanks for the help, Tim
<You're welcome, and good luck! --Lynn>
Lysmata wurdemanni vs. Coral 3/21/07 Hi Everyone,
<Hello Bill.> Thanks for all your help over the past few
years. <I'm glad it has been useful.> Your
expertise has been amazing. <Thank you.> My question
basically applies to Peppermint Shrimp and corals. <Okay.>
I have a 75 gallon tank. I had a lot of Aiptasia
in my tank during the first year, and added 3 peppermint
shrimp. I know they can be evil critters, but I think they
hilarious to watch, and they killed my Aiptasia in less than a week.
<They are rather comical and hardy compared to many of their
cousins. And not to get off the subject but I surmise you figured out
the source problem of the Aiptasia?> One of my favorite fish has
been flame Hawkfish. I added him, without consulting your
site first, and he killed 2 of my shrimp. <Yes, expected
behavior.> (Actually saw him dart across the tank and
knock the snot out one peppermint that came out for some
food). I liked the shrimp more than the Hawkfish, and
trapped the Hawkfish and donated him back to my local fish
store. I added one more peppermint so that I now have
two. <Lesson learned.> Fish in my tank are: 1
clownfish, 1 black cap Basslet, 3 Firefish goby and 1 bicolor
blenny. <A good mix in this size tank.> I have
recently been adding corals to the tank. I have: Candy Cane,
Frogspawn, Toadstool Mushroom, Colony Polyps and Brain Coral
(Wellsophyllia). The Brain and Frogspawn were added two days ago.
<And you are concerned about the shrimp'¦> My
lighting in this tank is an Orbit Lighting Fixture: 48" w/4-65W
(SunPaq Dual Daylight (6700°K/10000°K) and Dual
Actinic (420 nm and 460 nm) bulbs). <Fine for what you are keeping,
just replace the bulbs every 6-9 months, a year at the VERY latest as
PC's depreciate in lumens rather quickly.> I work from home and
came down this morning to work, and saw one peppermint on the frogspawn
munching away, and the other peppermint on the brain coral munching
away. <Uh-oh.> I was assuming this wasn't good and just moved
these two corals to my Nanocube in my bedroom. After reading
your site again today, I see that some folks have problems with these
peppermint critters and their corals. <Correct.> So my question
to you is: Are there any types of corals that are 'Peppermint
Safe'? <I have found that they are less prone to
picking at larger noxious colonies of soft corals, such as Octocorals
and Sinularia. Keepers of hermatypic corals like Acroporidae
seem to have 'luck' with them as well (but you don't have
the lighting for those)'¦what's important to keep in mind
is that there are no guarantees and there is always a risk.> I like
my shrimp, and would like to keep them. Mine are out and
about all the time. They are friendly and I can hand feed
them. But I also have a reef tank, and would like to add
some more coral life to it as well. I have not seen them
pick on the other corals, but who knows what happens at night?
<Another thing to keep in mind is that when animals do become
predatory, they will pick on the easiest, least resistant
targets. Just because the shrimp may be ignoring one colony
as of present does not mean they will continue to do so once the others
are removed.> Best regards, <To you as well.> Bill <Adam
J.>
Breeding Peppermint Shrimp Greetings and salutations
everyone: Around 11:00 last night I was giving my reef tank one last
check and noticed one of the Peppermint Shrimp was acting rather
erratic. So I turned on my blue actinic light to make a
closer observation, just in time to see one of them giving birth to
hundreds of tiny Peppermints. What a beautiful
sight. <wow... how wonderful!> Is there any way to
ensure any survivals? <absolutely. It is somewhat
tedious to rear the larva but very possible and done by many aquarists.
Some articles have been written on the subject like here: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/nftt/
Thee is also a new book written on the subject for interested aquarists
just like you: http://www.lysmatapublishing.com/shrimp.html
> I think my LPS corals had a feast last night because I do not see
any left this morning. >indeed...very good
food. Many aquarists keep breeding peppermint shrimp in fishless
refugiums for this purpose> I also have noticed quite a few of white
semi-transparent larva's around 1/8" long with a large mouth
and a dual tail on the other end sliding around on the
glass. Does this sound like some kind of
Nudibranch? They seem to be multiplying rather rapidly,
should this be a concern? <hard to say without an ID or
image> I've also noticed several small brittle stars (around 1/2
inch in length) hanging around in the live rock. Do they
pose any threat? <nope... very beneficial filter feeders and
detritivores> Besides the obvious physical beauty of our underwater
ecosystems, don't you find it truly inspiring that life always just
seems to "find a way"? What a tribute to our
creator! <remarkable by any definition :) > My Tube Anemone is
growing a little too fast and its tentacles were getting too
close to my candy coral. <wow... I'm not thrilled
about such an aggressive anemone in a tank with coral or other
anemones... I'd remove it to a species tank for proper feeding any
way (without polluting coral tank or starving anemone in the long
run> The Candy Coral has not been a happy camper lately (nitrates
got a little high the other day, .40 PPM, so I quickly made several
water changes and things are already looking a lot
better). I relocated the Candy Coral on the
sand. Is this an acceptable location?
<perhaps not... they cannot purge sand easily and may suffer if
sprinkled or buried. Its an unnatural place for this coral> I
wasn't sure it would be happy there as I am rapidly running out of
space since all of this is going on in a 5 gallon Nano reef. <oh, my
heavens! Brother, please remove that tube anemone from this tank ASAP
or pull all else to a reef. There are serious issues here with chemical
warfare on your coral beyond issues of actual contact> I've read
your information regarding the feeding of corals and it was very
informative. I purchased some DT's Phytoplankton to
supplement the Corals (one Euphyllia, one Candy, one Hammer, one
leather tree coral and assorted button polyps).
<hmmm.... only the leather tree coral eats (perhaps) a little
phytoplankton. None of the other corals here feed much if at all on
phyto. They are zooplankton feeders. I suspect that the only thing your
phyto is feeding is nitrate levels> If I feed according to
directions, that would be 1/3 tsp in 5 gallons every other
day. Will this amount increase my nitrates or should I just
be concerned with the freshness of the phytoplankton? <a
fine food but inappropriate for these corals> More along the line of
twice a week sounds more reasonable given the size of my
tank. Can you recommend a product for zooplankton that is
equally fresh, besides using a refugium? <indeed the
refugium is best, frozen Cyclop-eeze would be a fine runner up (hard to
find though... an Argent product), fresh hatched baby brine is good
after that (less than 9 hours old). After that, minced meaty foods
(Gammarus PE Mysis shrimp, Pacifica plankton)> I have been also
feeding a frozen food rich in Kill and Sponge but, again, am concerned
with nitrates (is twice a week on this one also
acceptable?). <way too little food for the LPS corals
and definitely not enough for the tube anemone> Please don't
suggest an upgrade in equipment, we are in the process of adopting two
otherwise homeless children and at this time any upgrades just is not
in the budget. <no worries bud... but I must say that you need to
remove the anemone or the corals for both to have a chance at surviving
long term> Nitrates are my big concern, <in such a small tank, a
weekly water change of 2-3 gallons should make it all go away
nicely> but I still want to give the corals everything they need and
still keep nitrates as low as possible, considering the size of my
system. I try to keep Nitrates around .10 PPM, which is
quite a challenge and still feed everything. You guys perform a great
service and I can't thank you enough for your
assistance. I called the LPS where I bought the coral frags
and all I got was "I am too busy". How sad for
them. I think they're missing out in the real meaning in
all of this. <agreed. You'll do fine here my friend if you are
simply realistic about the limitations of the tank and what is humanely
possible. With kind regards, Anthony>
Peppermint Shrimp Dear Mr. Fenner (or WetWebMedia crew), Let
me start off by giving praise to "The Conscientious Marine
Aquarist", it is the best book ever written. I would also like to
thank you for this wonderful website and your feedback to our
questions! I know your time is extremely valuable and that you read a
BULK of e-mails. I will try and keep this short. I have a question
regarding Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni). Do they clean
parasites off of fish like the common cleaner shrimp? <I have seen
them clean Moray Eels before.> I know they are known for going after
Aiptasia. <Yes, their claim to fame.> The reason I ask is because
my Clarkii (Amphiprion clarkii) keeps swimming over to a pair of
Peppermint Shrimp I have in the tank. The Clarkii doesn't appear to
have any ich (white dots) on his body. <Come on, scratch my back!
Please!> If the Peppermint doesn't clean parasites, can I add
common cleaner shrimp with the peppermint shrimp? <Depends on tank
size and individual's disposition.> I have a 30 gallon setup
with 10 gallon sump. <I would put your odds at 50/50. I have seen
Peppermint's with Cleaner's, but I have also heard of several
instances where one killed the other.> Light bio-load, only the
clown fish, a green carpet anemone, two Peppermint Shrimp, and a couple
turbo snails. If I can add the common cleaner shrimp, is there an easy
way to identify the Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner (Lysmata
amboinensis) from the Atlantic White-Striped Cleaner (Lysmata
grabhami)? <Yes, the Pacific amboinensis has more dots on its tail.
Baensch's Marine Atlas, volume 1, has excellent back to back photos
comparing the two.> One last question, if my Clarkii does develop
ich, what is the best way to treat him? <Quarantine and daily water
changes to start would be my preference.> Move to quarantine?
<Yes> Lower salinity, temp? <An option> I read that copper
shouldn't be used with anemone fish. <I have seen the same thing
in Wilkerson's book.> I've had the Clarkii for over six
months, he seems healthy, will the problem go away on its own if I
don't intervene? <I am not sure there is a problem.> Is the
Clarkii going over to the shrimp a bad sign, or is it just natural
behavior? <It could be either.> Thanks for your time and
patience, Jeremy <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>
Peppermint Shrimp I recently set up a reef aquarium. It's
gone through a number of ups and downs, I asked you about fish lice in
another correspondence. <Okay> Shortly after setting it up, I had
the usual assortment of Aiptasia anemone. I rid my aquarium of many of
them with the solution of Calcium Hydroxide. However, there were a
number of smaller ones and several that were difficult to get to. After
reading a number of articles on the problem, including yours, I decided
to try biological control and purchased half a dozen peppermint shrimp.
Also from reading the article, I was aware of the left coast imposters.
I am quite certain that these were the wurdemanni species. Appearances
are that they did their job rather well. I haven't seen one in
months. But, however, ... Peppermint shrimp appear not to be
particularly finicky eaters. It shouldn't take a real leap of faith
to believe that the similarities between one polyp and another might
lead to some problems. Some of my first purchases were yellow polyps,
green star polyps, Zoanthus, and a carpet anemone. <Yes> I had
seen them acting suspiciously around the yellow polyps, green star
polyps, and Zoanthus, but never caught them red handed (pun only
slightly intended). However, upon introducing the carpet, they began to
show a rather intense interest in it. I also noticed that the anemone
was reacting rather severely to their proximity. I got a closer look
and they were picking at individual tentacles. The next morning, there
were a couple of circular patches about 6mm in diameter that were
tentacle free toward the edges of the carpet. The next night, there
were a few more such patches. I withheld food from the system after the
first night and decided to trap the shrimp. Further, they began to show
increased interest in the other polyps and I began to see some damage
on them. The shrimp are now out of the system, having learned a lesson
in the law of unintended consequences. One of the other Aiptasia eating
critters is the Berghia Nudibranch. I had chosen the Peppermints
because the Berghia are somewhat pricey, due to their small size, they
are somewhat less than aesthetically pleasing and once they eliminate
Aiptasia, they die off. As it turns out, the quantity of Peppermints
was similarly priced to a pair of Berghia, the appearance of the bald
spots on my carpet (the one in the aquarium, not the one by the tank I
wore on the floor biting my fingernails as I watch my carpet take a
beating,, and not many folks seem to want to take back peppermints due
to quarantine, etc., so they are likely to meet their demise. In
conclusion, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these were
indeed Lysmata wurdemanni and that they were consuming my carpet
anemone. Although I have no direct evidence that they do eat Aiptasia,
the anecdotal evidence supports that conclusion. There is absolutely no
doubt in my mind that they were eating my carpet anemone, I saw them on
several occasions picking violently at the polyps, distorting the shape
of the anemone considerably in the process. <They do, will eat
anemones> I would suggest to anyone who still desires to put
wurdemanni in a reef tank keep a wary eye on them and that they ensure
that the system is overfed. Renaming the species to Lysmata alquaidaii
might not be a bad idea, either, they were little terrorists in my
tank. :) <Agreed> Thanks for your pages, by the way. With the
exception of information on Argulus, your pages seem to be absolutely
the best sources of information on the web. <Okay> Best regards,
Dale Chatham <Bob Fenner>
Website address change (Note: chg on Shrimp, Lysmata pgs)
Hello, Your link to my webpage, "How To Raise & Train Your
Peppermint Shrimp" (listed under Business--Publications) has an
old URL. The new address is www.lysmatapublishing.com. The old address
redirects you to the new URL for now, but it will soon be a
"broken link". Thanks for your time, A. Kirkendoll <Thank
you for the update. Will change. Bob Fenner>
Advice Clown, shrimp compatibility Hi, Mr. Fenner <Steven
Pro this evening.> I have a good deal on a cinnamon clown fish and
some peppermint shrimp. I want to put them in a 50 gallon tank by
themselves, do these two get along and could I add other inverts, fish,
and coral later on, <Yes, will get along with each other and many
other animals. If you give specifics on what else you want to keep, I
can give you a more detailed recommendation.> if not please
recommend a better fit for me. I want something that is beautiful but
easy to take care of. I only have time to service the tank on the week
end but I can do simple feeding every day. Thanks a lot, Ryan
Blankenship <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>
Peppermint Shrimp Anthony, I like your optimism. Thanks for
the response about red algae. <quite welcome... and its easy
to be optimistic when one has faith> I have one question what
exactly can you feed peppermint shrimp and how often? OK two questions.
<my first choice would be beer nuts... but for your peppermint
shrimp... I'm thinking a more omnivorous fare. Truth be told, they
will need little or no food in a reef aquarium where fish/coral are
fed. Only slightly more food in a FOWLR tank. Only in a
"sterile" display would I consider 4-5 times weekly feedings
with mixed frozen meaty foods (both meat and plant based). Dry Shrimp
Pellets (ironic name, huh?) are an attractive low grade treat...just
don't get too frisky with using them (nutrients). They will most
likely bring the shrimp (starfish, crabs, etc) out on command for
company to enjoy though. Twice weekly with a mixed frozen food like
Formula 1/2 should be fine in a tank with live rock. Feed more if
trying to breed them. Anthony> Thanks, David
Cleaner shrimp species check Hi Mr. Fenner, Sorry to bother
you, but I couldn't seem to get the right info from any other
source, and you are unusually responsive and knowledgeable. We have
Aiptasia cropping up, which at first seemed pretty until we realized
exactly what kind of a tank dandelion it was. <Very lucidly
put> I decided to use the natural approach and find something which
would munch it before subjecting them to lethal injection. Already have
a Pacific cleaner amboinensis (Whiskers), which is great at
free-loading on the fishies, but not much at cleaning Aiptasia. So I
got several peppermint shrimp from the LFS. I couldn't get a good
look at them in the store tank, as they took a bit of capture and
things got stirred up. Once in my tank, they disappeared. I spotted one
under an overhang a few days later and it didn't look like ones on
the WetWebMedia site. <Then probably not...> I have never seen
the other one. Another LFS (I use about 4 to bounce questions off)
<Good idea> suggested that for my size tank, I could use
5-6 of the peppermints. So I bought 4 more wurdemanni (Groucho, Harpo,
Chico, and Zeppo) from a very clean tank where I could identify them.
When introduced, they acted very much different than the first two,
being much more visible and active. <Yes... do a sort of side to
side dance> Could the first two be a different species entirely?
<Definitely... there are a few others that are very similar in
static appearance> Tank specs: 55 gal, 40 lbs Fiji LR, 1.5"
crushed coral bed Livestock: Domino damsel (very small), (2) Firefish,
Fiji damsel, Valentini puffer, Orange Clown (percula or ocellaris - I
can't tell), Pajama cardinal, Pacific cleaner shrimp, Condy
anemone, (4) peppermints, and (2) suddenly unidentified shrimp. All
species are small and non-aggressive (except occasional outbursts from
the Fiji). Questions (at last) 1. What could the first two shrimp be?
From peering into their hidey-hole, they are red with no markings.
<Many choices still... do you have access to a large college
library?> 2. Is it a mistake to have small cleaner shrimp at all
with the Valentini? <Hmm, not usually... if enough space, food for
the Toby, hiding spaces during molts for the shrimp...> They are
supposed to like shellfish - does that include the wurdemanni and the
poor missing variety? <In the "right/wrong" circumstances
assuredly yes> 3. If peppermint shrimp do indeed eat Aiptasia, how
many is appropriate for a 55-gal tank and how quickly do they get
around to it? <A couple or three... a few weeks to a couple of
months or so> 4. I'm sure the Valentini would like Nori. Does
leaving it in the tank muck up your conditions, or do you remove it
when he is done feeding? <Puffers don't eat much of this sheet
algae... should be removed after an hour or so> 5. Is the Marine
Conference you are speaking at this summer in Baltimore appropriate for
the home hobbyist, or just marine professionals? <For home hobbyists
specifically... There are "scientific" and
"business" associations as such... the hobby groups ones are
for hobbyists in particular.> Thank you so much in advance. Kevin.
West Virginia <Be seeing you my friend. Bob Fenner>
Re: Cleaner shrimp species check Dear Bob, Oh me, oh my.
Thank you so much for the info on peppermint shrimp and other topics.
Why can't I learn to do my homework before purchasing, as I am not
yet familiar with the subtleties of species ID. Judging from the
pictures I now found, my latest were 4 Candy shrimp (Rhynchocinetes
uritai), not the peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) I was
expecting. They are definitely clever little things, but now I have my
doubts whether they will eat the Aiptasia. <They won't> Thank
you so much for your patience and wisdom. Kevin Milne. West Virginia.
<All attainable through study, discipline my friend. Bob
Fenner>
Lysmata wurdemanni Hi there We here in SA are
trying to get e few of these specimens into our Country, All
other types of Shrimp gets imported but for some reason not this one
.. if it does it disappears so fast it's mind boggling.
<Eaten by other livestock?> Now 3 of us are keen on trying to
breed this shrimp but we need the shrimp to begin with, so I was
hopping that you may be of help to us. If you can could you
please contact me ASAP. Thanks in advance, Jaco <Believe
I can be of service here. Please contact, have your suppliers contact
Tropic-Marine Centre in the UK re this species (they breed it and L.
debelius, and have had great success with other shrimp,
invertebrates... fishes...), and read over the husbandry, production
notes posted on the "Breeders Registry" (the link posted on
the www.WetWebMedia.com links pages) for a few people's telling of
how they've kept, bred this species. Bob Fenner>
Peppermint shrimp and Sebae question??? Help :-( Today I
bought a Sebae purple tip anemone with two tomato clowns. Can't
wait for the clowns to get in the anemone, but as soon as I put the
Sebae in, my two peppermint shrimp, which did a great job eating my
Aiptasia 2 months ago, hopped into it. Does the peppermint have a
relationship with the Sebae? <Not a mutualistic one...> Are they
eating it? <Possibly, likely yes> Do I need to remove them? <I
would if you can> Will they keep the clowns from entering the Sebae?
<More likely the other way around if the Clowns would begin
associating with the (Heteractis crispa) anemone>... they only
naturally occur with Entacmaea quadricolor... take a look through the
references listed on the Anemone and Clownfish sections on the
www.WetWebMedia.com site... though they may become symbionts with your
Sebae... shooing off the pesky Shrimp.> Thanks. Need help ASAP.
Michael <Happy netting! Bob Fenner>
Sexing peppermint shrimp Dear Bob; recently one of two
peppermint shrimp in my reef tank died in a tragic powerhead accident.
This pair of shrimp have reproduced in my tank and I would like to
replace the dead shrimp but I don't know what sex it was. I saved
the carcass. Is it possible to easily identify the sex of a peppermint
shrimp? I was unaware of any pairing when I bought the two. Thanks,
Doug <Can be sexed like the ever tasty local Panulirus... modified
uropods and fifth pair of legs on the males as you know...> P.S.
Great book. Your text along with Ron and the boys at Octopus Gardens
got me hooked on reef aquariums. I've learned a ton over the last
two years. I graduated from SDSU in 1972 with a BS in Zoology so we
probably had some classes together. Glad to see that someone retained
all of that info. I've read about MASLAC and it sounds like a very
informed, active group. Is there anything similar around San Diego?
Thanks again for your help. <Yes, and have sent this msg. to our
fearless leader (he works for the local futility, SDG&E...)
Maurice, so, am sure he'll be contacting you as well. See you here
and there, your fellow alma mater, Bob Fenner>
Peppermint shrimp Bob- I recently purchased a Peppermint
Shrimp. Since day 1 it has been missing in action. The only other
inhabitants in the tank are a Percula Clown, Yellow-Tailed Damsel, and
a host of red legged, blue legged and left handed hermit crabs. The
shrimp never comes out when I feed the tank, which is unlike my old
Coral Banded Shrimp which aggressively ate. Is it in the nature of
Peppermint Shrimps to hide or should I assume he is dead? Thank you,
Rob <<Hmm, they (Lysmata wurdemanni) do hide almost all
the time... better kept in a small number if they'll fit... I
wouldn't give up just yet.... Especially if it is molting... you
won't see much of it for a while. Bob Fenner>>
Hello again (shrimp culture) I just posted this on your chat
forum but thought that you may have further insight :) <Perhaps.
Let's see> Hi All fist post here I have been Harassing Bob and
JasonC for a while now so I thought that maybe my fellow hobbyists
could take a stab at this one. Here are the usual specs. My Reef tank
is 30 gallons, with a new 130gallon tank being delivered tomorrow. The
inhabitants are, A Ocellaris, A Frenatus, Banggai Cardinal, Pajama
Cardinal and a Scooter Blenny. All are well. There are the usual
assortment of hermit crabs, snails and I seem to have colonies of
feather dusters cropping up on the rocks all over the place. I also
have a Pulsing Xenia and 2 Peppermint Shrimp and 1 CBS. I do daily
calcium additions and weeks Iodine drops. The shrimp molt every month
and are growing quite large. Hence the new tank as you say larger is
better. Tonight at feeding time the larger of the two Peppermint Shrimp
came out and her swimmerets are encrusted with eggs. So now the
quandary I am setting up the new tank tomorrow and within the next few
days planning on moving all of the live rock, sand and inhabitants to
their new environs. Do you think I should leave the Mother Peppermint
in there and allow her eggs to hatch. What do you think would be the
success rate if there were a moved to the larger tank or left where
they are? <The "success" rate in terms of hatching, grow
out? Not much in either. Please read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimp.htm the shrimp articles, FAQs files
beyond. Much more to the effective culture of these animals. Bob
Fenner> The Emperor bio wheel is staying, but the protein skimmer
and powerheads are going. Need advice :) Cheers, Julian Hunt
Advice Clown, shrimp compatibility Hi, Mr. Fenner <Steven Pro this
evening.> I have a good deal on a cinnamon clown fish and some peppermint
shrimp. I want to put them in a 50 gallon tank by themselves, do these two get
along and could I add other inverts, fish, and coral later on, <Yes, will get
along with each other and many other animals. If you give specifics on what else
you want to keep, I can give you a more detailed recommendation.> if not please
recommend a better fit for me. I want something that is beautiful but easy to
take care of. I only have time to service the tank on the week end but I can do
simple feeding every day. Thanks a lot, Ryan Blankenship <You are welcome.
-Steven Pro>