Who's eating my Peppermint Shrimp??

[boppy2]

In the last 3 months I have added a couple of peppermint shrimp to my tank on two occasions...they have never been seen again. While I know they are shy little creatures, I don't think they are just hiding. I suspect one of their tankmates finds them to be a tasty snack. Who might it be among the following:

1) The larger of two cleaner Shrimp
2) Yellow Corris Wrasse
3) Royal Gramma
4) Pajama Cardinal
5) Bicolor Blenny

My tank is otherwise healthy and all fish inverts and corals are thriving. Any thoughts on who the culprit might be???

[Rybren]

My money is on the wrasse.

I have a peppermint in with a coral-banded shrimp, Royal Gramma, PJ Cardinal, & Clown with no issues.  I doubt that the blenny could take down a peppermint.

[Hookup]

$10 says they are hiding.

I added 3 and never saw them for 6months... and then, it was only cause I moved some rocks in the tank...  They died cause i treated for redbugs and couldn't remove them.. but the new 3 are in the tank... my wife says she's seen them... but i've not seen them once since their release 5 weeks ago...

maybe some flashlight investigation is in order?

[Rybren]

Interesting.  I see mine everyday; at feeding time he's out front and centre.

[Hookup]

on a side note, Ryben, get out on the Rideau R at long island locks.... was OMG amazing last night.

[Tyler.L]

i'll put $20 that they're just dying lol

things do just....die people there isnt always a reason....but it could be the wrasse...

[boppy2]

Well Hook....maybe all 6 will appear some day but it's only a 65 gallon tank....you'd think I'd have seen one by now....I still do the night time flashlight check but haven't even seen an antenna yet!!! Thanks for the input so far...if I see one, where do I send the $10? and if it's the wrasse, who wants him? lol!!!

[Rybren]

on a side note, Ryben, get out on the Rideau R at long island locks.... was OMG amazing last night.

I haven't been out once this year. I hate it when life gets in the way of my fishing.

[Hookup]

that is sad... both about the lack of fishing... and the dead shrimp... Tylers right, sometimes things just die... infact, everything dies... now i'm depressed...

[yellowtang]

I added 3 peppermint shrimp about 2 weeks ago......
and so far I have not seem them either.....I also have a coris
wrassse.....which is the only fish I can think might go after them....
not 100% sure though......
also this shrimp are very sensative to water Par and temp.

[Adam Chappell]

the Royal Gramma might do doing it i have seen it happen

[beertech]

How carefully did you acclimate them and where did you get them? If they were all from the same place, I would double check the store's water and compare it to yours. Large differences require longer acclimation, especially for inverts.

[Vincenzo.]

^very true.

or maybe you have a menace crab in the rock work.

[boppy2]

I did get them from the same place and their water has same params as mine...i took lots of time acclimating them both times.

Interesting comment on a menacing crab. That may be the answer. I saw one yesterday briefly. He is a little smaller than the size of a dime, brownish in colour and quite flat, not like hermits. Loos like he has a couple of nasty pincers too. No way I could catch him without teaaring tank apart. He has a hole in the rocks in the back somewhere!!!

[Vincenzo.]

^thats the prob.

take a small glass cup, push it down into the sand bed so tat the sand is flush with the top of the glass. put some bait in the bottom. if the crab falls in, it wont be able to get out. snails will be able to go in and out.

or..... try the inverted bottle trap.

[salvini55]

Ive seen a friend eat a whole shrimp ring in 10 mins, maybe he paid you a visit?......j/k...... I wouldnt take any chances with eivil crabs. If I didnt put it in the tank on purpose, it goes to the sump for further investigation like the one i have now yet to be determined.

[boppy2]

Thanks again all....after some research ( I'm in the office working-tough job haha!) , I did find a picture of what this thing looks like. From what I have seen of him, he looks like he is from the Xanthidae family.

On reading about these nasty little crabs, apparently they have a bad habit of enlarging their homes in the live rock. This might explain the noises from my tank I hear only in the day time. I never hear them at night after lights out. He's probably out hunting at night for another morsel of shrimp.

When I first heard these noises, I presumed mantis or pistol shrimp although I have never seen either in my tank. I'm betting the home building noises will stop once I trap him. I will try the glass trap and keep you posted. Thanks again for all the input and advice!!

[mdugly]

Not sure how common it is, but have found few peppermints on the floor...

[Cheebs]

IF it gives you any comfort, I've got 3 of them in my 75, and I just saw one at night for the first time in about a year They definitely can be shy!

[Sharbuckle]

my peppermint when carpet surfing a few days ago... i didnt know they could jump out like that