Peppermint Shrimp question

[spoonmerlin]

I recently got 5 Peppermint Shrimp to help with an Aiptasia problem. After I put them in I have not seen them much if at all. There is nothing else but live rock and some emerald crabs which are buy cleaning off the rock and have much more food then they can handle. I have seen some things about them not liking light and not eating much after shipping.

I wanted to sperate the facts from the fiction.

I have not seen much if any decline in the Aiptasia problem after 4 days or so. I see 1 or so every once in while so I think that at least some are still alive. Would these be night feeders or still in shock? I have between 10-20 Aiptasia of varies sizes so If they are eating how long does it take?

Thanks.

 

[dralarms]

May be hiding and eating the ones you can't see right now, Mine finished off my aps. and now if I hot the tank with a little flake they come out of the wood work loking food.

 

[Atari]

It's pretty normal to hardly ever see them except maybe during feeding.. could also take a week or two to settle before they start at the aips.

 

[Bearfan]

I never see mine, unless I'm feeding.

 

[darb2]

sneak up on the tank in the am, about an hour before lights on. Check out your tank with a flashlight.

 

[spoonmerlin]

I happend to be up last night when the lights were off and I saw atleast 3 of them. So I know they are just plotting no good during the day to be done at night.

 

[darb2]

It may take a month before you see them come out regularly with the lights on. And even then they usually lurk in the shadows.

 

[darb2]

double post

 

[spoonmerlin]

Thanks. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[lukasnca]

I added about 20 to my 100g about 5 months ago and they quickly finished off my aptasias. I didn't see much of them for the first 2 months or so now they come out all the time. When I recently added 2 gobies (about 3" long) to the tank I was actually a little worried because they pestered the hell out of the gobies. The would actually corner the gobies and try to pick at them.

Anyway they've gotten better but now I have 2 tiny barnacle gobies (1" big) in QT and I'm a little bit worried about adding them to the tank as pretty much all of my shrimp are bigger than them.

They've actually become as annoying as the cleaner shrimps. I have to wait around (and fend off with a stick!) for my anemones and corals to "swallow" their food otherwise the shrimp get it.

Anyway I've heard that a lot of people haven't had much luck with these shrimp and aptasia but I don't have a single one left (that I can see anyway).

 

[fireman26m]

My single pep won't touch an aip....grrrr....I'm gonna fire him :x

 

[spoonmerlin]

I'm starting to see a couple around but they don't seem to be going after the aptasias as far as I can tell. I think there might be too much better tasting stuff on the Live Rock right now.