Large or small peppermint?

[Willito]

Of those who have had success with their peppermint shrimp eating aiptasia, what size of shrimp did the trick for you? Please specify small, medium, or large. Only success stories please.

[BMW Rider]

I got three small peppermint shrimp to control aptaisa in my tank. I still have two of them, now large in size. They have kept the aptaisa eliminated quite well. Once in a while I see one appear, but usually within a few days or a week it is gone. I haven't had to go in after one since getting the peppermints.

I don't think the size of the shrimp is as big an issue as is getting actual peppermint shrimp. There are lots of varieties of shrimp that are sold as peppermint shrimp that are not the correct species. The real deal is lysmata wurdemanni. I have heard that if the aptaisa is very large , they may not eat it though.

[TheReefGeek]

I have had two batches of "peppermint" shrimp, one didn't touch the stuff (probably not a real peppermint), and one batch of 3 babies that kept it well under control for me. Size did not seem to matter, although I imagine a larger pep would eat more/larger aptaisia for you.

[sumpfinfishe]

Willito,

I think with Peppermint's that size shouldn't matter too much.

Instead it's more of a 50/50 when you buy a Peppermint shrimp because it all comes down to the region/local where they are collected from. Some reefs would have aptasia and others wouldn't, so it would be more dependent on the natural surroundings.

It's like lake trout around here, trout have a natural instinct to eat flies yet depending on the area, some may eat only black flies while others will eat strictly red stripped flies

[Willito]

That's good to know guys. I guess it's just the luck of the draw and depending on the environment where they were caught in the wild. Makes alot of sense.

[GMGQ]

I recently put in a 'small' pepperminte shrimp because I wanted to watch it grow. Havent seen it since. Think it's dead :S

[TheReefGeek]

Do you have other shrimp such as a CBS that might have taken it out?

[Delphinus]

I find that when kept singly they seem to be more shy.

[BMW Rider]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I find that when kept singly they seem to be more shy.

When I first got mine, they were very shy. I hardly ever saw them unless I really searched around. They would hide under the rocks all day long, then venture out after the lights went out. Now they are less shy, but they still hide during the daytime.

[Xtasia]

I've heard the larger they are, the older they are. Shrimp tend to have short lives in the Aquarium Hobby so sometimes smaller shrimp are more desirable. Also depends on your inhabitants.