Reef Discussion

Susan Bates

Member
Jan 18, 2015
880
117
Peppermint Shrimp
Hi I just ordered some peppermint shrimp for my tank, I have christmas tree rocks with the little coloured feather duster worms in them, is it safe to add the shrimp or not please
IMG_2195.jpg
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
This is one of those questions where you will get some answers saying they will be fine and others saying that you will never see the worms again.

It would probably depend on the diet of the peppermint shrimp; how well fed they are; and if they want to make you mad :rolleyes

If I was a betting man, I would suggest the odds are around 80:20 - 80% chance they will kill the worms and a 20% chance they won't touch them. Keep in mind that they might be fine for a day, or a week, or a month ... then one day you are not able to feed the tank ... all of a sudden those worms look a lot more appetising to the peppermints :eek
 

IJG3145

Member
Oct 27, 2015
442
162
South Gippsland
As above...they wait until you're asleep. They the grow a barbed tail and horns. :)

Love em though.

I believe that with new DNA testing, they have been reclasified as the species satanis trickurarsis
 

Buddy

Member
Mar 13, 2012
3,142
1,526
In my experience they are generally safe and have always taken care of my Aiptasia. I did get a rouge pep a few years ago that would eat the frills from my zoas but it's not normal for them to do so.
I have some in my tank now and they are a great little cleaning crew, even though I rarely see them!
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
There's a reason I don't have any in my tanks. Same with goddamn Lamarck's angels, miserable little coral eating bastards. They started with my Xmas tree worm rock, then they killed a Lobo, now they live with Larry, Larry being my Leafmouth grouper. I often wondered why nobody bought the damn things. Just about everything eats Xmas tree worms. :(
 

Susan Bates

Member
Jan 18, 2015
880
117
There's a reason I don't have any in my tanks. Same with goddamn Lamarck's angels, miserable little coral eating bastards. They started with my Xmas tree worm rock, then they killed a Lobo, now they live with Larry, Larry being my Leafmouth grouper. I often wondered why nobody bought the damn things. Just about everything eats Xmas tree worms. :(
Yeah I thought they might eat them, but i have a small tank with 1 grumpy maroon very large clown and anemone ,He won't even let me put coral in there he pushes it all around the tank,i was going to put them in there,
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
Yep, a large Maroon is a female and that's another one that's a miserable bastard. I've pretty much given up on clowns, my Fiji Tomatoes have become little shits as well and they're going to be sent to the sin bin and shipped out when I get an order for them. I had a pair of omanensis clowns and when they were guarding eggs you DID NOT put your hands in the tank if you didn't want to bleed. 18cm clowns are mean as snakes. If a clown can move things, they will.
 

Susan Bates

Member
Jan 18, 2015
880
117
Yep, a large Maroon is a female and that's another one that's a miserable bastard. I've pretty much given up on clowns, my Fiji Tomatoes have become little shits as well and they're going to be sent to the sin bin and shipped out when I get an order for them. I had a pair of omanensis clowns and when they were guarding eggs you DID NOT put your hands in the tank if you didn't want to bleed. 18cm clowns are mean as snakes. If a clown can move things, they will.
mine nips at me 2
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
@ReeferRob, A. omanensis is a very rare find - I am surprised that there were any available, anywhere :confused: How confident were you about the ID? Are you sure they weren't A. bicinctus?

(And I don't mean to question you on your significant knowledge of all things related to this hobby - I am just genuinely interested in clownfish :))
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
@ReeferRob, A. omanensis is a very rare find - I am surprised that there were any available, anywhere :confused: How confident were you about the ID? Are you sure they weren't A. bicinctus?

(And I don't mean to question you on your significant knowledge of all things related to this hobby - I am just genuinely interested in clownfish :))
Yes, they were omanensis, these things were monsters in size and attitude. I have a mate who is Egyptian and "blends in" better that I do in the middle east. So I tasked him with getting me 4 omanensis clowns. About 6 hours later, he returns with 6 buckets and 12 of them, lol. I took them to my house, cleaned them out and away we went back to the States. They are now the property of a breeder who paid a princely sum for them. I hope they have better luck with the fry than I did, they were a pain in the ass. The worst was running the gauntlet of teeth trying to get the eggs out, lol. I had them for 3 years before I sold them. When he first brought them back I said the same thing, damn, these things look like bicinctus clowns. 6 months later when they were eating me out of house and home I wished I'd have never asked for them.

Edit: If they'd have caught my ass with them they'd have thrown my ass UNDER the jail, lol.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
Thanks Rob.

Edit: If they'd have caught my ass with them they'd have thrown my ass UNDER the jail, lol.
Does the Sultan of Oman believe in capital punishment ? You would probably have just 'disappeared'.

The problem with breeding fish such as this is that you can't sell the juveniles, which is a bit of a shame.
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
Oman wasn't this issue, Israel was the issue. There is no collecting in Israel and I'd have had a hell of a time explaining that those fish didn't come from there. I think most of that is Red Sea Fish Farm has the legislatures ear in all matters of tropical fish collecting and they don't want any competition.