Peppermint Shrimp eating Green Star Polyps?

[petecomas]

I've had two peppermint shrimps in my tank for about two weeks now. I just put a green star polyp colony in my tank on Sunday. For several days everything was fine. Yesterday (Thursday) when I got home, I saw that the GSP colony was smaller. It looked like about a fifth of the colony had disappeared from the rock. Last night I noticed one of the shrimps hanging out on the rock and picking at the colony.

Do you think the shrimp is eating the GSP or do you think it's just cleaning out food between the polyps? Or is it just eating the unhealthy polyps? I did put a riccordia in the tank on Wednesday, which was the day before I noticed the GSP not doing so well. Could it be some chemical attack from the riccordia? It's about 3 inches away from the GSP colony.

I would hate to have to take the shrimps out of the tank, but I don't want them eating my polyps either. Should I move the riccordia? Any help is appreciated.

 

[dynamictank]

Oh man sorry to hear
I have ten and one cleaner in my 75 i only c three or four at a time i have millions of polyps everywhere i havent seen then eating anything ur getting me worried though


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[REEF ADDICT]

Funny i had a frag of xenias and i saw the shrimps eating them till the disc was clean...

 

[Wes]

Make sure it's not a Camel Shrimp. They are similar looking but NOT reef safe.


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[nanchil]

Make sure it's not a Camel Shrimp. They are similar looking but NOT reef safe.


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+1


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[petecomas]

They're definitely not camel shrimps. I made sure of that before I got them. The funny thing is that the GSP was in the tank for three days and they didn't bother it. So maybe it's not the shrimp that's the problem? That's why I mentioned the riccordia.

I'm at work now but I'm worried about what I'll find when I get home. I might not have any GSP left.

 

[Master Shake]

peppermint shrimp do eat corals, when you got the colony it could have brought in a star polyp eating nudibranch which only eat well star polyps. they blend in and will be hard to find/see. try a fresh water dip or a hydrogen peroxide dip(half fresh water half hydrogen peroxide)