peppermint compatibility

[homegrowncichlid]

Got someone eating my pepperments,
anyone hear of 4" clowns or 3-stripe/domino damsels eating them?
I know they hunt the feeder ghost shrimp I throw in there.

So I grew a pepperment to it's adult size, threw it in as a test, fish were looking at it, trying to get behind it, but after a few minutes they ignore it as the lights go out, but the next day, it's gone.

Seriously, how does a shrimp survive in the wild? Maybe I don't have enough caves or shelter where they can hide from predators? thinking about building a 1 inch PVC pipe condo and hiding it behind the rockwork.

 

[UltimateReefer115]

How long have you had your tank?

 

[homegrowncichlid]

running a couple of years, fully established 65gallon reef, got a skunk cleaner shrimp in there also.
My royal gramma (who also ate small peppermint shrimps) died a few months ago so I wanted to test the waters with a single peppermint, before I throw in more.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Possibly a mantis shrimp hiding somewhere in the tank.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

no mantis or other known predators in there. Aside from the clown and damsel which I'm suspecting, I've also got a 6" hippo tang who also went after feeder shrimps. I'm not really suspecting him as much as the other guys, since he only goes after shrimps while they are falling to the ground. Not after they land.
I'm also not suspecting the other cleaner shrimp, since I grew the peppermint out in the refugium, and they probably recognise each others smell. It is possible that the peppermint molted that night, but since I grew it out in the same water, I don't suspect that he molted "that" night.

 

[UltimateReefer115]

It could of just died and got ate by your clean up crew ( hermit crabs) if you have any.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

An accidental death is possible, but I really tried to avoid any random shock like that by growing it out within the same system. Does no one suspect clowns or damsels? Can we really rule out "man" I mean "shrimp slaughter"? Then I'll set in the PVC pipe condo and try another shrimp. Give the little guys more hiding places.