peppermint apocolypse

[Holly]

It started with five tiny peppermints. Now I have an explosion going on. There's ALWAYS a pregnant female or two loaded with eggs, which was really cute the first few times. Then I started thinking "wow, this seems like it's always happening" (scratch)

 

Now I'm starting to see little gyrating pink shrimp in every nook and cranny.. which is fine. Even cute. Except that they've STARTED EATING MY ZOO!!! (cussing)

 

I'm pretty sure they're peppermints and not camelbacks. They just started in on this particular zoo right after it arrived UPS a couple wks ago. A few polyps in the back didn't make it, so they ate those (which you'd expect).. but now they've started gnawing the LIVE ONES and have killed everything in the back. They've got a taste for blood!! (scary)

 

I can't find any evidence anywhere the peppermints might each zoos. I found a site that said they're suspected of gnawing LPS on occasion.

 

I took these pics like 5 min ago.. There are 2 of them going at it right now (and one waiting in the background). :mad:

[mister crabs]

can you catch em? maybe take em to a lfs for credit...lol

[oldbrownies]

pepermint=satan spawn.

 

they are hungry little guys and they like to eat soft things, not all though, some are nice. But given the chance to they will eat polyps and zoos and softies, and anemones, and lps.

 

I forgot i had one in a fuge, and moved a rock from fuge to tank... and it was hiding in the rock. Within 4 hours it had eatten a 1.5 inch hole through my sebae anemone.

[powdertang05]

ya they normally like anenomes so anything from that family is usually eaten. so zoos or polys from frog spawn but you just need to start feeding them more i use sinking formula 1 pellets just from like 20 or so on the sand bed every other day thats should keep then full atleast mine are with that i have 2 pep's and 2 cleaners

[rmhuntley]

to the Dungeon w. them!!!!!!!!!! looks like they need to go into the sump

[Holly]

I'm wondering why they're listed as "reef safe" in so many places....

[rmhuntley]

I never had a problem w/ mine. took care of my aptasia problem really quickly. just feed them good every now and then.

[Holly]

BTW, the likelihood that I could catch even half these buggers to relocate them to the sump is equivalent to the likelihood that I'll wake up a man tomorrow morning. :eek:

[rmhuntley]

wow, those are slim odds.

[Holly]

I certainly hope so (slim odds, that is)... I mean, nothing wrong with being a man, but my husband might have some issues (laugh)

 

Well, because my fav new zoos are about to be shrimpsnack, I took a nice photo of them... Notice the (censored) preying on it. I hope it gets indigestion...

[rmhuntley]

those are very nice Zoas.... it would be a shame to lose them...... you need something that eats shrimp

[Holly]

LOL @ something that eats shrimp

[reefboy]

just add some pieces of dead prawns or popcorn shrimp i qarantee theyll live them alone after that and you might need to do this regularly for awhile, sounds like you dont feed much or your fish are really good at getting most of the food so you need to supplement some for the shrimp or they will eat your zoo's.