Can peppermint shrimp devour hermit crabs?

[shareef]

I added 5 peppermint shrimp to my tank on Sunday. Why? Because the lfs had a sale for 5 for $24.99 (buying 5 was cheaper than buying 3 or 4), and I also read a recommendation to have 1 shrimp per every 5 gallons of water. So - I thought adding 5 should be okay since I have a 30 gallon. The reason I added them was so that they could eat up the aiptasia. They did that overnight, and by Monday morning, the aiptasia were all gone!

Problem now is, I think these peppermint shrimp have a voracious appetite. I caught one of them on my zoa polyps a couple times, but since the zoas have such a great defense mechanism of completely closing up, the polyps are completely fine--for now. I also cannot find my 2 hermit crabs at all!

So actually I have 3 questions.
1) Can 5 peppermint shrimp gang up on a hermit crab and kill and eat it shell and all?
2) Is it possible for the peppermint shrimp to eat my zoas by ambushing it?
3) If so, how the heck to I retrieve these suckers from my tank without creating havoc?

Thanks guys!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Check out this link:

Link to shrimp id's - see post 30 & 32 - with pics

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/51722-aiptasia-peppermint-shrimps.html

have read post... where some sold as peppermints ate acans and other corals.... don't know if this is the case here... but the above link should help

 

[jjmoneyman]

No they will not eat the shell and all, doubtful they would eat the hermit inside but stranger things have happened. True peppermints are pretty reef safe, some stores do sell what they call peppermints but aren't so you have to be careful there. Even if they aren't they usually only attack soft tissue coral like acans and suck. I would guess your hermits are just hiding.

 

[BigAl07]

1) Can 5 peppermint shrimp gang up on a hermit crab and kill and eat it shell and all?

Not shell and all. As stated already they might be hiding. If the shrimp taste/smell sickness/death they might be the first on scene for the buffet (sometimes too early for our liking and appear to be the killers instead of the cleaners).

2) Is it possible for the peppermint shrimp to eat my zoas by ambushing it?

Yes if they have an appetite for the zoas they will most likely get to the good stuff through persistence. Just remember they "could" be cleaning up in and around the zoa (even within it if they are really hungry) so make sure it's damaging the zoa before you make any changes.

3) If so, how the heck to I retrieve these suckers from my tank without creating havoc?

Luck? Sometimes you can trick them by putting a net partially in the water and adding food to the net.... then being all stealthy-like ease up and remove the net with the offender(s) inside. It may take a few tries or they may be too cautious for it to work at all.

Good luck

 

[reefer gladness]

If you do end up trying to remove them they tend to come out and hunt in the open at night more. I actually see mine swimming (upside down) around the tank sometimes, looks weird as heck but he gets around town pretty well.

 

[shareef]

You guys were right! These hermit crabs fool me all the time. They have 9 lives or something! I thought they died before and then they came back to life. Now when yesterday they were no where to be found, I jumped to conclusions and blamed it on the shrimp! It's just that I have always been able to find them except for yesterday. I am so happy they aren't killing anything. Whew!

 

[modulok]

When I had a hermit starting to die the Peppermint helped him by ripping him out of the shell and taking him under my shelf rock. He picked at him and the snails came for dinner too. After the aiptasia was gone, and I added a bubble tip nem he would go after that too. I caught him and tossed him into the sump. After about a week he wandered around and got sucked up by the return pump. It tore him up pretty bad and I removed him from the tank and finished him.

Keep an eye on them. Or keep them very well fed.