Peppermint MONSTA

So I got a few Nassarius sand burrowing snails and two peppermint shrimp and a few of the snails were small, and I just found one of the peppermint shrimp consuming the snail well picking deeply in to the shell and eating. Has this ever happened to anyone or is this some kind of fluke?

Bugger ate the one with the best looking shell it was small and cute!

 

All I can add it that I do not trust peppermint shrimp at all.

The snail could have died from another cause and the shrimp could just be cleaning up, hopefully it was a one time thing, but again it would not surprise me in the least if the peppermint played a part in the snails demise.

 

Why not trust them?

 

I had 6 for several months, they did an excellent job on my aiptasia. They were feed daily. After about 3 months they started to steal food from my LPS. At one point doing physical injury to my Duncan. Then I noticed my maxi-mini anemones started to go missing. So I waited and watched and low and behold it was my peppermint shrimp. I covered the maxi-mini so the peppermint could not get to them while I tried to remove the peppermint. Was unable to catch 2, uncovered my anemones and in 72 hours they ate the rest.

I know of a few members that have had them eat acans and other LPS.

 

for a shrimp that's suppose to be reef safe they seem more detrimental then safe.

 

I imagine in the case of the snail the shrimp was just taking advantage of a dead or dieing critter. That said, I would never say Pepps are "reef safe"...I've seen them damage many a coral over the years...and they seem to have a taste for more expensive/rare items!

 

I'm sure it was the shrimp that killed them and yes them, I found an empty shell in their cave are that the two shrimp have decided to hold up, I MIGHT have saved one of the snails I pulled it free and something is sticking out of it but I'm sure they'll finish him tonight.

Oh well new homes for the hermit crabs i guess.

 

pepps not safe weird???

 

I trust my mantis more then i trust any other kind of shrimp, except blood/fire shrimp, i've never had one before.

 

"Peppermint" is a common name given to many shrimp and only (1 or 2) are good apt eaters, the rest are just good eaters

http://decapoda.nhm.org/pdfs/27306/27306.pdf

here is a thread with some good pictures if you don't want to wade through the above paper

http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=39004&mpage=1#56324