Peppermint Shrimp Eating Coral

I know i have a peppermint shrimp, (not camel). I keep seeing him physically ripping pieces off my green star polyps that are 1 day new to the tank. i am worried he might just kill it over time. any techniques to deter them from doing so? or do i just have to find him a new home? I dont wanna get rid of him if i dont have to.

 

IMO, once something has a taste for something good luck stopping the habit! You may thank him in the future though, GSP's can grow like weeds!

 

i personally have never had first hand experience with gsp until now but i hear it grows like weeds once established. maybe i will let grow in then bring him back haha.

 

Peppermint shrimp are not a good reef inhabitant. Most people get them for looks, but the vast majority hide, them people get them for aptaisa, that most of them won't eat, and finally they will turn bad at some point. I had mine take out a head of frogspawn then another 6 blastos in the matter of 3 hours. Never again.

 

I would say it is time for a new home for him. Like said above, it will most likely keep eating corals. They are cool to watch "dance" though.

 

Whenever I add a new coral, my pep goes crazy. I think he like to clean the slime produced by a new addition. I freaked out the first few times, but now I know that he's not "eating" the coral. After a day or two he leaves it alone and it's no worse for wear. Also, mine doesn't hide that often. He's really a bit of a show off!