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I have a 24 gallon cube reef tank. In the tank there are 2 Ocellaris Clowns, 1 yellow watchman goby/tiger pistol shrimp pair, and 1 lonely cleaner shrimp. I had two cleaner shrimp, and one suddenly died, could the pistol have killed it? The water conditions are near perfect, the KH dips down once in a while, but not often.

Should I try a new cleaner shrimp, I heard they do better in groups. If so, could I also add some peppermint shrimp for Aiptasia.

Thanks for the advice,
-Nick

Are you sure it died?

I know this sounds like a stupid question...but sometimes when they molt or whatever, you think they're dead when it's really just an exoskeleton shedding.

IMO cleaner shrimp do fine solo, I think you have enough in there that there's no need to add another.


-Ferret [img src='/images/forums/halo.gif' border=0]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

It's dead, I haven't seen it for weeks..lol. Would I be able to add peppermint shrimp, if so how many?

That's putting a lot of shrimp into one system...idk if I'd do that. In larger tanks they tend to be okay when you mix multiple species, but in one that small with minimal hiding spots I'd be a little worried.

I'd get more opinions though.


-Ferret [img src='/images/forums/halo.gif' border=0]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Cleaner shrimp can do just fine when kept by themselves, you don't need to worry about adding another one unless you really want to. I kinda doubt the pistol shrimp would have killed the cleaner, and if the one cleaner shrimp, why not both as well? If the pistol wanted to be aggressive, it could have just killed off both cleaner shrimp. Plus, I just haven't heard talk about mean pistols. I think there is another culprit. Shrimp die most often after they have molted, when they are more susceptible to attacks by tankmates and to poor water quality.

Do you have an Aiptasia problem right now? You can always try getting rid of the anemones manually instead of adding more shrimp which *may* eat the pest. I agree with Liana, I don't think you need to add more critters. You have some cool stuff in the tank already.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

if u dont ahve a problem with aptasia yet....avoid adding another critter. if its not broken...why fix it??

If you want to see the shrimp, dont add peppermints. About the only time they are able to be seen is at night after the lights go out by using a flashlight. If you are going to add another shrimp, go with another cleaner of the same species.

I was going to add the peppermints for the Aiptasia problem. I've seen them eating the Aiptasia at the pet store, so I'd just pick the ones I knew ate it. Could I add one or two peppermints for the problem? Or should I just stick with chemicals for Aiptasia?

Also, do peppermints eat corals? I have some green star polyp and I don't remember what the other is called. It's an easy to keep hard coral that resembles an anenome.