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My Peppermint Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp Photos
I wish I had time to write about the various species and types of saltwater shrimp as well as about peppermint shrimp. Instead, I will just tell you about mine.
My two sexy shrimp had died in the 6 gallon nano reef tank by mid-July 2010. I decided to get two peppermint shrimp. They are supposed to eat Aiptasia, and the tank has plenty. While they may grow a bit big for my tank, I got two because I figured one may die, and they also like to have a friend.
They arrived from Live Aquaria on 8/5/10, and they were washed out (all clear). They seemed to like their 1.5 hour drip acclimation. After I put them in, they did as expected and hid but I did see one the next morning, hanging upside down under the live rock.
I named the two shrimp Peppy and Minty from peppermint. Minty has a cyst of some sort on his side. He arrived like that but it does not seem to bother him. If I drop in sinking shrimp pellets, they will each come grab one and cradle it as they pick at it. Shrimp love to eat shrimp! Scary, the crab, will try to get the pellets too but I think he is scared of the shrimp who are larger in size but smaller in density and weight.
I was looking at Peppy on 11/14/10 who had been hanging out more in view. I was wondering why he looked to have been eating algae when I realized, duh, he is a she, and those are eggs! Peppy is carrying eggs and does not seem to have the swimmerettes I am used to seeing with freshwater shrimp who constantly fan the eggs. That means that Minty is male.
It was not until 1/30/11 that I first noticed that Peppy no longer was carrying eggs (or so I thought). That was more than two months!
On 2/5/11, Peppy seems to have eggs but I am not sure if they are the same ones or new ones. I have also learned that peppermint shrimp are hermaphrodites so Peppy and Minty are both female and male. Minty has never had eggs though perhaps due to the cyst on "his" side.
I saw the two shrimp almost daily until April 2011 when Minty vanished. Unless I see him, Minty is presumed dead. Peppy seems just fine.
I saw Peppy on 1/26/12. I do not see him often.
Photos are listed from oldest to newest.
This is a photo of the two peppermint shrimp during drip acclimation on 8/7/10 on the day that I
got them. They were washed out in this photo so later photos should be much better!
Two peppermint shrimp - Peppy at
the top and Minty at the bottom with a cyst on his/her right shoulder.
These two photos of Minty (with his cyst) were taken on 8/30/10:
Peppermint shrimp
Peppermint shrimp
I got this book on peppermint shrimp and hope to one day to have time to read it!
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