A shrimpy little question..

[nallender]

Hello,
I have been considering getting 2 peppermint shrimp in my tank to help with pests (bristle worms, aiptasia). My tank is going to be a mixed reef, peaceful community tank. I also am drawn to the idea of a pistol shrimp/ goby combo and I believe the pistol shrimp would kill the peppermints. I also like the idea of a cleaner shrimp setting up a station and cleaning fish! I am not set on any of the options but I was hoping that I could start a discussion on which would be more beneficial for my tank.

My primary concern is that the shrimp I get would have a "job" and would not harm any corals or invertebrates. I could get a Canary Wrasse for the worms and have a shrimp which would serve another purpose. The more opinions the better. Thanks in advance to all those that respond!!

[PhotoJohn]

well first off bristle worms are good. They are a wonderful part of a clean up crew. They may not look beautiful but they get the job done.

I have a shrimp/goby combo, they are my favorite animals in my tank. I do not know how well they mix with other shrimp but I think it would be fine. I had a cleaner shrimp in my tank for a long time and they got along fine. The pistol shrimp mostly stays in and around its lair. I doubt it would cause issues with other animals.

[dillan]

I'm not sure about the pistol shrimp but i have peppermint shrimp and cleaners in my tank and they get along fine. i really like the peppermints as soon as i put my hands in the tank to do anything they come running out to clean my hands and under my nails.

[nallender]

well first off bristle worms are good. They are a wonderful part of a clean up crew. They may not look beautiful but they get the job done.

I was always under that impression however I know there are some to watch for. From what I read the grey ones are not good b/c they get large and can become predators. I saw one that was grey this morning. It looked big from the small part of it that I saw.

[SaltCritters]

I have a pep, pistol, and blood shrimp allin a 10gal tank with no problems.

[Skurvey Dog]

I was always under that impression however I know there are some to watch for. From what I read the grey ones are not good b/c they get large and can become predators. I saw one that was grey this morning. It looked big from the small part of it that I saw.

Hello Nallender and to TR! As PhotoJohn posted in a previous post. Bristle worms are good and part of your clean up crew. There are worms similar to the bristle worm, a fire worm, perhaps you are thinking of that species. It is very rare indeed for someone to have those. My tanks are full of bristle worms and I have Never, ever had any to attack, take advantage of, or any other negative behavior. I however did remove one bristle worm in the past 2 years and that was because he was in my nano and he was rather large. 8" long to be exact. Bristle worms are scavengers like crabs, serpent stars and the like. Of course you are going to find them eating on dead or nearly dead matter. They are not predators, nor will they attack your fish. It's what they do best. I wouldn't worry. Just think...... others are buying them to place in their tanks. You're one step ahead of some of the other reefers.

[suep]

I've had a pistol shrimp/goby, 2 sexies, and a peppermint shrimp in 20 gallon for a year. Happy campers.

I have a pistol shrimp/goby and 2 sexies in my 2 1/2 gallon pico.

And I just added a 2nd pistol shrimp and 2 hi-fin banded gobies to my 29 gallon BioCube. That tank has a Coral Beauty angel, a fairy wrasse, a large red & white striped cardinal with blue eyes, and a miniature hawkfish. I was a bit worried about the hawkfish, but it's been several days and he's lost interest in the gobies. Both goby/shrimp pairs are sticking their heads out of their caves at the moment, hoping something edible will float by. :-) One of the pistol shrimp has been in the tank for months but he obviously lost his partner goby early on, since I haven't seen either of them for months. When I got the two new gobies, the shrimp got a lot more active and visible.

The only problem I've had in the tank is I had to rescue my poor red starfish a couple times when he got to close to the shrimp's lairs and they started to drag him under the rock or bury him accidentally.

[nallender]

from the sounds of things I can get a pistol/ goby combo, get a pair of skunk cleaners, and a peppermint shrimp in my 90g and be alright. This will give the tank diversity as well..