pepermint shrimp trying to eat my clam?

[segen77]

I noticed last night, that one of my clams was completely closed up and there was a pepermint shrimp on it trying to stick it's claws down in there. The clam hasn't opened back up fully yet today, so I'm wondering if the clam was being attacked or just cleaned. Does anyone know if a pep shrimp would even try to eat the clam?

Thanks

Peppermint shrimp can be little pests... when hungry they will try to extract food from where ever they can. I don't think they would eat the clam, but they would for sure try to still food from it.

Target feeding them a couple times a week should help this from continuing.

[icereefer]

I have been trying to get mine out of my prop tank, those dang things keep stealing my food out of my trumpets and Acans when i target feed them and I even went as far as target feeding my peppermints before I feed my LPS. :censored:
it's gotten to the point were my peppermints know when I feed them and they stand by waiting for me to get done then they move in. :(
and there scissor like claws will do damage if you take a magnafing glass and look at the Mantles after a peppermints has been clawing around you will see tiny little abrasions it's left behind.
My peppermints kept what I thought they were cleaning my Baby gold Max.and I looked real close at the clam and seen it had lots of tiny cuts in the Mantles. it go an infection and died and the shrimp ate the meat out of the clam with in 4 hours. with the help of my pods and bristles. :thinkhard:

[segen77]

and here i thought pep shrimp was a good thing to have in the tank. I guess I need to figure out how to get them back out.

[icereefer]

try doing what travis mentioned with target feeding if that don't work,then try and get them out I'm just letting you know what could happen, I know some that have never had a problem with there peppermints,but you have to watch them, they do have there good points and there bad points just like most of our critters we have in our tanks , I just have some really expensive Acans in my tank and I'm not willing to let my $8.00 shrimp bring any harm to my Acans.
Jim

[Doctor_Reef]

Peps can be little devils.....They will irritate clams, corals, feather dusters, etc… and even kill if they can get by with it!!! Ditto's with what Jim said!!!

[Sugar Magnolia]

Getting peps out is easy since theyr'e such pigs. I skewered some fresh shrimp on a bamboo skewer and positioned the net just under the skewer. The shrimp will grab the skwered meat and then you just scoop the shrimp out.

You can also capture them using a glass with some food in the bottom...

I had several in my 55g and had a lot of trouble with them for a long time. Now I spot feed them a couple times a week and they have became manageable... before they would swam anything that had food.

[segen77]

So, that clam is gone now. The more I think about it, I would have to think that the pep shrimp were at it as the clam was dying off, because my other clam was just fine.

[icereefer]

oh yeah shrimp are scavengers not hunters. but scavenging for food some times they can cause,havic on things.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I'd have to agree. I was actually wodering this as I read your initial post. Peps can be a pain in the rear, but are opportunistic feeders and will feed on dying/dead flesh regardless. I had a similar situation with a clam.

Sorry for the loss. :(