![]() And, it turns out that a lot of these creatures are being harvested. boggessi as the species most collected for the aquarium trade, researchers have been doing some counting. wurdemanni) in other words, the aiptasia-eating commenced with or without proper identification. boggessi confused with other species (especially L. Thankfully, in most of these cases, it has actually been L. ![]() What is important here is that not all of these imposters are as inclined to consume aiptasia anemones. And, apparently, these have been lumped in with or confused with some of them. There are quite a few related Lysmata species that very closely resemble it. Historically, there has been some confusion (at least within the aquarium trade) in identifying the “true” peppermint shrimp. Voted Most Popularīecause of its easygoing temperament and reef-safe status-in addition to its beautiful coloration-the peppermint shrimp was in high demand in the aquarium trade even before its aiptasia-eating abilities were well known. It is white or off-white with numerous bright red striations over most or all of its body (hence its name). It stays rather small at an adult size of just under a couple inches. The peppermint shrimp is decidedly shrimp-like in overall shape. When on reefs, it is commonly encountered on the roofs of caves and crevasses or within the cavity of vase sponges. This includes soft-bottom seagrass (Thalassia testidinum) meadows, hard-bottom seaweed beds, rocky shores and coral reefs. ![]() This adaptable species inhabits shallow (2–5 meters of depth), subtidal environments of all kinds. The peppermint shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) is native to the Florida Keys, Key West and the Gulf of Mexico. However, at this time, the most trusted and commonly available species for aiptasia control is the peppermint shrimp (Lysmata boggessi). nudibranchs, Molly Miller blennies and the “aiptasia-eating ” filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus). Many aquarists have reported success using Berghia sp. Luckily, some of these aiptasia-eaters can live in aquaria and will indeed feed on aiptasia under captive conditions. There are even organisms out there that target them specifically as a food source. That’s right, as nasty as we think they are, a few creatures find them to be absolutely delicious. Without an abundant supply of food, aiptasia simply cannot enjoy the explosive growth rates we too often observe in many home aquaria.īut an even bigger reason why they don’t take over the Earth is that they are biologically controlled by predation. For one, coral reefs typically have far lower organic and nutrient loads than even the cleanest aquarium system. But there are a couple of reasons why those beautiful, dynamic, diverse ecosystems we call coral reefs are not instead vast undersea gardens of aiptasia. So, if they are so invasive and so hardy (let’s just throw fast-growing in there, too), then why don’t they completely take over natural reef habits? They certainly occur in the natural environment, right? If anything, they actually love the “suboptimal” conditions of most aquaria, including the characteristically high loads of particulate organic matter. Your hard effort to avoid this nuisance certainly helped in limiting the numbers that found their way into your system. Aiptasia anemones!ĭon’t be too hard on yourself. And topping the list of most feared pests? Aiptasia anemones!īut, despite starting out with dry rock and sand, using only artificial seawater and meticulously inspecting every piece of coral before introducing it to the tank… that most feared invader eventually reared its ugly head. At the top of the list of things you didn’t want were aquarium pests. Not only were you determined to include everything in the system that should be there, but you took great care to avoid adding anything that you didn’t want there. ![]() You had just set up a new aquarium system and were going to take full advantage of every opportunity to do everything just right. This time was going to be different, you said. Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) The Aiptasia Destroyers ![]()
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