My Peppermint Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp Photos and Video

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 and 2/1/12. I did not see him often. I last saw him in February. Peppy died.

I tried sexy shrimp again that fall but they disappeared in a few months. On 1/14/13, I bought and added a new pair of peppermint shrimp from a local store. I hope they do well! Well, they did well but vanished after a few weeks! I took the rock work apart on 2/8/13, and they are definitely gone. I will have to give up on keeping shrimp. I had the previous peppermint shrimp for almost 1.5 years but these new ones for only a few weeks.

I did not intend to get more peppermint shrimp but they were in a tank with astraea snails that I wanted to add to my 6 gallon tank so I got two peppermint shrimp on 1/19/14 and put them in the 6 gallon tank. They are so interesting to watch. I want them to eat some Aiptasia and thrive.

As of 2/21/14, both new shrimp are doing well, and one of them has been carrying a bumper-load of eggs.

The shrimp did great. Then, on 10/6/15, I realized that I had not seen them in a few days, either one of them. Looking at the tank the next day when I put in food, nobody came to grab the shrimp pellets (yes, they ate shrimp). Alas, I believe they both passed on in short order. I found no bodies. They were in the tank for 20 months this time.

On 2/23/21, I bought a peppermint shrimp for my 12 gallon tank as there are so many Aiptasia in there now. They only had huge females with eggs ("berried" shrimp). So, I got one. I named her Cardi B. She was huge! I saw her that night and not again until I found her large, deceased body on 2/27/21. RIP peppermint girl. I don't know what the cause of death was but can only guess the shock of being netted and moved. She was drip acclimated.

I tried again and got a smaller peppermint shrimp on 4/12/21 for the 12 gallon which is over run with anemones. I hope this one makes it! As of 4/27/21, I have not seen the peppermint shrimp again nor found a body. He is presumed dead. ;-(

Surprise! On 9/26/21, I saw a peppermint shrimp in my 12 gallon tank! Boy, they sure can hide! He/she must not be very hungry though because the amount of Aiptasia has not changed.

The peppermint shrimp in the 12 gallon tank vanished sometime in April of 2023 but was doing very well before then!

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 finally got some good photos of Peppy on 2/1/12! You can also see corals and even a fish (Fireman, my clown goby) in one photo.
Peppy
Peppy
Peppy
Peppy
Peppy - close-up of the last photo
Peppy
Peppy

I took some photos of my two new peppermint shrimp on 1/30/14. One is eating a sinking shrimp pellet.
Peppermint shrimp eating
Peppermint shrimp eating
Peppermint shrimp eating - close-up; Scary the crab is behind him.
Two peppermint shrimp and Scary
Two peppermint shrimp and Scary
Peppermint shrimp and Scary - close-up of the previous photo

Here is a video from 1/30/14 when I took the above photos:
Peppermint Shrimp.

I took these photos of peppermint shrimp on 2/17/14:
Peppermint shrimp
Peppermint shrimp
Peppermint shrimp eggs - close-up of the previous photo

These photos are from 3/29/14 of the peppermint shrimp along with a snail and Scary (crab):
Peppermint shrimp and astraea snail
Peppermint shrimp, Scary, and astraea snail
Peppermint shrimp, Scary, and astraea snail
Peppermint shrimp and Scary - not in focus
Two peppermint shrimp and Scary

I got this book on peppermint shrimp and hope to one day to have time to read it!

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