Cleaner shrimp not interested in fish!

Pike614 · 08/31/2007, 09:00 AM

Got a new cleaner shrimp about a month ago, and he will not "clean" any of the fish that approach him for a cleaning. I am not sure if this is normal for some shrimp to prefer frozen and flake foods over cleaning off parasites. Anyone else have any experience with this happening in their system? Is there any way to coax him to clean the fish, or am I just stuck with a cleaner shrimp that doesn't clean?
Thanks!

Travis L. Stevens · 08/31/2007, 09:01 AM

This happens often. You're not the only one. Usually in a captive environment, cleaner shrimp clean drastically less than when seen in captivity. Don't worry about it, and enjoy their beauty.

Pike614 · 08/31/2007, 09:11 AM

Any better option to help keep the fish clean? They seem to want to get cleaned although there aren't any parasites I can see on them. This is a reef tank, so reef-safe is a must!

Fish Filet · 08/31/2007, 09:19 AM

Low wages, no insurance, inadequate workspace are often cited as causes for a shrimp to behave in this manner. I say can the sucker and get another one.

lvreefer · 08/31/2007, 10:01 AM

It seems to be more common these days. It could be from captive breeding. I rembemer a time when I would stick my hand in any customers tank they would flock to come clean my hang nails. These days they just wait for food. But none the less they look great and feed the corals with their spawns.

JAS01 · 08/31/2007, 10:03 AM

Feed the tank less, I was told that if the shrimp isn't hungry he will not clean as much. Might not be right, but worth a try.

Pike614 · 08/31/2007, 10:07 AM

Are any of the "cleaner wrasses" reef safe? Or do you get the same issue there with them prefering the easy meal when all the fish are being fed.

AquaKnight · 08/31/2007, 11:13 AM

The opposite actually, there isn't enough 'cleaning' for them to do, and they typically starve to death. For what I've gathered, they don't take to prepared foods real well if at all.

seapug · 08/31/2007, 11:17 AM

I had two that stopped cleaning after a while, too. I don't kn0w where AquaKnight is getting his, but all mine did was steal food from the fish and corals.

Pike, get a second one and they will start spawning 1-2X/month. It's a giant feast for the fish and corals. If they won't clean the fish, at least they can help feed them.

Pike614 · 08/31/2007, 11:20 AM

thanks seapug! I will do just that! He has molted 3 times in the past month, so he is growing for sure...and will swim clear acrossed the tank to grab any food he can! I'll get another one and see what happens!

D-Rod · 08/31/2007, 11:23 AM

My pair of Neon Gobys do a better job than my cleaner shrimp.

AquaKnight · 08/31/2007, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by seapug
I had two that stopped cleaning after a while, too. I don't kn0w where AquaKnight is getting his, but all mine did was steal food from the fish and corals.

Pike, get a second one and they will start spawning 1-2X/month. It's a giant feast for the fish and corals. If they won't clean the fish, at least they can help feed them.

There tons of threads out, search 'cleaner wrasse bad' and bunch should pop up. Additionally, they're really a fish that shouldn't be collected from reefs, their presence on the reef is far too important, then to be killing many off in fish tanks for a few survivers...

seapug · 08/31/2007, 11:43 AM

I was talking about cleaner shrimp.

AquaKnight · 08/31/2007, 11:56 AM

Ah, okay, pike just asked about cleaner wrasses and was responsing to him.

Reef of Eden · 08/31/2007, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fish Filet
I say can the sucker and get another one.

Pike614 · 08/31/2007, 12:31 PM

Thanks for the help! I was reading up on the cleaner wrasses as they were recommended to me on another post, I prefer the shrimp! I'll add another shrimp and see what happens!
Thanks!

thrillreefer · 08/31/2007, 01:26 PM

I had two in my 55 that would clean fish occasionally, but would jump to my hand and start cleaning it whenever i put it in the tank. It was pretty funny, but even a bit annoying when i was trying to do something else in the tank. do yours engage in this behavior at all? you might try approaching them slowly or hand-feeding to coax them into it. they get quite tame after a while

as a side note, are cleaner shrimp hermaphroditic, or at least able to change sex? I had two for a long time in my 55, but never noticed any signs of spawning (not sure that I would have). How would I know if they were spawning?

dcombs44 · 08/31/2007, 01:33 PM

I have two pepps in my tank. Usually twice a month or so one of them is carrying a clutch of eggs with it's hind legs. I've never seen it release them, but I have seen them carrying them.

seapug · 08/31/2007, 02:41 PM

They are hermaphrodites and fertilize each other's eggs. Like dcombs, said, they are pretty easy to see when the parents are carrying them. I saw mine release the eggs many times. Usually right after the lights went off at night-- thousands of little tiny shrimp all over the place. Apparently they are very hard to grow out in captivity but read something somewhere about someone who had done it. I'd try but my Flame Hawkfish dispensed with my cleaners a few weeks back. They were nice to have for a while but can't say I really miss them.

08/31/2007, 09:00 AM	#1
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	Cleaner shrimp not interested in fish! Got a new cleaner shrimp about a month ago, and he will not "clean" any of the fish that approach him for a cleaning. I am not sure if this is normal for some shrimp to prefer frozen and flake foods over cleaning off parasites. Anyone else have any experience with this happening in their system? Is there any way to coax him to clean the fish, or am I just stuck with a cleaner shrimp that doesn't clean? Thanks!

08/31/2007, 09:01 AM	#2
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	This happens often. You're not the only one. Usually in a captive environment, cleaner shrimp clean drastically less than when seen in captivity. Don't worry about it, and enjoy their beauty. __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

08/31/2007, 11:17 AM	#9
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	I had two that stopped cleaning after a while, too. I don't kn0w where AquaKnight is getting his, but all mine did was steal food from the fish and corals. Pike, get a second one and they will start spawning 1-2X/month. It's a giant feast for the fish and corals. If they won't clean the fish, at least they can help feed them. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

08/31/2007, 11:23 AM	#11
D-Rod Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Paso Robles, Ca Posts: 1,020	My pair of Neon Gobys do a better job than my cleaner shrimp. __________________ The Vino Man - I Trade With Wine...Just Ask! Current Tank Info: Small Tank, Lights, Fish; Tangs a whole bunch, 4 False Perculas, 6 rose anemones Mixed Reef.

08/31/2007, 11:43 AM	#13
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	I was talking about cleaner shrimp. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

08/31/2007, 09:11 AM	#3
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	Any better option to help keep the fish clean? They seem to want to get cleaned although there aren't any parasites I can see on them. This is a reef tank, so reef-safe is a must!

08/31/2007, 09:19 AM	#4
Fish Filet Moved On Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 282	Low wages, no insurance, inadequate workspace are often cited as causes for a shrimp to behave in this manner. I say can the sucker and get another one.

08/31/2007, 10:01 AM	#5
lvreefer Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sin City Posts: 1,163	It seems to be more common these days. It could be from captive breeding. I rembemer a time when I would stick my hand in any customers tank they would flock to come clean my hang nails. These days they just wait for food. But none the less they look great and feed the corals with their spawns.

08/31/2007, 10:03 AM	#6
JAS01 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 22	Feed the tank less, I was told that if the shrimp isn't hungry he will not clean as much. Might not be right, but worth a try.

08/31/2007, 10:07 AM	#7
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	Are any of the "cleaner wrasses" reef safe? Or do you get the same issue there with them prefering the easy meal when all the fish are being fed.

08/31/2007, 11:13 AM	#8
AquaKnight Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Emerald Coast Posts: 2,030	The opposite actually, there isn't enough 'cleaning' for them to do, and they typically starve to death. For what I've gathered, they don't take to prepared foods real well if at all.

08/31/2007, 11:20 AM	#10
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	thanks seapug! I will do just that! He has molted 3 times in the past month, so he is growing for sure...and will swim clear acrossed the tank to grab any food he can! I'll get another one and see what happens!

08/31/2007, 11:56 AM	#14
AquaKnight Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Emerald Coast Posts: 2,030	Ah, okay, pike just asked about cleaner wrasses and was responsing to him.

08/31/2007, 12:31 PM	#16
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	Thanks for the help! I was reading up on the cleaner wrasses as they were recommended to me on another post, I prefer the shrimp! I'll add another shrimp and see what happens! Thanks!

08/31/2007, 01:26 PM	#17
thrillreefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Newton, MA Posts: 308	I had two in my 55 that would clean fish occasionally, but would jump to my hand and start cleaning it whenever i put it in the tank. It was pretty funny, but even a bit annoying when i was trying to do something else in the tank. do yours engage in this behavior at all? you might try approaching them slowly or hand-feeding to coax them into it. they get quite tame after a while as a side note, are cleaner shrimp hermaphroditic, or at least able to change sex? I had two for a long time in my 55, but never noticed any signs of spawning (not sure that I would have). How would I know if they were spawning?

08/31/2007, 01:33 PM	#18
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	I have two pepps in my tank. Usually twice a month or so one of them is carrying a clutch of eggs with it's hind legs. I've never seen it release them, but I have seen them carrying them. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress

08/31/2007, 02:41 PM	#19
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	They are hermaphrodites and fertilize each other's eggs. Like dcombs, said, they are pretty easy to see when the parents are carrying them. I saw mine release the eggs many times. Usually right after the lights went off at night-- thousands of little tiny shrimp all over the place. Apparently they are very hard to grow out in captivity but read something somewhere about someone who had done it. I'd try but my Flame Hawkfish dispensed with my cleaners a few weeks back. They were nice to have for a while but can't say I really miss them. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.