Cleaner Shrimp question

nrbelk · 04/23/2010, 09:09 AM

I would like to get a cleaner shrimp for my fish but I don't know how much it takes to support one of these shrimp. I want to make sure it has enough food to eat.

How many fish do you generally need to support one cleaner shrimp? And if they clean the fish and run out of stuff to clean, with they bottom feed like other shrimp or will they starve without "dirty" fish?

Thanks.

Flying_Hellfish · 04/23/2010, 09:14 AM

My cleaner eats anything I put in the tank.... mysis, flake, pellets, etc. I have never worried about him and he has been growing and molting since I got him.

jeepguy242 · 04/23/2010, 09:15 AM

+1 mine is a pig, the fish are scared by him, and he eats anything

Chris27 · 04/23/2010, 09:19 AM

Mine like to wrestle food from a nearby anemone....tough little bugger if you ask me.

sbaddley · 04/23/2010, 09:32 AM

Mine eats anything and everyting. I only see it when I feed the tank. The rest of the time it hides under a rock.

mcfeefer · 04/23/2010, 09:34 AM

Of all the shrimp I have the cleaner is my favorite. He is always out in the open where you can see him,unlike the others. He will eat anything you put in the tank. Depending on your tank size you can try two they seem to be happy to play together. good luck and dont worry they will take care of them selves.

Im14abeer · 04/23/2010, 09:50 AM

Cleaner shrimp are not obligate cleaners (like a cleaner wrasse). You can see by the other responses that starvation will not be an issue. I have to fend mine off with the Turkey baster when I feed my sun corals.

gweston · 04/23/2010, 11:28 AM

I got one a week+ ago. They'll scavenge and eat what they find. They don't really need to be direct fed, though I did purposefully send some froz mysis and frozhikari marine it's way. It LOVES mysis. Skunk cleaners are more carnivorous, so meaty foods are better. It'll also pick up flake/pellet.

It will try to snag food from my anemone, but I'm not worried about it. It doesn't hurt the nem at all. If anything it is cautious and won't get all that close. Those tentacles are sticky and the shrimp doesn't like being stuck to something.

Fizz71 · 04/23/2010, 11:34 AM

+1 on all the previous posts and I just wanted to add that they are also the most ENTERTAINING eaters out there. Watching those little legs spin out trying to "swim" in my current is quite amusing. Watching him try to clean my hand when I'm working in his neighborhood is also entertaining.

Oh and provided you have enough iodine in the tank don't be freaked out the first time you find his molt.

..when they're healthy and the iodine levels in your tank are normal you could get monthly molts that look like a whole dead shrimp.

Indymann99 · 04/23/2010, 04:30 PM

My cleaners are great fun to watch

cleaning my 7yr olds hand

Molt (thought my shrimp died...)

MrMarth · 04/23/2010, 09:33 PM

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said above. I just wanted to add that you could have even more frequent molts than monthly. I've had my skunk cleaner shrimp for 6 weeks and he's already molted 3 times. I had heard about how much the molt look like the shrimp before it happened but I still had to see mine come out for food before I was at ease, lol.

Lannyrx7 · 04/23/2010, 09:39 PM

Cleaner shrimp are definitely pigs. If there is food in the tank... they will not go hungry. They will even go upside down on the top of the water and pick off floating flakes.

battlelurker · 04/23/2010, 10:27 PM

Mine absolutely loved mysis, he would try to swim around to catch them as they floated by. I learned the hard way and had my SG a little low for inverts, and he ended up dying. pretty lame since he was really fun to watch

04/23/2010, 09:09 AM	#1
nrbelk Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho Posts: 935	Cleaner Shrimp question I would like to get a cleaner shrimp for my fish but I don't know how much it takes to support one of these shrimp. I want to make sure it has enough food to eat. How many fish do you generally need to support one cleaner shrimp? And if they clean the fish and run out of stuff to clean, with they bottom feed like other shrimp or will they starve without "dirty" fish? Thanks.

04/23/2010, 09:15 AM	#3
jeepguy242 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Winston Salem NC Posts: 370	+1 mine is a pig, the fish are scared by him, and he eats anything __________________ Greensboro NC area reef club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef, 40 gallon sump, mag 9.5 return, quiet one 6000 closed loop, reef octo NWB-150 2010 model, diy kalkwasser reactor and ATO, 3 250 watt MH 14k

04/23/2010, 09:34 AM	#6
mcfeefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: slippery rock, pa Posts: 80	shrimp Of all the shrimp I have the cleaner is my favorite. He is always out in the open where you can see him,unlike the others. He will eat anything you put in the tank. Depending on your tank size you can try two they seem to be happy to play together. good luck and dont worry they will take care of them selves.

04/23/2010, 09:50 AM	#7
Im14abeer BRILLIANT! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Grosse Pointe Farms, MI Posts: 406	Cleaner shrimp are not obligate cleaners (like a cleaner wrasse). You can see by the other responses that starvation will not be an issue. I have to fend mine off with the Turkey baster when I feed my sun corals. __________________ Veni, vidi, fishi Current Tank Info: Mixed 235 "reefin' in the corner." Reefbreeders 48 & 32. 2x Tunze 6255 on a 7096, Basement sump, Avast cs1, mag 18 return. Chaeto, kalk.

04/23/2010, 04:30 PM	#10
Indymann99 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,447	My cleaners are great fun to watch cleaning my 7yr olds hand Molt (thought my shrimp died...) __________________ 120g DT 100lbs LR / 200 lbs LS, 45g fuge, VectraM1 Return, Herbie drain, 4x RW-8, 2x AI Hydra 26 w AWM, ASM G2, Apex controller, Apex BoB w floats ATO

04/23/2010, 09:14 AM	#2
Flying_Hellfish Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Aurora, IL Posts: 253	My cleaner eats anything I put in the tank.... mysis, flake, pellets, etc. I have never worried about him and he has been growing and molting since I got him.

04/23/2010, 09:19 AM	#4
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	Mine like to wrestle food from a nearby anemone....tough little bugger if you ask me.

04/23/2010, 09:32 AM	#5
sbaddley Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Smithfield, UT Posts: 86	Mine eats anything and everyting. I only see it when I feed the tank. The rest of the time it hides under a rock.

04/23/2010, 11:28 AM	#8
gweston Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gardner, MA Posts: 961	I got one a week+ ago. They'll scavenge and eat what they find. They don't really need to be direct fed, though I did purposefully send some froz mysis and frozhikari marine it's way. It LOVES mysis. Skunk cleaners are more carnivorous, so meaty foods are better. It'll also pick up flake/pellet. It will try to snag food from my anemone, but I'm not worried about it. It doesn't hurt the nem at all. If anything it is cautious and won't get all that close. Those tentacles are sticky and the shrimp doesn't like being stuck to something.

04/23/2010, 11:34 AM	#9
Fizz71 FragSwapper Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Lawn, PA Posts: 5,800	+1 on all the previous posts and I just wanted to add that they are also the most ENTERTAINING eaters out there. Watching those little legs spin out trying to "swim" in my current is quite amusing. Watching him try to clean my hand when I'm working in his neighborhood is also entertaining. Oh and provided you have enough iodine in the tank don't be freaked out the first time you find his molt. ..when they're healthy and the iodine levels in your tank are normal you could get monthly molts that look like a whole dead shrimp.

04/23/2010, 09:33 PM	#11
MrMarth Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 139	I agree with pretty much everything that's been said above. I just wanted to add that you could have even more frequent molts than monthly. I've had my skunk cleaner shrimp for 6 weeks and he's already molted 3 times. I had heard about how much the molt look like the shrimp before it happened but I still had to see mine come out for food before I was at ease, lol.

04/23/2010, 09:39 PM	#12
Lannyrx7 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha,NE Posts: 96	Cleaner shrimp are definitely pigs. If there is food in the tank... they will not go hungry. They will even go upside down on the top of the water and pick off floating flakes.

04/23/2010, 10:27 PM	#13
battlelurker Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SLO, Ca Posts: 69	Mine absolutely loved mysis, he would try to swim around to catch them as they floated by. I learned the hard way and had my SG a little low for inverts, and he ended up dying. pretty lame since he was really fun to watch

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