Cleaner shrimp

[mdl91881]

i have a 55 gallon tank and just got a cleaner shrimp this weekend.

Do you think 1 shrimp will be enough for the tank or should i get another?

Also do i have to feed the shrimp or is he a scavanger? and is so what do i feed him?

 

[loganj]

I think you could put in more than that if you wanted to. I have a peppermint and a blood shrimp in a 10g and they are doing fine. Your shrimp will eat most anything. He will scavenge some and will soon be front and center at feeding time to eat pretty much anything the fish will. Mine like krill, flakes, and small bits of fish meat. Once they settle down, they will come up to the top of the tank and eat from your fingers. I always try to put enough food in so that both shrimp get a piece or two.
Logan J

 

[New2Salt]

We have 2 scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp in our 29 gallon and Logan is right they eat anything they can, basically anything that is put into the tank they are all over it. We feed brine, flake and even the Zooplankton we feed our Pipe Organ they love too, so do the clowns and the blennies, the shrimp love it all! Have fun they are fun to watch especially if you get new fish or corals they like to keep their areas clean of parasites. They even get on your hands if they are in the tank long enough, one pinched me between my fingers, boy it hurt I wasn't expecting it.

Have fun!

Kaurene

 

[Anemoneman]

If you have two cleaner shrimp, they will always carry eggs and hatch them every two weeks or so. Excellent food source for inverts and fish. They will alternate hatches. Both will carry eggs since they are hermaphrodites but you need two. One to fertilize the other. It's a very cool side benefit of having shrimp.

 

[clownfish]

I have two peppermint shrimp and am considering getting a shunk cleaner in my 29g. I love them. They are fun to watch and as folks have said above they everything. I really get a kick out of watching the larger of the pair grab the piece of krill i put in the tannk and run away with it under some LR. He gorges himself and then the smaller one comes by and has his share. Not sure my clowns have even tasted krill yet

 

[Hara]

Yesterday I built a "feeding trough" for the seahorses. Today, the peppermint shrimp were standing on the side eating from it...wonder how many fish are "trainable" ? Sure would make tank cleanup a breeze.

 

[kribbz]

yeah i have a peperment shrimp that was so scared of me the first time i put him in my tank but after about 6 months of feeding shrimp to my anemone he will come and pull a piece right out of my hand. my coral banded has never been shy he has always done this. it's kind of fun. but if you do this i suggest being careful because they can get your fingers from time to time. that sucks

 

[mdl91881]

the has not come out of the rocks since i put him in on saturday. is this normal or is he still adjusting to the tank?

 

[Anemoneman]

What kind of shrimp is it? Peppermint shrimp are nocturnal. If you have a lot of LR, you won't see them very often. Scarlet cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) will be visible nearly all the time. They will set up a cleaning station under a ledge and hang out there waiting for a fish to pass by. They are also aggressive feeders, taking food from corals and anemones so be sure to feed heavily.

Mark

 

[mdl91881]

It is a scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp. he has set up a spot, but it is in the back of the tank between two rocks, but the fish can't get to him and you never even seen him unless you stick your head behind the tank(very tight fit ) he has not moved from that spot since he was put in the tank, not even to feed.

 

[Anemoneman]

scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp = Lysmata amboinensis
Should be a voracious eater. Very greedy. However, these are social shrimp. I suggest you get another one to keep it company. Provided your water conditions are excellent, they will both hang out together and should be a lot less shy. They should not be kept singly IMO.

Mark