Creepy cleaner shrimp

[Munsterkins]

I wanted to buy a cleaner shrimp or 2... but I read that they would actually eat dead skin off of your hands and arms while you cleaned or rearranged your tank. That is so disgusting... is that even safe? I'd probably catch marine velvet or something, haha. Are all shrimp fearless and lightning fast, if so I probably won't get one, cause I'd never be able to put my hands in there ever again.

Also... why is aptasia so bad? I know that it can reproduce quickly, but is it harmful to any fish or inverts..... or even puppies... I have a black lab

 

[klam]

I think it's neat that the cleaner shrimp will crawl all over your hand. It kind of tickles.
The cleaner shrimp are reef safe but are you?

 

[theatrus]

Within 5 seconds of my hand in the tank, my skunk cleaner is all over me. Kinda tickles, hurts a bit if he decides to go for under the fingernails (although they're rather gentle). I guess a different variety of protein won't hurt his diet

Aiptasia packs a nasty sting, and can crowd out sessile life forms. If your LR was literally covered with them, and a fish landed on it to rest, that could be bad, but otherwise I wouldn't think they jump off the rock and devour fish. But I'm sure someone has a bad story.

 

[Ericwm]

I had heard they will go for hands and was upset when mine didn't. He finally did after a few days, it kinda tickles. I think it is cool that they interact with your hand, nothing else in my tank likes my hand in there.

 

[cashmoney6980]

Whenever we go to the LFS, my wife always goes right for the cleaner shrimp to get her nails cleaned up. She says they never look better than when a cleaner shrimp gets to them lol. It used to be her begging me to leave, now I'm the one begging to leave while she gets her nails cleaned lol