experience with blood shrimp?

[3thumbs]

Hello everyone,

this is my first post....what a fantastic site!!!!
knowledgable posts, inquisitive responses.

I was curious to hear some of your experiences with blood shrimp.

Mine is very reclusive, only comes out to eat, and doesn't clean my clowns (at least not yet)...it looks beautiful..but not much action.

anyone have a different experience?
if so, please share...give me some hope.

 

[macman7010]

hello 3thumbs and welcome to Aquarium Advice, I am glad you are enjoying the forum thus far. I have kept several Blood Shrimp or as they are also called Fire Shrimp and have had similar expierences to your own. For the most part they do not make very good cleaners and stay reclusive most of the time.

They are gorgeous shrimp and in the looks department they are clear winners among others but they tend to me more sensitive and harder to keep than other shrimp.

 

[20 20]

Here's a link that has a description of them, seems to coincide with your experience:

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/blood_shrimp.html

 

[quarryshark]

Hello and welcome to AA!!!

Yes, I have noticed they are rather shy. Give him a little time, he (or she) may come out of their shell (so to speak) somewhat. Mine actually will clean my hand a bit if I am very still and move slowly, but that activity took a while to develop.
The will clean my Maculosus a bit if she comes in their cave, but not with the vigor that the skunk cleaners will.

 

[Fireworks]

My coral banded shrimp ate mine before I ever got to see it in action. I hope you have better luck than I did. The real drag is I got the banded shrimp for free, and paid 40 bucks for the doomed blood shrimp.

 

[oceandelight]

my bloodshrimp is pretty friendly. he doesn't move much from his over hang but when my tangs swim near him he will clean them but he won't move to the tangs like my cleaner shrimp do

 

[austinsdad]

I've found that in groups of 3, they seem to come out more. I had 3 and saw them all the time out front. 2 died, now I only see the one when feeding. Had'm for about 9 months.

 

[quarryshark]

Just saw some for sale at one of my LFS's. $52 each!! 8O

 

[seaham358]

I have had 2 for some time now and they do not clean like the skunk cleaners do. I have seen mine cleaning maybe 2 or 3 times. One of my tangs would rub up on them and they would do nothing 98% of the time. I added another bringing my total to 3. The 2 orginal always hang out in the front of the tank and the new guy (5 months) hides behind the rocks most of the time. He does not hang out with the others at all?? he is a lot darker red then the other 2. I will be getting at least 1 more soon, I love them shrimp..

 

[lando]

I have one and it is a bit shy, way more then my skunks. It does take time to clean my copperband butterfly. It is a great shrimp and a joy to watch when it is out.