Cleaner shrimp question

[mtlion]

I just placed my cleaner shrimp and 2 clown fish into my DT and have noticed that the shrimp seems to have taken up refuge under a piece of LR. He has been hanging there upside down now for several days and occasionally peeks his head out. He seems to like something down there as he appears to be cleaning the LR like nobody's business. I was wondering if there is a time frame for when he will interact with the fish and attempt to clean them, or do some shrimp and fish never get together for cleaning? Thanks for any input!

 

[bawel]

Not all fishes like to be cleaned =) my Cleaner Shrimp luvs to clean my scissortail goby, sometimes I saw that the shrimp opens goby's mouth too. At first, I thought the shrimp was murdering my fish but it doesn't. As for your cleaner shrimp, let him get adjusted, usually it moves when you give foods, like when I tried to give mysis shrimp/Brine/even pellets, my shrimp thinks he's a fish and trying to go up to the surface catching the foods.

 

[roka64]

I've never had a cleaner shrimp clean my fish....who knows, maybe I didn't have anything on my fish to clean or they were just lazy....

 

[mtlion]

One more question! Is the cleaner shrimp of with eating whatever he is cleaning off of the rock? Will he eat missed fish food?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

its a scavanger.. he should polish off any food that hits the ground.

 

[ezy33]

I would suspect that if a clown fish can host a anemone it, may carry the anemone's poison and make it a poor choice for cleaning.

 

[Copepod]

I have two cleaners and they are great friends !! They both hang out together under a rock overhang and are constantly digging out stuff to eat along with cleaning the fish. My Clarkii Clown hosts them and brings them food. Some clean fish more than others.

I hand feed (using two fingers) frozen (thawed) mysis and cube as well as krill. They crawl all over my hand the minute and go straight to my fingers where the food is. They are all different.

 

[mtlion]

I have heard that hand feeding with krill is possible with the cleaners

 

[Patroklos]

My cleaner shimp are fearless, they happly clean my hand without food let alone take food from it!

 

[divedeep1689]

i have tryed to keep cleaner shrimp in my tank but everytime they die twice they did it i know its not the calcium my corals and sand sifter look great

 

[roka64]

They don't use calcium for their shells, they need iodine/iodide for molting.

 

[divedeep1689]

ah that would explain it but still with regular water changes using instant ocean reef crystals shouldnt that not be a problem?