Weird Symbiosis

[pinda]

I have a peppermint shrimp that seems to be cleaning my clarkii clown and my domino damsel. They stay real still while he cleans them. Isn't this weird??????? Apparently this behaviour isnt weird at all http://www.fishlore.com/profile-peppermintshrimp.htm

 

[tecwzrd]

The peppermint shrimp is in the cleaner shrimp family also. What's weird is I have a skunk cleaner, peppermint, and CBS shrimp and my yellow tang will only go to the CBS to be cleaned which it does gladly :|

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I have a peppermint and a skunk, and neither clean 'nuthin! (Except the food out of the tank before the fish can even get to it. Lazy cleaners!)

 

[pinda]

I am planning to buy a cleaner shrimp with the hopes of it cleaning my fish.

 

[melosu58]

I have a Blood or Fire shrimp and peppermints that cleans my tangs. I dont think that your peppermint Shrimp is all that weird. Sounds normal to me.

 

[roka64]

I have a peppermint and a skunk, and neither clean 'nuthin! (Except the food out of the tank before the fish can even get to it. Lazy cleaners!)

I had a fire shrimp and cleaner shrimp and they never cleaned anything either! I think it might be that I was still new and overfed....

 

[artoledo]

I have a skunk cleaner which cleans my Tang whenever he comes over. The weird thing is that he stays next to one of my LTA's and cleans it for hours. I don't know what to think of this.

 

[Agnate80700]

My emp. angel stops next to my arrow crab to get cleaned. The arrow crab doesnt know wtf is going on and I can just see the conversation in bubbles over their heads


Angel Clean me? (pulls up)
Crab: uh... too close for comfort buddy. (moves back slightly)
Angel: Clean me? (scoots closer)
Crab: Dude seriously, I dont do that. (uses claw to push angel away)
Angel: Clean me!
Crab: *sigh* ok Im gonna go over there. You stay here. (moves a few inches away)
Angel: Clean me? (repositions next to crab)
Crab: HOW ARE YOU NOT GETTING THIS?? Cripe, all I wanted to do was snack on this rock, now my day is ruined (scuttles away)


Everything in parenthesis are real actions they do lol

 

[pinda]

My emp. angel stops next to my arrow crab to get cleaned. The arrow crab doesnt know wth is going on and I can just see the conversation in bubbles over their heads


Angel Clean me? (pulls up)
Crab: uh... too close for comfort buddy. (moves back slightly)
Angel: Clean me? (scoots closer)
Crab: Dude seriously, I dont do that. (uses claw to push angel away)
Angel: Clean me!
Crab: *sigh* ok Im gonna go over there. You stay here. (moves a few inches away)
Angel: Clean me? (repositions next to crab)
Crab: HOW ARE YOU NOT GETTING THIS?? Cripe, all I wanted to do was snack on this rock, now my day is ruined (scuttles away)


Everything in parenthesis are real actions they do lol

Guys on this forum really do love their fish.

 

[newfound77951]

I just saw my skunk cleaner shrimp cleaning one of the fish for the first time the other day. It was the pigmy angel, the wrasse won't sit still long enough to let the shrimp clean him. My shrimp also loves to clean my hands when I am doing tank maintenance, it's so neat!

 

[MT79]

What's weird is I have a skunk cleaner, peppermint, and CBS shrimp and my yellow tang will only go to the CBS to be cleaned which it does gladly

Now that is weird. I've only saw or heard of CBS's threatening fish in aquariums, though they are a cleaner in nature. Pretty neat.

Cleaners, whether it's a skunk shrimp or a neon goby, are some of the most interesting critters we can house IMO. Only in SW