Cleaner Shrimp and Peppermint shrimp together

[ahochan]

I'm thinking of replacing my CBS, who is treating the tank as his own private all-you-can-eat buffet (in the 6-7 month's I've had him, he's eaten two hermits and two small gobies).

I'd like to replace him with a standard scarlet cleaning shrimp, but I'd also like to add a small peppermint shrimp that will hopefully help me get rid of some aiptasia.

Will these two shrimp get along in a 60 cm tank?

[Devilishturtles]

Should be fine, in my opinon.

[melosu58]

I agree. You should be OK.

[chase33]

All publications I've read say they should be ok together though there is a post today where someone seems to have problems with the two in the same tank.

[Ziggy953]

I have had both Cleaner shrimps (2) and 6 pepermints in my tank for nearly a year now. They don't bother each other at all. You will do fine with that combination, and you will really enjoy the Cleaner!

[ahochan]

I went ahead and returned the CBS to the store two weeks ago. I got a peppermint shrimp the day after, and added him without problems. He's still in there, although I only see him sticking his head out of his hiding spot once or twice a day.

Last weekend, I went to get a scarlet cleaner shrimp. I drip acclimated him for 30-40 mins before adding. I found him dead the next day. I figured I just got unlucky, so today I went out to get a replacement. I drip-acclimated him 30 min, then put him in. My fish went ballistic, and the clown proceeded to bite off his antennae. I fed the fish, then turned off the light, but it was too late. One hour later the shrimp was dead.

I'm starting to regret getting rid of the CBS, and I wonder if this isn't some kind of sign that I'm not supposed to have a scarlet cleaner

Any thoughts? Give up? Try again?

My water parameters are:
pH 8.2
Ammonia: 0
NO2 0ppm
NO3 25-30 ppm

[MT79]

Just curious what kind of clown do you have and how big is it?
If I where you I would increase the acclimation time to closer to 2 hours. Check the LFS's water to see how far apart the SG of their water is from your tank. Going from a lower to a higher SG environment can be very stressful. So adjust acclimation times accordingly. Also I think the bigger the cleaner shrimp to start, the better off it will be. I went through something similar, so I feel for you.

PS- Your NO3 is getting towards the high side for inverts. Generally you want <20 ppm NO3.

HTH

[ahochan]

The shrimp I got were both rather small... I'll consider a bigger one
I'll wait a few weeks to see if I can do something about my NO3 first as well.

I've thought of the following two things to increase survival if I try again:
- putting it in the sump for a couple of weeks first (I have a small 5W power compact I can use)
- putting it into the main tank at night after the other fish have gone to sleep.

Any thoughts?

[MACATUA]

Shrimp are very prone to swings in SG and water quality. I agree with MT79, I would try a longer acclimation, it is worth it when you are talking about a $30 shrimp. Stretch that out as long as you can stand. Make sure you feed the fish before you introduce him so they are full and preoccupied. And go big, should keep him from being picked on.

[ahochan]

I realize that acclimation is the most critial point, but are skunk shrimp in general more difficult to keep than cbs? My cbs was always very active and alert, so I assumed I would have no problem with keeping a skunk shrimp.

I'm also guessing they are sensitive to temperature swings. My cooler is currently set to 26 degrees, and if I were to acclimate the shrimp for 2 hours, the temperature in in its container would get quite a lot higher than 26.

[MT79]

Originally Posted by ahochan

putting it in the sump for a couple of weeks first (

I think that's a good idea, assuming you can catch him easily. Get him nice and fat and ready to go.

putting it into the main tank at night after the other fish have gone to sleep

Another good idea IMO.

but are skunk shrimp in general more difficult to keep than cbs?

IME no. If given good water, both are fairly hardy once established.

My cooler is currently set to 26 degrees,

Do you know what that is in fahrenheit?
To get the temp down in the acclimation container you could pour in a few cups of tank water over several minutes after the drip is done.

[ahochan]

26 degrees celcius = 78.8 fahrenheit
(google can translate for you, just type "26 celsius in fahrenheit" in the search box)

[roka64]

I agree on the longer acclimation. Whenever I add anything to my tanks, I turn off the lights and sometimes feed a little food before that.

[MT79]

Originally Posted by ahochan

78.8 ..google can translate for you, just type "26 celsius in fahrenheit" in the search box

I know but I'm lazy That's a little cooler than I prefer, but should cause no issues. Good luck, keep us posted.

[ahochan]

Just a small update... I finally added a new skunk shrimp again a couple of weeks ago, and everything went fine. I skipped putting him in the sump altogether, but drip acclimatized for 2 hours, then put him in after lights out. He seems to be doing good, still shy and hiding in the back though, but I hope he will start cleaning the fish eventually.

I think I've discovered one of the reasons the previous two died so quickly. I found out about a month ago that my salinity was running too low. I must have made some mistake on a water change, my meter was broken and showed a too high salinity value.